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Let's talk about Japanese Dramas!

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Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
How unconventional are we talking here? Last Cinderella level? or gouge your eyes out Hatachi no Koibito level?

I have no idea about those two titles, hahaha, I'll check them out.

Anything not handsome girl + handsome guy I guess. Like in My Boss My Hero the setup where the setup is mafia boss + highschool girl or in Densha an Otaku + a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Or in Korean dramas like ahhh.... That Fool (superstar + awkward salary man), Dr. Kkang (former mafia guy + a doctor) or I am Sam (teacher + daughter of a mafia boss)
 

zeroshiki

Member
Last Cinderella is handsome guy pretty girl but there's supposedly an age difference. Hatachi no Koibito is a really icky old guy and a pretty girl.
 
Nazo no Tenkousei 7-finale
I kinda lost interest in it between 8-9 but it did pick itself up. Love the music featured in the finale and when Susan and that guy(forgot his name) saw their identity...think that was episode 10. It was my first SF drama and liked it. A good drama nonetheless.

Mozu episode 1
A very strong first episode, some parts did drag here and there but nothing too drastic(like 1 or two scenes). I was surprised this was an hour and thirty minutes long even though it was on the poster. I'm very eager to find out more about the two main characters, especially Kuraki's and Miki's background. Every time Kuraki took the scene, he just caught my attention. Really liking it so far and hopefully it stays strong throughout season 1.

I also noticed a few actors from other dramas and movies in this drama such as Kotaro Yoshida( from the great drama: The Brothers Karamazov ), Teruyuki Kagawa (Tokyo Sonata), Sosuke Ikematsu (Yokomichi Yonosuke), and, of course, Yoko Maki. I think what's sad is that I know more and can easily recognize JPN actors/actresses than American ones.

Besides Mozu and Roosevelt game, I think I might give Silent Poor a try. It sounds good.
 
Nazo no Tenkousei 7-finale
I kinda lost interest in it between 8-9 but it did pick itself up. Love the music featured in the finale and when Susan and that guy(forgot his name) saw their identity...think that was episode 10. It was my first SF drama and liked it. A good drama nonetheless.

Mozu episode 1
A very strong first episode, some parts did drag here and there but nothing to drastic. I was surprised this was an hour and thirty minutes long even though it was on the poster. I'm very eager to find out more about the two main characters, especially Kuraki's and Miki's background. Every time Kuraki took the scene, he just caught my attention. Really liking it so far and hopefully it stays strong throughout season 1.

I also noticed a few actors from other dramas and movies in this drama such as Kotaro Yoshida( from the great drama: The Brothers Karamazov ), Teruyuki Kagawa (Tokyo Sonata), Sosuke Ikematsu (Yokomichi Yonosuke), and, of course, Yoko Maki. I think what's sad is that I know more and can easily recognize JPN actors/actresses than American ones.

Besides Mozu and Roosevelt game, I think I might give Silent Poor a try. It sounds good.

Yep. The quality dropped in episode 8, bu the last episode wrapped it up nicely.
The song in the last episode, I made my Japanese friend sing it.

Anyone catch episode 1 of Border? I don't watch these types of drama, but I was hooked.
The main actor, seems to have matured a bit , I recall him playing mainly comedy or love roles.
 
Yep. The quality dropped in episode 8, bu the last episode wrapped it up nicely.
The song in the last episode, I made my Japanese friend sing it.

Anyone catch episode 1 of Border? I don't watch these types of drama, but I was hooked.
The main actor, seems to have matured a bit , I recall him playing mainly comedy or love roles.
The ending was satisfying and all the characters were great compared to Boku. I only liked Takuto, which is surprising since that's my first drama where I only like a single character. Still tragic that Boku could have been much better. I was expecting another 1 litre of tears quality drama but I knew after episode 3 that it wasn't going to be.

Amachan 34

Aki treats Stove-San like shit.

She's also coming across as fairly self centred.

You promised me good feelings, Zeroshiki :(
Has anyone here not watched Amachan? Because you should really watch Amachan!
I've been boasting about this drama around this time last year. Try to watch an episode without smiling and it's quite hard to do. It's a must watch for any jdrama lover. Kurita should put it in the front page with the list of other good dramas.

My bro Hiroshi goes through a lot(which you'll see in the later episodes), but he doesn't let fire inside him go out, he keeps it alive.

Man, I still remember all the characters' names and most of the scenes such as (early spoilers, like around episode 30 ish I believe)
Haruko telling Hiroshi in front of the guys that Aki has someone she likes and you just see Hiroshi heart rending expression.
I still think my favorite scene was when Aki discovers Haruko's room. The music that plays in that scene and just wanting to know more about Haruko's past...I need to rewatch this!!
 

zeroshiki

Member
My favorite scene is the end of the "hometown" chapter with the grandma and Aki and the train ;_; The feels.

Also, Stove is in the eternal friendzone. My bro Taneuchi-senpai is where its at.
 
Watched Galileo and Shinzanmono (including Akai Yubi and the umm ballet one).

Both were good in different ways with Shinzanmono being the better of the two in my opinion (but I'm biased towards Abe).

Decided to watch some of the other shows based on Keigo Higashino so started Byakuyako (tv not the movies) and it's quite different from the other two. Only seen 2 eps though so time will tell.

Also grabbed Ryuusei no Kizuna but haven't touched it yet.
 

zeroshiki

Member
Byakuyakou is Higashino's most famous work and it is very very fucked up. It will leave you very bothered afterwards that's for sure.
 

ЯAW

Banned
Currently watching Kodoku no Gurume s3. I can't understand why it's so captivating to watch this guy eat food and crack lame jokes. I just can't stop watching this show, hopefully they make season 4.
 

Kurita

Member
ЯAW;108940272 said:
Currently watching Kodoku no Gurume s3. I can't understand why it's so captivating to watch this guy eat food and crack lame jokes. I just can't stop watching this show, hopefully they make season 4.

Your post reminded me that I wanted to watch that drama, so I just watched a random episode and loved it. Like you said it's just a dude eating but it's hypnotizing. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Also, I want to eat almost everything I saw.
 

Akito

Member
Its also really really old o_O 10+ years old. What possessed you to go watch it?
I watch it some years ago cause I was hearing only good things about it and they were definitely no lies, it was indeed amazing. By my dumb luck Oguri Shun had one of his first roles in this and he was pretty good already lol
 

zeroshiki

Member
I get a kick out of watching Oguri Shun's progression from bullied kid in GTO to yankee with a hear of gold in Gokusen then to hearthrob in HanaKimi. I think his best dorama is Tokyo Dogs though since that show was super funny and had an all star cast.
 

ЯAW

Banned
Started and finished Saikou no Rikon. One of better dramas in long time! I really liked the characters and their interactions with each other... Well Yoko Maki's character was bit annoying but all the other characters worked well together and alone. I'm bit bummed because the ending was kinda bleak and now I need to find something fun to watch. I guess I'll check out some comedy movies.
 

Kurita

Member
You can watch the SP episode for Saikou no Rikon. It was decent, especially for fans of the show.
It really is one my favorite dramas, really funny and the chemistry between the characters was great.
 
Finished watching Strawberry Night last week, was quite enjoyable, but to be honest I felt it didn't stand out as much as, let's say, Shinzanmono.

Maybe it has to do with the lead, Takeuchi Yuko. It's not that she performed poorly or anything, she was convincing enough, I just had a hard time believing she would be the head of the unit for some reason. I get that she is very smart and perceptive, but I don't know, might be just me, but it felt somewhat unrealistic/forced. Also the fact that she treats her parents awfully in the first few episodes didn't really make me feel any more sympathetic towards her character.

Anyway, aside from that, most of the cases were quite interesting, specially the final one and I love the fact that they broke off the usual "one case per episode" that seems to be very common among crime dramas.

Oh yeah, is the term "Strawberry Night" explained in the SP? I haven't watched that as I often watch SP's at a later time, but was intrigued by this as I don't recall they ever explaining during the show.

I think I will watch Kagi no Kakatta Heya next, but it might be a while till I start it.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
You can watch the SP episode for Saikou no Rikon. It was decent, especially for fans of the show.
It really is one my favorite dramas, really funny and the chemistry between the characters was great.

yup

hoping for a special 2 or better yet a season 2

iirc the end of the sp left it open for a sequel?
 

ЯAW

Banned
yup

hoping for a special 2 or better yet a season 2

iirc the end of the sp left it open for a sequel?
I think it kinda closed the whole thing. Hamasaki
was left alone... Well he had cats. I mean they did show Yuka being happy with his new family so I doubt she would go after Mitsuo after finding her own happiness with new family.
edit. On second thought was the
the kid at the end Yuka's nephew? Or was it the kid of the shop keeper who moved to Hokkaido?

You can watch the SP episode for Saikou no Rikon. It was decent, especially for fans of the show.
It really is one my favorite dramas, really funny and the chemistry between the characters was great.
Already did and I agree, character chemistry was the salt of this show. Eita's character was especially good, every moment with him on the screen was good. Even his scenes with his co-worker were great. I actually liked when we saw him with his co-worker, Eita's character seemed comfortable being with his co-worker and not akward like with others.

I really like this Eita guy. I recently saw Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi and Summer Time Machine Blues and he was good in both of them. I gotta backtrack his other movies/tv shows.
 

zeroshiki

Member
Nodame Cantabile is the pinnacle of Eita's career (or anyone else, really, that includes Tamaki Hiroshi, Ueno Juri, Mizukawa Asami, Takenaka Naoto and everyone else)
 

Kurita

Member
He was amazing in Nodame Cantabile, but I think I actually liked him a bit more in Saikou no Rikon.
Definitely one of my favorite actors.
 
I know it's already like a year old, but I really enjoyed Naoki Hanzawa.
It sucks that there may never be a sequel to this show.
 

ЯAW

Banned
I know it's already like a year old, but I really enjoyed Naoki Hanzawa.
It sucks that there may never be a sequel to this show.

I'm optimistic for the sequel. Given that it will probably happen after ten or so years, but I'm optimistic. It's kinda crazy how long periods it takes to produce sequal for smash hit like Hanzawa. I can understand the job offers the actors got after the show was over but still.
 
Amachan seemed like it abruptly changed direction midway through production. Notice how Stove-san gets completely sidelined when Aki goes back to Tokyo. It basically took the diving story and threw it out the window in favor of the AKB48 story for much of the remainder. It got to be a bit repetitious toward the end, as I think the story ran out before the episode count did.

I'm almost done watching Gochisousan right now. The characters are a lot more relatable, though Amachan did have its appeal.
 
ЯAW;110059042 said:
I'm optimistic for the sequel. Given that it will probably happen after ten or so years, but I'm optimistic. It's kinda crazy how long periods it takes to produce sequal for smash hit like Hanzawa. I can understand the job offers the actors got after the show was over but still.

Yeah, like Hero which is getting a sequel after 10+ years.
 

ЯAW

Banned
Yeah, like Hero which is getting a sequel after 10+ years.

I wonder if they are making new season for Hero because it was popular/in demand or because Takuya Kimura's Ando Lloyd bombed and Johnny & Associates need to prove it was a random occurrence and Kimura's star isn't fading.
 

zeroshiki

Member
ЯAW;110059534 said:
I wonder if they are making new season for Hero because it was popular/in demand or because Takuya Kimura's Ando Lloyd bombed and Johnny & Associates need to prove it was a random occurrence and Kimura's star isn't fading.

More like FujiTV is desperate for a hit and is going to that all too familiar KimuTaku well.

Not making a sequel/movie would be crazy. They haven't adapted all the books, so they still have some material.

Only 1 book is available and that won't be enough for a season. The story also sucks. But that's neither here nor there.

The actual answer is that they couldn't find an opening in Sakai Masato's schedule so they have to wait. If you watch Roosevelt Game you'll see that pretty much the entire supporting cast of Hanzawa returns except that the lead isn't Sakai Masato.
 

Kurita

Member
Oh yeah I need to watch to watch Roosevelt Game.

Actually, there's another drama this season based on a novel by Hanzawa Naoki's author, Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai.
 

zeroshiki

Member
ЯAW;110476075 said:
Any impressions on Roosevelt Game? Might be next Jdrama I'll start.

It feels like a Hanzawa Naoki knockoff mixed with Touch.

If that doesn't make sense, watch the first ep.
 

Shun

Member
Has anyone seen Keizoku SPEC: Close?

I liked the series as a whole and I wondered if the movie put the series to an end.
 

ЯAW

Banned
Wait, Hero is getting a season 2? Dang, must watch it, loved the first one. Kimura is really good, I like his acting performance.

Yeah, I really liked Hero. Too bad most of the cast won't return and that's a big minus. I also have to disagree with you on Kimura. He can't act at all, he does same facial expressions and his delivery methods are the same no matter what character he plays.
 
ЯAW;110795779 said:
Yeah, I really liked Hero. Too bad most of the cast won't return and that's a big minus. I also have to disagree with you on Kimura. He can't act at all, he does same facial expressions and his delivery methods are the same no matter what character he plays.

Ah, that's a shame, the original cast worked nicely together. Do you have a link with details? I tried to find something on d-addicts and through google but it's a bit hard since the show's name is kind of everywhere, hehe

While I agree he is not very versatile, usually playing the "cool kid", I don't know, I find him very likable and convincing, at least from what I've seen of him while watching Hero, Change and Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi. Maybe if I watch more series where he is cast I might change my mind, but so far it's been good, though it's not like I worship him or anything, haha.
 

ЯAW

Banned
Ah, that's a shame, the original cast worked nicely together. Do you have a link with details? I tried to find something on d-addicts and through google but it's a bit hard since the show's name is kind of everywhere, hehe

While I agree he is not very versatile, usually playing the "cool kid", I don't know, I find him very likable and convincing, at least from what I've seen of him while watching Hero, Change and Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi. Maybe if I watch more series where he is cast I might change my mind, but so far it's been good, though it's not like I worship him or anything, haha.
Don't have any specific info about the show beyond few snipits on various sites about the cast. It also kinda makes sense not to have the original cast since he doesn't work in Tokyo anymore. I just hoped original cast have some small role in the movie.

http://asianwiki.com/Hero_(2014-Japan) has some of the cast up.
 
ЯAW;110800270 said:
Don't have any specific info about the show beyond few snipits on various sites about the cast. It also kinda makes sense not to have the original cast since he doesn't work in Tokyo anymore. I just hoped original cast have some small role in the movie.

http://asianwiki.com/Hero_(2014-Japan) has some of the cast up.

Thanks for the link mate. I just checked all actors and there are a few ones returning apparently, but unfortunately Abe Hiroshi and Takako Matsu aren't among them, bummer.
 

zeroshiki

Member
Has anyone seen Keizoku SPEC: Close?

I liked the series as a whole and I wondered if the movie put the series to an end.

There are, like, 3 movies and 2 specials. Nothing gets resolved and it just gets more and more complicated. I'd honestly just stick with the series and forget there are any continuations.

Didn't like Hero because of Kimura. He's the Nicholas Cage of Japan.

He's pretty awful but he's not Yamapi bad. KimuTaku used to play more interesting roles when he was younger. Now he just plays the same "cool" character no matter the setting.
 

Kurita

Member
Haven't watched much this season so far, only the first episode of Yowakutemo Katemasu, starring Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari.
Just a story about a researcher played by Nino whose lab is closed down. He then becomes a teacher at his alma mater and after a series of events he becomes the coach of the baseball team. It's enjoyable, I watch it just because there's Ninomiya and Arimura Kasumi :lol
And of course Ninomiya looks younger than his students.
 
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