The criteria for success - Comparing the top 10 Japanese drama titles in terms of real-time ratings and TVer viewership from Winter 2023 to Summer 2024

In the past decade or so, much has been discussed about how TV real-time ratings alone no longer reflect the true extent of a Japanese drama's success or popularity now. Gone are the days when a drama could get double-digit real-time ratings with ease and that blockbuster hits were those looking upwards from 25%. Nowadays, anything above 10% is a rarity while single-digits even for primetime dramas would hardly raise eyebrows. Reasons for these trends are aplenty including a greater variety of mediums to watch dramas on including international OTT platforms and viewers can also go to on-demand streaming platforms to catch up on shows so there is less of a need to watch something in a designated timeslot.

To get an understanding of the differences in viewing patterns and volumes when it comes to real-time ratings and on-demand platform viewership, this analysis takes data from Video Research's (VR) household real-time ratings for the Kanto region and TVer's quarterly release of its top 20 most-viewed shows on its portal. The reasons why these two sources were chosen are that VR's data has been the go-to standard for audience measurement of TV and radio shows while TVer is a free portal owned jointly by the 5 key TV networks and provides titles from all of them. 7 seasons' worth of data from Winter 2023 to the recently concluded Summer 2024 were used for the purpose of this analysis.

Let's begin by looking at some interesting observations over the 7 seasons in question:

- "VIVANT" was the only drama in the 7 seasons which took top place in terms of real-time ratings and on-demand views. 

There were also some unusual examples like "Brush up life" which got No.10 in terms of real-time ratings but was No.1 for on-demand views, "Sayonara Maestro" which was No.1 on TV but No.10 on TVer and "Anata ga shitekure nakutemo" which was No.1 on TVer but nowhere to be seen in the real-time top 10 ranking for the season.

What this suggests is that what works well in terms of attracting viewers to tune in real-time may not be the same for on-demand platforms. 

- Nowadays, even if a drama does not get a double-digit average rating for the entire season, there is still a likelihood for it to be the No.1 drama of that season if the competition isn't stiff. Examples would be "Keishicho Outsider" (9.49%) and "Gekokujou Kyuuji" (9.63%). Coincidentally or not, these two dramas were shown during the colder seasons i.e. Winter 2023 and Autumn 2023 which were said to be "good seasons" for TV dramas since people tended to stay home more when it was cold. 

And the summer season which was usually seen as a "dumping ground" for dramas since people would be out holidaying during the summer vacation, saw "VIVANT" buck the trend by being the highest rated in these 7 seasons with 14.26%.

Goes to show that weather or the season is no longer a key determinant of a drama's success in terms of real-time ratings?

- To make it to the top 10 dramas of the season in terms of real-time ratings, the average qualifying score is 7.24% which was what most top 5 dramas of the season would exceed. However, in actual fact, out of the 70 dramas in this analysis, 42 actually didn't cross this bar. The most extreme example would be the Autumn 2023 where only the top 2 exceeded this figure.

In addition, the gap between the No.1 and No.10 dramas were around the 5% mark with the least difference seen in Winter 2023 - "Keishicho Outsider" vs. "Brush up life" (3.26%) and the most difference in Summer 2023 - "VIVANT" vs. "CODE" (9.12%).

What this suggests is that the margin between the dramas outside the top 3 tends to be very small but their gaps with the top contenders is comparatively wider.

- In terms of views on TVer, the average "passing mark" to make it to the top 10 is about 24 million views for the entire season. However, depending on the competitive landscape for that season, the number of views needed to become No.1 differed greatly. 

"Brush up life" managed to get No.1 with 30.72 million views while "Futekisetsu nimo hodo ga aru!" got its title with 33.42 million views. However, "Destiny" easily got the same position with just 28.84 million views. 

On the other hand, "Anata ga shitekure nakutemo" and "VIVANT" got No.1 with 54.81 million views, "Ichiban suki na hana" got 40.26 million views but "Umi no hajimari" was far ahead of its competition with a whooping 71.48 million views. This was more than double of the second-placed "Otto no katei wo kowasu made" at 32.58 million views!

As for the cut-off point on the lower end of the ranking, it took "Reversal Orchestra" just 12.88 million views to enter the top 10 but "Kururi" and "Minami-kun no koibito" needed more than 18 million views to scrape through since most of the top 10 titles for their respective seasons were above 20 million views.

And here are the details for the 7 seasons who are interested:

While it may be difficult to quantify and set a standard criteria to determine a drama's success in terms of TV ratings and on-demand views for now, it is no longer possible for content producers like TV stations to ignore the latter market and be hung up over real-time ratings only. Some dramas may have fared poorly on TV but still gained a lot of attention through their great numbers on on-demand platforms or being talked about online. As seen from the enormous number of views for some of the blockbuster hits in these seasons, it suggests that more consumers/viewers are making a conscious choice to watch what they want at their own convenience rather than be tied down by a fixed timeslot. And since there are more measurement metrics nowadays to judge whether a drama has performed well, it is probably time for the media as well to focus less on making a hoo-ha whenever a title expected to do well e.g. with a star-studded cast or big-time actor/actress as the lead suffers from poor real-time ratings.

Times have changed so the way we look at success has to evolve as well.

Quick Review #50: Brush Up Life - Winter 2023

Title: Brush Up Life / ブラッシュアップライブ

Rating: 7 /10 

Recommended for: 

For those who like quirky stories about the what-ifs in life if different choices are made, fans of Baka Rhythm's storytelling style or are fans of the cast especially Ando Sakura

Liked:

- Stories about people making different life choices when given a second chance to redo their lives after dying suddenly or in unexpected circumstances are aplenty. What made this different from the offerings to date is probably Baka Rhythm's unique quirky, sometimes cynical and yet meaningful storytelling style. The thing is, the repeating of the lead character's life wasn't just to "improve" the quality or outcome of her life but also consciously affect or change the same for the people around her. As such, compared to other stories which may be wary of the ripple effect on other people when the lead character's life is changed in any way, the different choices in this drama were done on purpose with specific aims.

- A very interesting cast line-up with Ando Sakura leading the pack with her natural acting that makes her look and feel as if she is Asami herself. Her interactions and chemistry with her co-stars are also something to keep a lookout for.

Disliked: 

- Much as this drama had won so many accolades and praise, my biggest issue with this was the repetition. By the time Asami was in her third lifetime, I was a bit bored with the process and almost wanted to drop off. Not that the story was boring or that the developments that came out differently due to her new choices were bad, it's just that too much of a thing (even if it may be good) will be too overwhelming. If the story was a tad shorter or some parts could be glossed over more quickly and the attention focused more on the more critical parts, I might have enjoyed this better. As such, I do feel that this is a good drama but maybe not to the extent of being a top-notch classic for me.

Quick Review #43: Giver Taker - Winter 2023

Title: Giver Taker / ギバーテイカー

Rating: 8.5 /10 

Recommended for: 

Those who like psychological suspense stories with a humanity theme and are fans of the cast especially Nakatani Miki, Kikuchi Fuuma and Ikeuchi Hiroyuki

Liked:

- The length of the drama was just right at 5 episodes so the pacing of the story was never draggy and had an adequate amount of tension balanced with the emotional scenes. As for the suspense element, it was never a question of who did it but rather why did he do what he did but I didn't think that it was much of an issue. While the story shuttled between the past i.e. 12 years ago and the present day, the transition between the timelines was smooth and provided some nice and subtle comparisons between the key characters for the viewers to observe and notice. For example, the colours of the clothes worn by Itsuki (Nakatani) when she was still a school teacher and leading a happy life were largely warm pastel tones while she was largely in black by the time she became a police detective and after her daughter was murdered. On the other hand, Ruoto's (Kikuchi) clothes back when he was a kid had comparatively brighter colours than when he returned as an adult and always wore white shirts - I assume that this is supposedly with reference to the assumption that his dirty past had been "washed away" after being locked up and undergoing psychiatric treatment for years.

- The acting from Nakatani, Kikuchi and Ikeuchi were simply fantastic. Although the current timeline showed Itsuki mired largely in angsty, distrusting and sad moods due to the tragedy, Nakatani was able to show the "before" stage so well that the contrast from having fallen from heaven to hell came across more convincingly. And her emotional struggle caused by her multiple identities as a police officer, a mother, former teacher and family of a crime victim was compelling to watch. 

As for Kikuchi, he really gave me the shivers as Ruoto even when he was putting on an angelic face. To be honest, my image of Kikuchi is largely influenced by what I've seen in variety shows or on Yonino Channel so I've always wondered if I can take him seriously as an actor. If "Tonari no otoko yoku taberu" made me sit up and take notice of him as an actor for the first time, this is definitely his signature work which I suppose his fans wouldn't want to miss.

I haven't watched Ikeuchi in action for so many years so it was such a surprise to see how he managed to nail the role of Imai and exude so much masculine charm. I'm glad that the story didn't try to introduce a romantic angle between Imai and Itsuki and think that they really fit each other well as work partners. Would be nice to see Ikeuchi and Nakatani in action again.

Disliked: 

- Despite the title, the "giver" part of the story was not so obvious compared to the "taker" aspect. Most of the episodes focused on Ruoto's murderous nature and it was quite late in the story before the "giver" element was described, albeit a bit in a light touch-and-go format. As such, it might have been better if there was a bit more time devoted to contrast between both elements of the title and make the theme of the drama more memorable as a result.

- The thing about stories like this where a psychopath like Ruoto is featured, there is always a "redeeming factor" or rather justification as to why he had turned out like this. I personally would have preferred Ruoto to be a more hardcore psychopath who was born like this rather than changing his character artificially due to external influences. And because the explanation came so late in the story, it felt like the development was shoved right into my face. I didn't really see the logic nor could accept how the story tried to change my opinion of Ruoto by making him look like a tragic baddie. One plausible reason for this late timing though could be to emphasize how Ruoto's mother's final action was simply too little and too late to help him change his fate.

Quick Review #42: 100 mankai ieba yokatta - Winter 2023

Title: 100 mankai ieba yokatta / 100万回言えばよかった

Rating: 4 /10 

Recommended for: 

Those who like love stories between human beings and ghosts which are destined for a tragic end.

You may refer here for my detailed review of Episode 1. 

Liked:

- If you look at this drama purely as a love story destined for a sad ending, I think it did achieve its purpose as there were so much tears and sadness across the board. While some stories could try to do a sharp twist just to please the viewers with a happy ending, I'm glad that this drama stayed its course and went all the way to the logical while not necessarily sad conclusion.

- The acting from the three leads was on par with their usual standards. Of course, my personal bias would be for Matsuyama Kenichi who managed to make the somewhat clumsy but very kind Yuzuru extremely endearing and someone to root for although everyone knew that he wouldn't have a chance with the female lead. I felt that Inoue Mao's spot-on portrayal of Yui who remained steadfast in her love for Naoki (Sato Takeru) and her juggling of the variety of emotions Yui had throughout the course of the story made this one of her memorable performances to date. Not to mention that she looked good with both male leads (the living and dead ones). As for Sato, I thought that the parts when Naoki's family story and the circumstances leading to Naoki's death stood out a bit more for me compared to the romance aspect.

Disliked: 

- One of the concerns I raised in my Ep 1 review was the story hinting at a possibility that Naoki might not be dead after all. I thought that it took too long for his "status" to be confirmed so it was getting a tad draggy at that point. I would have preferred that they took no more than 2 episodes to certify his death and then move on to the rest of the story. Time is precious.

- I also didn't like the reason why Naoki died. Of course, the dark truth was not a trivial thing nor something to be seen as unimportant but at least for me, I felt that he had died in vain somehow and wasted the potentially happy rest of his life with the woman he loved. And to make it worse, it was so easy to guess who the culprit was because dramaland logic always tells you that the least suspicious-looking one or the supposedly kindest or most unlikely one would be the one. As such, I think things could have been wrapped up with lesser episodes or that more airtime could have been devoted to the stories of the three leads rather than have the case investigation meander through the season in such a slow pace.

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

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

Quick Review #26: Keishichou Outsider (Winter 2023)

Title: Keishichou Outsider 警視庁アウトサイダー

Season: Winter 2023

Broadcast by: TV Asahi

Rating: 2/10

Recommended for: NA

Liked:

- The first episode turned out to be the best in the entire series with a number of potentially intriguing subplots.

- The chemistry of the three leads which improved with time

Disliked: 

- The title and the storyline just didn't mesh well. Although the three leads were supposed to be "outsiders" in the police force for various reasons, the story didn't capitalise on this interesting theme and how they could make use of this unique position to solve cases. Instead, there weren't really any difficult cases which could test their investigative and deduction powers.

- The story simply went down the path of familiar territory i.e. law enforcement being in cahoots with the politicians to do cover-ups with the underworld being involved as well. That was simply boring and the developments were so predictable. Actually, from the time when Saito Takumi & Kataoka Ainosuke appeared in the beginning, it was so obvious that they would be key figures on the evil side. And to make things worse, what led to the messy state of things was a totally ludicrous reason. It felt like all that effort in investigating the cases and having so many people die along the way was totally for nothing.

- Much as the three leads were getting better at interacting with one another as the drama progressed, it was a pity that the appeal and charm of their characters did not come out well because of the story's limitations. And the amount of puns and silly jokes along the way became too much to take. It was such a pity that the story didn't give these actors a chance to shine. It felt like a waste of their talent especially Hamada Gaku's character who seemed the most interesting at the beginning.

Coverage plans for Winter 2023 & Spring 2023 dramas

Just as I am still trying to find time to finish the quick reviews for the Winter 2023 dramas I finished watching, the Spring 2023 dramas have already started airing. Hardly any time to catch a breather since I also finished a number of older but very high-quality dramas released on Netflix recently.

So in case you are keen, please keep a lookout for the quick reviews of the following dramas (in order of completion) coming your way on this blog: 

* Get Ready

* Otto wo shakai teki ni massatsu suru itsutsu no houhou

* Brush up life

* Hoshi furu yoru ni

* 100 mankai ieba yokatta

* Daibyouin senkyo

* 6 byoukan no kiseki

* Themis no kyoushitsu

* INFORMA

* Wana no sensou

You would have noticed that I stopped doing episodic posts somewhere in the middle of the season and the main reason is that there were not that many things to write about in each episode. This was in stark contrast to Autumn 2022 when I wrote a lot of my thoughts for multiple titles. Generally speaking, there wasn't any drama in the last season which was a satisfying all-rounder and there were quite a number of titles with a great cast and acting but terribly-executed story.

With hopes for a better new season, this is what I plan to watch for now but no promises to stick till the end for every title:

* Kashimashimeshi

* Kyoujou 0

* Tonari no otoko wa yoku taberu

* Sorette pakuri janai desuka?

* Anata ga shitekure nakutemo

* Shouri no houteishiki

* Unknown

* Pending Train

* Namiyo kiite kure

* Dr. Chocolate

* Tsukiyomi-kun no kindan oyashoku

* Last Man

* Gouritekini arienai

* Ousama no sasagu kusuriyubi

* Nichiyou no yoru gurai wa

The plan for now is to do at least one post about the first impression of the drama but it is most likely that I will do quick reviews for the majority of the dramas listed here unless there's any title where there's a lot to talk about in each episode.

If you have a to-watch list for this season, please feel free to share them with me! 

Preview of "Utsubora" - Winter 2023

Title: Utsubora ウツボラ

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 24 Mar 2023

Timeslot: Fridays at 11.30pm

Broadcast by: WOWOW

Original manga by: Nakamura Asumiko

Cast: Maeda Atsuko, Kitamura Yukiya, Fujiwara Kisetsu, Taira Yuna, Okayama Hajime, Takeda Kouhei, Hinagata Akiko & Watanabe Ikkei

Winners of the Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix - Winter 2023

Here are the winners of the Nikkansports Drama Grand Prix for the Winter 2023 season. Numbers in brackets indicate the number of votes received:

Best Drama

1) Suki suki wanwan! - NTV (5239)

2) Reversal Orchestra - NTV (2538)

3) Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu - TBS (2099)

4) 100 mankai ieba yokatta - TBS (1835)

5) Wana no sensou - FujiTV (1062)

Best Leading Actor

1) Kishi Yuuta - Suki suki wanwan! (5995)

2) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi - Wana no sensou (2675)

3) Sakurai Sho - Daibyouin senkyo (1210)

4) Matsumoto Jun - Dousuru Ieyasu (664)

5) Takahashi Issei - 6 byoukan no kiseki (531)

Best Leading Actress

1) Kadowaki Mugi - Reversal Orchestra (3175)

2) Ando Sakura - Brush up life (3075)

3) Hirose Suzu - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (2567)

4) Inoue Mao - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2421)

5) Yoshitaka Yuriko - Hoshi furu yoru ni (1013)

Best Supporting Actor

1) Tanaka Kei - Reversal Orchestra (2987)

2) Ukisho Hidaka - Suki suki wanwan! (2780)

3) Nagase Ren - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (2430)

4) Sato Takeru - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (2137)

5) Oideyasu Oda - Suki suki wanwan! (711)

Best Supporting Actress

1) Takiuchi Kumi - Reversal Orchestra (1251)

2) Natsuki Mari - Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (1138)

3) Tsunematsu Yuri - Reversal Orchestra (881)

4) Matsumoto Wakana - Tantei Romance / Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu (850)

5) Shim Eun-kyung - 100 mankai ieba yokatta (844)

Source: Nikkansports

Preview of "Nagatan to Ao to - Ichika no ryourichou -" - Winter 2023

Title: Nagatan to Ao to - Ichika no ryourichou - ながたんと青と - いちかの料理帖 -

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 24 March 2023

Timeslot: Fridays at 11pm

Broadcast by: WOWOW

Total number of episodes: 10

Original manga by: Isoya Yuki

Cast: Kadowaki Mugi, Sakuma Ryuto, Nakamura Aoi, Toda Keiko, Kumada Rinka, Shiraishi Shunya, Itao Itsuji, Tokoshima Yoshiko, Iida Kisuke, Momota Kanako, Ono Takehiko, Kikuchi Akiko, Kato Konatsu, Takeda Kouhei, Mamoru, Yoshikawa Taro, Koshiba Riku & Shinoda Ryo

Preview of "Watashi ga himo wo kau nante" - Winter 2023

Title: Watashi ga himo wo kau nante 私がヒモを飼うなんて

Official website: here

Official Instagram: here

Official TikTok: here

Official Twitter: here

O.A. Start Date: 28 Mar 2023 (1-week advance preview on Paravi & U-NEXT)

Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.58am

Broadcast by: TBS

Original manga by Motoyama Kumiko & Misono

Theme Song: "Kumo no ito" by Penthouse

Inspire Song: "Amayadori" by Penthouse

Main Theme: "Kasumisou" by Sumino Hayato

Cast: Igeta Hiroe, Ichinose Hayate, Nishigaki Sho, Shida Kohaku, Mihara Ui, Izuka Kenta & Triendl Reina

Preview of "Grace no rireki" - Winter 2023

Title: Grace no rireki グレースの履歴

Official website: here

O.A. Start Date: 19 Mar 2023

Timeslot: Sundays at 10pm

Broadcast by: NHK

Cast: Takito Kenichi, Ono Machiko, Ito Hideaki, Emoto Tasuku, Hayashi Kento, Yamazaki Hirona, Kurotani Tomoka, Uzaki Ryudo & Hirosue Ryoko

Thoughts about "Get Ready!" Eps 2 and 3

The reason why I'm writing about 2 episodes at one go is because I literally have nothing much to comment about them.

Just where does the problem lie with this drama? Although it looked pretty promising pre-season, this has turned out to be such a huge disappointment in more ways than one.

First of all, what genre would this story fall under in the first place? Medical drama? Then again, the medical conditions and treatment methods are supposedly fictitious and not in line with reality. And half of the surgical process is handled by the AI while seemingly complex surgeries are conducted by two people only. Isn't it amazing or ridiculous that one of them is a surgical nurse who is so skilled that she can transform into a surgeon at will in case the chief surgeon cannot handle two procedures at one go?

So is this a story about eliminating evil from the world? The issue is, the group isn't doing things for free and charge exorbitant fees to make the bad guys choose between their lives and ill-gotten fortune. Just what is their ultimate motive? By this stage, I have already lost interest and feel like I have one foot out of the door to literally walk out of this drama anytime.

And is this an obvious homage to or carbon copy of Tsutsumi Yukihiko's past successes like TRICK to blend in similar-styled comedic scenes amid a serious backdrop? Otherwise, why would there be terribly out-of-place scenes like the wacky fortune-teller who spins a seemingly smart Joker around her finger at will? Or how about that female police officer who keeps falling down every time she appears? What worked then in TRICK or SPEC may not work here and those scenes and developments made me so annoyed that I felt like skipping them. Humour when not delivered in the right way and at the right time just comes across as lame and falls flat. A drama which tries to do a bit of everything may end up to have nothing to show for.

Seeing what is happening to the story makes me feel bad for the cast. With such a good lineup, you could potentially create a much better drama than this. I was so looking forward to seeing Tsumabuki Satoshi & Fujiwara Tatsuya battle it out onscreen but most of their scenes so far were simply flat and lacked the sparks. Most, if not all of the time, Ace is shown bulldozing his way through everything with his tantrums and take-it-or-leave-it attitude regardless of Joker's logical reasoning and convincing. Maybe there is a proper reason to show why Joker puts up with this nonsense and why Ace can afford to disregard the views of his team and apply his arbitrary sense of justice. However, I don't know if I can still stick around to wait for that reveal.

And putting in more big names like Suzuki Ryohei now isn't going to salvage this drama unless the story improves dramatically. Having a star-studded cast is simply not the easy way out to draw in viewers. I also feel bad for the guest stars so far who played the patients - they did a fantastic job in showing the struggle to decide between their health and wealth and how each baddie evolved into who they were. The story is simply not doing them any justice and it's such a waste of talent when this kind of thing happens.

One other thing which bothers me is the cake creations designed for this drama. Surely they didn't get a famous patissier to come in and design all these beautiful cakes for nothing? Considering that they bothered to show Ace assembling the elements to form the cake and have close-up shots to introduce these cakes, I find it hard to think that all these efforts would be wasted on something which has no further meaning. However, the first and second cakes named "Molecule" and "Divine Comedy" don't seem to have anything in common while there was no cake shop scene at all in Ep 3. So what is happening now? Did they decide to suspend that cake shop subplot for now? And did I overthink the significance of these new creations and their titles when they could have meant nothing at all?

Frankly speaking, I tried to convince myself that there should be more than meets the eye and I should be a bit more patient to wait around for the big reveal. The issue is, if the filler episodes are not only boring but feel like a total waste of my time, should I still hold on to the feeble hope that this will improve? Although the next episode is hinting at a big reveal of Queen's background, I am not so hopeful about seeing anything that will change my opinion of this drama. 4 episodes is definitely more than enough time to judge whether this is to be continued or dropped for the rest of the reason so we'll see by then.

Thoughts about "6 byoukan no kiseki" Ep 1 - Winter 2023

To begin with, each episode of this drama is shorter than the norm i.e. about 25 mins compared to the usual 45 mins for most dramas. With lesser time to spare, the drama gets down to business almost immediately without the usual fluff to set up the story so it felt as if a lot of stuff had been covered within a short period of time. The good side to this is, no time is wasted. However, if not handled properly, the drawback is that the characters can come across as very superficial and the viewers may not take to them or empathise with their feelings.

Prior to watching this, I had the impression that it was just a fantasy-cum-comedy about the Mochizuki family where father Kou returns in the form of a spirit 6 months after he died suddenly and supposedly can only seen by his son Seitaro. The younger man is still hung up over Kou's last word i.e. sorry and seems to be at a loss as to what to do now that he is left all alone. Nothing much has been said about Kou's wife i.e. Seitaro's mother in this episode although the official website does mention that the couple divorced 10 years after getting married despite overcoming objection from her parents. The contrast in Seitaro's living environment 6 months ago and now seems to be a reflection of his lack of desire and motivation in life. As such, Seitaro's childhood friend Yuuto is concerned about his well-being and even offers him a job opportunity so that Seitaro's mind can focus on something else.

The ironical thing is, much as you would think that Seitaro misses his father, his first reaction and of course, a natural one for anyone in the same situation is being freaked out at first by the appearance of Kou's spirit. However, it doesn't take him that long to come to terms with this new development although he's still curious about why Kou has returned and how he did that.

Another reason for Seitaro's loneliness and huge sense of loss has to do with their family business. The Mochizuki family has been in the business of fireworks for 5 generations but the COVID-19 pandemic nearly makes the company go bust as there is a lack of large scale events which requires fireworks displays. In most stories, the father would be the stubborn one who refuses to rejuvenate the business by trying new methods but here, Kou took the initiative to suggest promoting the idea of fireworks for individuals rather than corporations. However, Seitaro had been reluctant to consider this probably because of the hassle they had to go through to launch fireworks and the profit margin for individual assignments would most likely be not worth the effort. 

Surprisingly, just when Seitaro has to grapple with the sudden appearance of Kou in spirit form, a woman named Mizumori Hikari comes knocking with a flyer promoting "fireworks for yourself only" i.e. you can arrange for a fireworks display on an individual rather than for corporates or large events. This is where another mystery pops up - how did Hikari get the flyer? When Kou floated the idea to Seitaro while he was alive, the latter was not supportive at all and it didn't look like Kou went ahead with this behind Seitaro's back. Then if Kou had done this after he died, how did he do it and for what reason? That's probably something which will be revealed in time to come.

Much as I don't expect the story to offer a lot of big surprises, I do like the underlying theme of bucking the trend illustrated in this episode. Kou's efforts in trying to seek a different market for their business which is dependent on large-scale outdoor events and Hikari paying for a fireworks display for her sake and using her own money can be seen as weird or unconventional behaviour. However, who has the right to say that they were wrong or shouldn't follow their hearts? Just because the majority doesn't do something doesn't make it unacceptable. Although it is still unknown why they did what they did, I actually like the notion of doing as you wish without being tied down by conventions but of course, this has to be done without hurting anyone in the process.

This drama is relatively simple and straightforward with just 3 characters and Seitaro's friend looking likely to pop up only from time to time. As such, to hold the interest of the viewers with such a plot and only 3 characters, this drama needs to have something magical that can hold interest through the entire season. For now, I think it's quite palatable and easy to watch and I am pleased to see the interactions between the cast members especially Takahashi Issei and Hashizume Isao. Surprisingly, Honda Tsubasa's acting in this drama has been passable so far but I guess this also has to do with the fact that her role hasn't required her to be extremely expressive at the moment. When Hikari shows more of her background and feelings, that's going to be the litmus test as to whether Honda can handle this character especially when faced with good actors who can either bring out the best in her or she will appear rather inadequate in contrast.

Thoughts about "Yuugure ni, te wo tsunagu" Ep 1 - Winter 2023

Conclusion: This felt like a modern remake of 1996's "Long Vacation".

The key settings and developments so far felt almost identical as per the points I outlined below:

1) Soramame (Hirose Suzu) was dumped by her fiancé who had a new girlfriend and only found out what happened after she came to Tokyo to finalise plans for their wedding just weeks ahead vs. Minami (Yamaguchi Tomoko) who probably had it worse because she was dumped on her wedding day and her fiancé took away all her money.

2) Oto (Nagase Ren) aspires to be a composer but is struggling because his works seem to lack the power to move people emotionally vs. Sena who failed to get into graduate school and could only make ends meet as a piano teacher,.

3) Soramame and Oto end up living under the same roof due to her having no money and cannot go back to her hometown to face her grandmother and family after breaking up with her fiance vs. Minami losing all her money to her fiance and Sena having no choice but to let her stay in the same apartment at her persistence

4) Sena was in an unrequited relationship with his junior Ryoko (Matsu Takako) while at present, what is known is that Oto seems unable to date or unwilling to date anyone due to some unknown reason.

5) The underlying theme of taking a "vacation" from life in the meantime before trying to do something or pursuing one's dreams seems to be the same in both dramas. Soramame and Oto look likely to be seeking comfort in each other's company while staying under the same roof. Likewise for Sena and Minami helped to heal each other's wounds while living together before they could take steps to realise what they wanted in life.

Well, given that both dramas are written by the same scriptwriter Kitagawa Eriko, I'm not so surprised but to have that many similarities, it felt as if she was copying chunks of successful elements from her past hit. And since "Long Vacation" was such a hit back then, it may be unfair to compare this drama with that. Then again, what was novel and refreshing back in 1996 doesn't feel quite the same in 2023.

Perhaps for those who haven't watched Kitagawa's past works or "Long Vacation" in particular, you may not be so bothered by these similarities. However, to see some really cliched settings and hear lines which you typically won't hear from young people these days, these just makes this drama feel really dated and old fashioned. I'm not sure if this is an indication of things to come but I cringe at the idea of having to sit through such a cliched story for another 2+ months.

Then again, I also feel that it might be a pity to give up so quickly especially since the cast turned out to be better than I thought.

It's my first time watching Nagase Ren in action and I was pleasantly surprised by his subdued acting as the unusually calm Oto who only shows a bit of his true self and feelings when he's with Soramame. As such, I'm intrigued by how his character will develop and what kind of painful past Oto might have which led him to behave as he is now. Likewise for Hirose Suzu, although it was a bit challenging to hear Soramame talk in a mix of 2 dialects (she did explain why she spoke like that), I liked her chemistry with Nagase and to be honest, they do look like a really cute and compatible couple. Even for the supporting characters shown so far - Makiko (Matsumoto Wakana), Kyoko (Natsuki Mari) i.e. their landlord and Sousuke (Kawakami Yohei) i.e. Kyoko's son, they all look pretty interesting to explore further. And Endo Kenichi hasn't even appeared yet.

The problem is, if the story proves too much to stomach, I probably cannot force myself to stay on watching this just for the cast. As such, the next 2 episodes or so will probably be the deciding factor for me as to whether this drama is for keeps or to be dropped.