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 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 #10: Old Rookie (Summer 2022)

Title: Old Rookie (オールドルーキー)

Season: Summer 2022

Broadcast by: TBS

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Recommended for: sports fans who know a lot of Japanese athletes, those who are interested to find out more about sports management and keen on stories about people moving on to second careers

Liked:

- Some of the TBS Sunday 9pm dramas can be a bit overboard in terms of acting and story especially if there is an emphasis of how passion, enthusiasm and perseverance can overcome almost all the obstacles in life. This drama was fairly toned-down in terms of its messaging so it didn't come across as hard-sell and was comparatively easier to watch. Coupled with the heartwarming interpersonal relationships among the characters, there were quite a number of touching parts which made me smile and cry along with them.

- The acting of the cast was pretty good on the whole and most of the characters were presented in a multi-dimensional manner which made them easier to relate to and like. Ayano Go stood out for his subtle emotional acting and I have to admit, his portrayal of Shinmachi was much better than I expected initially. I also liked the fact that the scriptwriter chose to make Kanako somewhat different from the other wives in the Sunday 9pm dramas to date. Usually, the wives play a supporting role to the husbands and hardly have much airtime in the dramas. However, Kanako was hardly someone who stayed in the background and was definitely not passive at all. She could take charge of the situation, give her husband a good shake-up when he was in denial and self-doubting himself, offer him comfort and support at the right time and not wait around for solutions but took the initiative to solve problems. As such, I really like the relationship dynamics between this couple which came across as both cool and very heartwarming. Likewise, I also thought that Umeyashiki and Fukazawa were quite a cute couple although it was too late for them to develop their relationship further in the drama.

- The sports management aspect of the story was interesting at times. Prior to watching this drama, I thought that it was just about managing the athlete's career, both in the sporting arena and outside e.g. CM and sponsorship deals, TV appearances, media engagements. However, there was more to that because the manager has to take care of things such as arranging for training venues, training partners, resources, equipment, negotiate for transfers to other teams, medical care, physiotherapy, mental care. As such, the parts when Shinmachi was still trying to learn the ropes were an eye-opener because a lot of time was spent on explaining the workflow. It would have been good if this continued in the second arc but I guess building up to the conflict of ideals vs. reality demanded more airtime so it couldn't be helped.

Disliked: 

- Compared to the first arc which took great pains to illustrate the internal turmoil that Shinmachi was experiencing after his professional career as a soccer player was ended prematurely, the second arc of the drama seemed to be wrapped up in a great hurry. Just when the conflict between Takayanagi and Shinmachi in the second last episode marked a climax which could be explored a bit longer and in depth, the resolution felt like a rollercoaster ride heading downwards. I thought that was a bit wasted so the pacing of the story could be improved in this aspect.

- For sports fans familiar with Japanese sports stars, this drama would probably make them quite excited to see these athletes make guest appearances. However, for the viewers who don't know them well, the excitement would be lost on them. I have to admit, I could only recognise a handful of them. This is more of a personal problem but for the benefit of viewers like me, it might be good to have a line or two to "introduce" these stars as seen in a couple of episodes when the athletes' names were mentioned.

- The part about how Igaki managed to overcome his nerves and deliver a stellar performance on the pitch was a tad too unrealistic. In fact, this was a common issue as seen in some of the featured athletes' stories which were wrapped up in a similar fashion. While the overall storyline was largely believable and realistic, the same level of detail and attention probably wasn't extended evenly to these subplots.

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.

Romaji lyrics of "Ame Sansan" by King Gnu (Theme song of TBS Summer 2022 drama "Old Rookie")

Title: Ame Sansan

Sung by: King Gnu

Lyrics & Melody by: Tsuneta Daiki

Theme song of TBS Summer 2022 drama "Old Rookie"

erabeyo kawariyuku jidai wo warikirenakutomo

kono toki kono butai wo ikinuku kara

tegotae no nai kyou de sae mo

tsumugu yo dekoboko na kono michi ni furisosogu ame sansan to 

nayamashiku ikimadou bokura no

kanashimi sae mo mizu ni nagashite yuku

sabitsuita jidensha wo hashirasete

kimi e to mukau no sa

ame ni nurenagara kaerou

rinji nyuusu no shirase dewa

douyara korekara doshaburi no ame ga fururashii

kasa wo wasureta tameiki wa

yudachi ga tsuretekita natsu no nioi ni toketeyuku

kako wo utau kanashimitachi ga kumo to nari ame wo uchitsukeru

sakebe yo ki no hareru made koe wa ame ni kakikesare

ima ja doko no dare nimo todokanakutemo

teokure ni natte shimatta mirai e sae mo

tsunagu yo sono baton wo

shizuka ni matteru hito ga iru ame sansan to nayamashiku

ikimadou bokura no kanashimi sae mo mizu ni nagashiteyuku

senrozoi kaze wo kiri icchokusen ni kimi e to mukau no sa ame ni nurenagara kaerou

ame sansan to furisosogi natsu wo hajiite hanshashita bokura wo utsushidasu

ame sansan to furisosogi natsu wo oyoide zubunureta no bokura wo utsushidasu

hageshiku teritsukeru taiyo yo bokura wo michibiite okure yo

mirai wo utau kotoba dake ga kaze to nari mori wo fukinukeru

erabeyo kawariyuku jidai wo warikirenakutomo

kono toki kono butai wo ikinuku kara

aokiharu no mabataki kara nando sameyou tomo

tsumugu yo dekoboko na kono michi ni furisosogu ame sansan to 

nayamashiku ikimadou bokura no

kanashimi sae mo mizu ni nagashite yuku

sabitsuita jidensha wo hashirasete kimi e to mukau no sa ame ni nurenagara kaerou

Preview of "Old Rookie" - Summer 2022

Title: Old Rookie オールドルーキー

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 26 Jun 2022

Timeslot: Sundays at 9pm

Broadcast by: TBS

Theme Song: "Ame Sansan" by King Gnu

Cast: Ayano Go, Yoshine Kyoko, Nakagawa Taishi, Okazaki Sae, Masuda Takahisa, Ikuta Erika, Inagaki Kurumi, Izutani Rana, Takahashi Katsumi, Eikura Nana & Sorimachi Takashi