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 Leading Actress

Overall Ranking Top 3

1) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -
2) An - Kyousou no bannin
3) Haru - Mahou no rinobe

Voters Ranking Top 5
1) An - Kyousou no bannin
2) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -

3) Nagano Mei - Unicorn ni notte

4) Sugisaki Hana - Prism

5) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon

TV Reporters Ranking Top 5
1) Arimura Kasumi - Ishiko to Haneo - Sonna koto de utaemasu -
2) Nagano Mei - Unicorn ni notte
3) Haru - Mahou no rinobe

4) An - Kyousou no bannin

5) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon

Kuroki Haru - Boku no Neechan

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

2) Haru - Mahou no rinobe

3) Kuroki Haru - Boku no Neechan

4) Nimura Sawa - Anata no butsu ga, koko ni

5) Kuroshima Yuina - Chimudondon

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 #14: Kyousou no bannin (Summer 2022)

Title: Kyousou no bannin 競争の番人

Season: Summer 2022

Broadcast by: FujiTV

Rating: 3/10

Recommended for: those who like David vs. Goliath stories where the underdog does not give up when faced with a more powerful enemy or want to know more about the Fair Trade Commission 

Liked:

- The cast although it was such a waste that they didn't get to perform to their full potential

Disliked: 

- David vs. Goliath stories are interesting to watch only if the underdog manages to overcome the odds to topple the giant. However, the biggest limitation of FTC is that they do not have the right to arrest anyone and any form of judicial action taken on a case they have investigated has to be conducted by the police and prosecutors. As such, the drama was already "handicapped" in the first place because the members of Dairoku cannot exact justice on their own and always had to let others take credit for their work. In addition, those being investigated actually can refuse to have their premises searched which further cripples Dairoku's power to seize evidence for their investigations. Without such a "climax scene" in this drama, you can imagine that there was effectively no "climax" for viewers to look forward to in each episode.

Despite these limitations, the drama didn't try very hard to show a way out of this dire situation and simply kept emphasizing that Dairoku was powerless and so weak that they could be bullied, belittled and ostracized. Compared to "Ishiko to Haneo" which tried to offer alternatives and got creative in seeking justice for the weak who suffered injustices, I thought that the way how the drama portrayed the FTC was extremely unflattering and it was really difficult to root for them as "heroes" to take out those who engage in anti-competition behaviour.

 

- As I've not read the original novel, I cannot ascertain if the bland developments/cases in this drama were due to the novel or the script. However, considering that they took 3 episodes to work on 1 case and everything else after that was rather standard and predictable (even the one against the big baddie), it felt as if not much effort was put into the story. That last episode was truly redundant too and could have been a standalone SP instead.

Seriously, it can't be a coincidence that FujiTV "messed" up 2 novels from the same author in 2 consecutive seasons (the other being "Motokare no yuigonjou" in spring) so I can't help but wonder what happened this time. Is it because the novels concerned are not so suited to be dramatised or is it that the method to dramatise these novels was somewhat lacking? 

- Due to the inherent problems with the story, the cast were severely handicapped in developing their characters. Other than Koshobu (Sakaguchi Kentaro) and Shirokuma (An) who had slightly more airtime showcasing their lives outside of Dairoku, not much is know about the others. As such, the key members felt rather flat and one-dimensional and it was difficult to relate to them or feel for them. It was such a great pity though because these actors definitely could deliver more than this.

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 "Kyousou no bannin" - Summer 2022

Title: Kyousou no bannin 競争の番人 (The guard of competition)

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 11 Jul 2022

Timeslot: Mondays at 9pm

Broadcast by: FujiTV

Original novel by: Shinkawa Hotate

Theme song: "GLOW" by idom

Cast: Sakaguchi Kentaro, An, Koike Eiko, Ookura Koji, Kato Seishiro, Kohinata Fumiyo, Kuroba Mario, Ohnishi Ayaka, Ishikawa Moka & Terajima Shinobu