The 113rd Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2022) - Best Drama

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -
2) Hatsukoi no akuma
3) Roppongi Class

Voters Ranking Top 5

1) Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -

2) Teppachi!

3) Shin Shinchoukouki

4) Kyousou no bannin

5) NICE FLIGHT!

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Hatsukoi no akuma
2) Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -
3) Roppongi Class
4) Mahou no rinobe

5) Yukionna to kani wo kuu

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -

2) Hatsukoi no akuna

3) Mahou no rinobe

4) Okutou ~ kanjou sousakan Shinno Akari ~

5) Roppongi Class

Source: The Television

The 113rd Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2022) - Best Leading Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Nakamura Tomoya - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -

2) Sakaguchi Kentaro - Kyousou no bannin
3) Takeuchi Ryoma - Roppongi Class

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Sakaguchi Kentaro - Kyousou no bannin
2) Machida Keita - Teppachi!
3) Nagase Ren - Shin Shinchoukouki
4) Nakamura Tomoya - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -
5) Tamamori Yuuta - NICE FLIGHT!

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Hayashi Kento - Hatsukoi no akuma
2) Nakamura Tomoya - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -
3) Takeuchi Ryoma - Roppongi Class
4) Nakano Taiga - Hatsukoi no akuma

5) Ayano Go - Old Rookie

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nakamura Tomoya - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -
2) Takeuchi Ryoma - Roppongi Class

3) Hayashi Kento - Hatsukoi no akuma

Nakano Taiga - Hatsukoi no akuma

Ayano Go - Old Rookie

Sakaguchi Kentaro - Kyousou no bannin

Source: The Television

The 113rd Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2022) - Best Supporting Actor

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Akaso Eiji - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -

2) Saotome Taichi - Roppongi Class

3) Yasuda Ken - Hatsukoi no akuma

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Akaso Eiji - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -
2) Sano Hayato - Teppachi!
3) Nishihata Daigo - Shin Shinchoukouki
4) Nishigaki Sho - Minato Shoji Coin Laundry
5) Saotome Taichi - Roppongi Class

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Saotome Taichi - Roppongi Class
2) Emoto Akira - Shin Shinchoukouki
3) Yasuda Ken - Hatsukoi no akuma
4) Mamiya Shotaro - Mahou no rinobe
5) Bandou Ryota - Unicorn ni notte

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Nishijima Hidetoshi - Unicorn ni notte
2) Akaso Eiji - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -

3) Saotome Taichi - Roppongi Class

4) Kagawa Teruyuki - Roppongi Class

5) Yasuda Ken - Hatsukoi no akuma

Source: The Television

The 113rd Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2022) - Best Supporting Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Matsuoka Mayu - Hatsukoi no akuma

2) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class
3) Koike Eiko - Kyousou no bannin

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Koike Eiko - Kyousou no bannin
2) Shiraishi Mai - Teppachi!
3) Yamada Anna - Shin Shinchoukouki
4) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class
5) MEGUMI - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Matsuoka Mayu - Hatsukoi no akuma
2) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class
3) Higa Manami - Junai Dissonance
4) Eikura Nana - Old Rookie
5) Yoshikawa Ai - Junai Dissonance

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Matsuoka Mayu - Hatsukoi no akuma
2) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class

3) Koike Eiko - Kyousou no bannin

4) Asada Miyoko - Akai Nurse Call

5) Iriyama Noriko - Yukionna to kani wo kuu

Source: The Television

The 113rd Drama Academy Awards (Summer 2022) - Best Theme Song

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Sansan by Miura Daichi (Chimudondon)

2) Start Over by THE BEAT GARDEN (Roppongi Class)

3) Hatsukoi no akuma by "SOIL& ""PIMP""SESSIONS (Hatsukoi no akuma)

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) Chikara no kagiri by GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE (Teppachi!)
2) GLOW by idom (Kyousou no bannin)
3) Ningen gokko by RADWIMPS (Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -)
4) TraceTrace by King & Prince (Shin Shinchoukouki)
5) Two as One by Kis-My-Ft2 (NICE FLIGHT!)

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Sansan by Miura Daichi (Chimudondon)

2) Ame sansan by King Gnu (Old Rookie)

3) Start Over by THE BEAT GARDEN (Roppongi Class)
4) Bakasabaibaa by Ul-fuls (Anata no butsu ga, koko ni)
5) Hoshi no ame by Johnny's WEST (Yukionna to kani wo kuu)

Judges Ranking Top 5
1) Hatsukoi no akuma by "SOIL& ""PIMP""SESSIONS (Hatsukoi no akuma)

2) Start Over by THE BEAT GARDEN (Roppongi Class)

3) Hoshi no ame by Johnny's WEST (Yukionna to kani wo kuu)

4) Chinokate by Yorushika (Mahou no rinobe)

5) Ningen gokko by RADWIMPS (Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu? -)

Source: The Television

Quick Review #17: Hatsukoi no akuma (Summer 2022)

Title: Hatsukoi no akuma 初恋の悪魔

Season: Summer 2022

Broadcast by: NTV

Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended for: fans of Sakamoto Yuji and the cast as well as those who like to ponder over the meaning of the lines

Liked:

- The acting from the cast. To begin with, I like the 4 main actors so it was a joy seeing them in action together. The chemistry between them got even better as their characters' friendship developed. Nakano Taiga and Matsuoka Mayu were the stars from the beginning to the midpoint while Hayashi Kento was the highlight towards the end. It was a pity though that Emoto Tasuku's role didn't get much of an opportunity to shine especially since Kotori's romance with Hattori didn't amount to much in the end.

- The subtlety of the gestures and actions rather than using words to illustrate a point or reflect the relationships and closeness between characters. It felt like being in a detective game where you had to look for clues such as body language to understand what was going on beyond what was spoken.

Disliked: 

- I would say that this drama can be quite polarising. Sakamoto Yuji's dramas are not that easy to understand at times with lots of dialogue in the conversations between characters so the subtlety this time can be a double-edged sword. You can either love or hate it. And till the end, I still wonder about the meaning of the title. I've thought of various interpretations but none of them seem that convincing even to myself. Thus, I am left wondering, so what exactly have I watched for the past 3 months?

- The dialogue this time didn't resonate as much with me as compared to some of his works like "Quartet" and "Omameda Towako" where there were countless quotable quotes and developments which hit close to my heart. Maybe it's the genre this time (the case solving wasn't challenging intellectually but I guess it never was meant to be), or maybe it's the setting that wasn't so engaging but I remember that I wasn't particularly satisfied nor fond of this drama after watching the first episode. There were some notable highlights as the season progressed but somehow, I never got to the stage of being "excited" or "fond" of this drama. Much as I think the characters were endearing in their own ways, I just felt that the story was decent but lacking at the same time.

Winners of the Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix - Summer 2022

Note that the numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received between 14 and 21 Sep 2022.

Best Drama

1) Shin Shinchoukouki (1,482)

2) Hatsukoi no akuma (1,000)

3) Roppongi Class (766)

4) Kamakuradono no 13 nin (313)

5) Junai Dissonance (243)

Best Leading Actor

1) Nagase Ren - Shin Shinchoukouki (1,485)

2) Hayashi Kento - Hatsukoi no akuma (991)

3) Takeuchi Ryoma - Roppongi Class (670)

4) Oguri Shun - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (308)

5) Shigeoka Daiki - Yukionna to kani wo kuu (233)

Best Leading Actress

1) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo (1,014)

2) Haru - Mahou no rinobe (617)

3) Sugisaki Hana - Prism (562)

4) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon (412)

5) Nagano Mei - Unicorn ni notte (394)

Best Supporting Actor

1) Emoto Tasuku - Hatsukoi no akuma (547)

2) Saotome Taichi - Roppongi Class (502)

3) Hamada Gaku - Shin Shinchoukouki (412)

4) Mitsushima Shinnosuke - Shin Shinchoukouki (310)

5) Yasuda Ken - Hatsukoi no akuma (273)

Best Supporting Actress

1) Yamada Anna - Shin Shinchoukouki (1,033)

2) Matsuoka Mayu - Hatsukoi no akuma (904)

3) Hirate Yurina - Roppongi Class (832)

4) Koike Eiko - Kamakuradono no 13 nin (434)

5) Iriyama Noriko - Yukionna to kani wo kuu (173)

Source: Nikkansports

Status update of Summer 2022 dramas - 1 Aug 2022

Now that we are already a month into the Summer 2022 drama season, it's time for a recap of the dramas which I've watched, will continue watching and have already dropped. With this, you will know if I will continue to cover a drama with my episode reflections or will just round up at the end with a quick review. 

To read my past episode reflections posted on Twitter and Facebook, simply search for the hashtags on the Dorama World pages.

What I watched (at least 2 episodes; in order of start date):

1) Old Rookie

2) Unicorn ni notte

3) Teppachi!

4) Okutou 

5) Junai Dissonance

6) Yukionna to kani wo kuu

7) Ishiko to Haneo 

8) Kyousou no bannin

9) Hatsukoi no akuma

10) Mahou no rinobe

Dropped

1) Teppachi! (watched up to Ep 4) 

2) Okutou (watched half of Ep 3) 

In danger of being dropped

1) Unicorn ni notte

2) Kyousou no bannin

Will continue watching but may switch to doing a quick review at the end instead

1) Yukionna to kani wo kuu

2) Old Rookie

3) Junai Dissonance

To continue with episode reflections barring unforeseen circumstances

1) Ishiko to Haneo

2) Hatsukoi no akuma

3) Mahou no rinobe

In the last season, I only finished one drama to the end with episode reflections i.e. "My Family" while I did a quick review for "Koi nante honki de dousuru no". Considering that I've only dropped 2 out of 10 at this stage, it seems that the offerings this season are better in terms of quality and appeal, at least in my opinion.

However, things may change again in the span of an episode or two so it's still too early to tell which drama will make it to the end.

Preview of "Hatsukoi no akuma" - Summer 2022

Title: Hatsukoi no akuma 初恋の悪魔 (The Devil of First Love)

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official LINE: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 16 Jul 2022

Timeslot: Saturdays at 10pm

Broadcast by: NTV

Theme Song: "Hatsukoi no akuma" by SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS

Cast: Hayashi Kento, Nakano Taiga, Matsuoka Mayu, Emoto Tasuku, Ito Hideaki, Yasuda Ken, Tanaka Yuko, Sakuma Yui, Mikata Ryosuke, Seto Catherine, Hagiwara Minori, Nishiyama Jun & Maiguma Katsuya