J-Drama Reviews

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Hidamari no Kanojo (陽だまりの彼女) 2013

Rating: 8/10

Recommend: If you like the actors and if you like romantic movies :3

Review:

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of romantic movies and more often than not Japanese romantic movies seem to piss me off rather than make me go doki-doki. Excuse my cold heart. However, I have been meaning to watch Hidamari no Kanojo simply because of Matsujun and Ueno Juri. And its wonderful soundtrack by Yamashita Tatsuro. After postponing for 2 years I finally got around to it and was delightfully surprised! I actually enjoyed this sweet, sweet movie.

Hidamari no Kanojo stars Matsumoto Jun as Okuda Kosuke and Ueno Juri as Watarai Mao. They were friends back in junior high, lost contact after and now, both in their mid-twenties, they meet again. Of course, they fell in love. This is a romance movie afterall. Not long after, however, it seems like Mao has a secret...

Fyi, I watched this after my friend spoiled Mao’s ‘secret’. So, all along I knew what her secret is and so I did not have the chance to pick up the subtle hints along the movie that leads to the big reveal. I KNEW ALL ALONG :(

That and the simple plot aside, this movie is beautiful! I know nothing about movie making and the technical terms, so I’ll try to describe it in normal words. The movie is shot in such a way that it feels very “pastel”, very soft and airy. The colour is not harsh and it sets the mood. Slow, sweet, easy-going. What I appreciate the most is how they make use of silent moments in the right places. (Yes, I do have a certain strong dislike towards silent Japanese movies, if you know what I mean).

Technicalities aside, the chemistry between the two leads is surprisingly amazing. Dang, Ueno Juri is a great actress, isn’t she. The movie focuses on them for like 80% of the time, but there are a few eye candies here and there. Namely Masaki Suda as Kosuke’s brother and Tamayama Tetsuji as Mao’s co-worker.

While there is no exact climax, even during the big reveal, there are a few adrenaline pumping moments here and there. Those moments are strangely enough to keep the movie interesting but not over the top.

Unfortunately, the plot and Mao’s secret is the biggest turnoff for me thus the 8. I am still annoyed at Mao’s secret. WHY?!? Why can’t it be something else... Meh.

Anywho, all in all, I am still recommending this to those who love romantic movies. Those who are not into romantic movies, still do give it a go, it does have its perks and twists on your usual romance.

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Tenno no Ryoriban (天皇の料理番) 2015

Rating: 9/10

Recommend: Officially recommending this to everyone who watches j-drama..

Review:

I’ve heard good things about this drama but I wasn’t exactly hyped when I decided to give it a go for a number of reasons. I don’t like period dramas, I don’t like autobiography, I don’t like cooking dramas, I don’t like cooking itself, I don’t like slice of life dramas. I thought the plot is meh and heck even the poster above is unicolor?! However, I do like Takeru Sato. Plus, it is produced by the same people who made JIN, which was 10 out of 10 fyi. And so there I went to watch it and boy, wasn’t I surprised at how well made this drama is.

Tenno no Ryoriban literally translates to the Emperor’s Cook and it tells the story of Akiyama Tokuzo (Takeru Sato) and his journey in becoming the Emperor’s Cook. Apparently it is based on a non-fictional novel. The setting is early 1900s and Tokuzo is a good-for-nothing second son of the Akiyama family. At the young age of 16, Tokuzo has changed his mind so many times about what he wants to do with his life. When he decided his passion is cooking, naturally no one believes him. However, it is no mystery that in the future he, in fact, succeeds and becomes the Emperor of Japan’s cook. I’m not spoiling the plot here as the opening narrative of the first episode says exactly the same thing.

Well, I thought the plot was boring at first and I was just gonna give one episode a go. I couldn’t be more wrong! The plot is quite simple, but how they dramatize it is amazing! I couldn’t stop watching and without realizing I’ve reached the final 12th episode.

I expected Tenno no Ryoriban to be a serious drama and it is, but with cleverly inserted jokes here and there to keep the drama light and entertaining. While the main plot is Tokuzo’s journey in achieving his dream, the drama also highlights his romantic side as well as family issues. I really really want to elaborate on this more, but then I would be spoiling the fun. So, let’s leave it at a heartwarming love story and meaningful family interactions. Lots of life tips to grasp from this drama me thinks. Also, not sure if I was PMSing or emotionally unstable while watching this, but I cried quite a few times :’(

The only flaw from my point of view is the actors that they hired to play the American soldiers. They didn’t even speak English properly, I had trouble understanding what they were saying... Like come on, how hard could it be to find someone who speaks decent English... So yeah, that bit annoyed me.

Other than that, everything else is perfect. Acting, chemistry, jokes, opening credit, and oh my gosh the soundtrack. They all blend perfectly. Also, being produced by JIN’s producers I couldn’t help but sense the similarity in the overall ‘feel’ of the drama if you know what I mean. Then again, Tenno no Ryoriban is my second period drama, so maybe that’s just the feel that you would get with any period drama, who knows.

In conclusion, do watch Tenno no Ryoriban if you’re looking for a drama. Even if it’s not your genre, just watch the first episode and you’ll be hooked ;)

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Nakuna, Hara-chan (泣くな、はらちゃん) 2013

Rating: 3/10

Recommend: If you like quirky romantic comedy I guess..

Review:

Another Nagase Tomoya comedy?? Well, I’m in. I finally got around to watching this. Based on the awesomeness of his previous comedy dramas, I expected a lot from Nakuna, Hara-chan; only to be left disappointed :(

The story revolves around Echizen (Kumiko Aso), a middle-aged woman who works in a Kamaboko factory. In a nutshell, she has low self-esteem, unable to stand up for herself and so she draws manga to express how she feels. To be more accurate, she draws characters from a manga she loves and the story is kinda like her diary. One day, one of the character from the manga, Hara-chan (Nagase Tomoya) suddenly comes alive. And so, Hara-chan’s adventure in the real world begins as he searches for Echizen, his ‘God’.

I find the plot cute and interesting at first. However, it turned out to be long-winded and plain silly. Pardon me, it might just be my cold heart that can’t tolerate this type of story. And since this focuses on the love story, there is absolutely no logical explanation as to how Hara-chan manages to get out of his manga world and whether it’s Echizen’s pen that is magic, or is it the notebook that is magic resulting in the characters coming alive?!?! Sorry, a bit frustrated there..

Another thing I dislike is how Echizen does not stand up for herself even when she’s right. Like, come on, why do you let yourself be treated like that? Then again, my frustration might be the result of her good acting, eh.

I can’t be bothered to talk about the other characters in this drama. The notable ones are Echizen’s colleague, Kiyomi (Kutsuna Shiori)  and Tanaka (Maruyama Ryuhei), as well as Echizen’s unrealistically evil and good-for-nothing brother, Hiroshi (Masaki Suda). Oh, there’s also another cute manga character, Makihiro, played by Kento Kaku.

One thing I enjoyed about this drama is actually the insert songs sung by Hara-chan and Kiyomi. They have exactly the same melody but different lyrics. It’s quite catchy and has a nice tune to it.

Otherwise, I personally think this drama is quite a waste of time. There are other better funny rom-coms out there. However, do give it a go if you’re curious, it is one of a kind afterall..

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Suteki na Sen TAXI (素敵な選TAXI) 2014

Rating: 7/10

Recommend: For Takenouchi Yutaka’s fans and for those who like quirky dramas..

Review:

Yay, another Takenouchi Yutaka drama! Fyi, I’ve been a fan since BOSS. So, let’s dive in.

Suteki na Sen TAXI tells the story of Edawakare (Takenouchi Yutaka), the driver of a sen TAXI. Sen TAXI is a Japanese pun. Pronounced sen-ta-ku-shi, it means Time-TAXI (選TAXI) as well as choice (選択肢). As the name implies, this special taxi is a time machine that takes you back to the past, giving you another chance to redo your choices. Clever, eh. The pun doesn’t stop there. When not driving, Edawakare spends his time at this cafe, called ‘Choice’. By now, you’d probably have realized the quirky humour of this drama. It took me 2-3 episodes to get used to it. And I have concluded that it’s not one that could make me laugh out loud, it gave me more of a smirk instead.

Each episode conveys different stories of each passengers. They’re quite variable, mostly about romance and family. Some are better than others, with guests appearances too.

About Edawakare himself, he is obviously a good-looking guy who gives this cool vibe about him until he starts talking. Boy, does he like to talk. He’s also kinda like a detective in the way he asked how his passengers are doing and of course eventually they blurted out their life story, giving Edawakare the opportunity to offer them to redo their decisions.

As for the plot, it made me think twice about making decisions and less keen on time travel, lol. While these fictional characters are given the opportunities to redo their past as many times as they like, the end result is not what they hoped for most of the time. In the end, it seemed like the effort was futile in a way.

Also, I would say this is like half sci-fi as they don’t really explain the science behind the time travel. What happens to Edawakare, the driver? Are there other time taxis around? What if you wanna go back to 50 years ago? None of these questions will be answered.

With different ‘stories’ each episode, it’s really hard to have one factor of continuity. There’s literally nothing linking each episodes except Edawakare himself and the people working at Cafe Choice. They also have this long-running joke about a detective TV series, which I did not find funny...

Nevertheless, the series is definitely something different and I would recommend it if you’re looking for a change. It is quite monotonous overall. How do I describe it... It’s not boring but it didn’t leave me wanting more either. No strong feelings of dislike, yet no strong feelings of like.

All in all, it’s slightly above average and that’s mainly because of Takenouchi Yutaka. Please excuse my bias.

P. S.  The last episode is about Edawakare’s personal life, so stay tuned!

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Kageri Yuku Natsu (翳りゆく夏) 2015

Rating: 6/10

Recommend: To those who enjoy dark jdramas..

Review:

After watching Atsuro Watabe in Bitter Blood, I had to look for his other dramas and stumbled upon Kageri Yuku Natsu. It had good reviews so I decided to watch it. I had no idea that it is one of those super dark dramas.. Intensely dark, no jokes at all. Yes, you guessed it right, it’s not my cup of tea so this review will be really biased.

Kageri Yuku Natsu is based on a novel of the same title. It consists of 5 episodes, which is half the length of a normal series. Though this drama is not on my top list, I must say that I could not stop watching cause I just had to know the story behind it. Then again, I usually watch 4 episodes before I drop any dramas, so…

Anyway, Kageri Yuku Natsu switched back and forth from the present to 20 years ago, the year 1995, when a kidnapping case took place. A newborn baby was kidnapped from a hospital. However, rather than asking for ransom from the baby’s parents they asked for a huge amount of ransom from the hospital. The kidnappers eventually died in an accident but the baby was never found. The case was big in the day and was covered by big newspapers throughout the country.

20 years later (present day), the kidnapper’s daughter is hired at one of the newspapers company. Unfortunately, there was a leak about her identity and it all got complicated. Some people tried to protect her identity and Kaji Hidekazu (Atsuro Watabe) is hired to look into the kidnapping case again. Kaji was a former reporter who was demoted to data room following an incident.

And so the mystery continues…

And the mystery does not stop until the very end. Kageri Yuku Natsu will give you heaps of twists and dark tales, told in a very realistic way. Very non-Hollywood if you know what I mean. I managed to finish it as I was hoping for that climax moment where they reveal everything. Well, that didn’t happen. The suspense was always there, however the big reveal was not big at all. It didn’t fall flat, mind you, just not what I was expecting…

All in all, the plot itself is great, mystery lovers would enjoy this. It is smart and it makes you think, unlike your typical drama case (the ones that I like cause it doesn’t require any brain power lol). The acting is very real, no over-acting whatsoever. Unfortunately, it’s just not my cup of tea. It’s too dark and it makes me feel blue after watching it. That’s saying something though, significant impact despite me not liking it. So yeah, I would recommend this for those who like darker dramas. For those who have similar taste as me (i.e. comedy/crime overacting-type), maybe skip this one..

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Bitter Blood (ビター・ブラッド) 2014

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommend: For those who like crime/comedy drama and obviously for Sato Takeru’s fans!

Review:

The genre is crime/comedy/family drama. It stars Sato Takeru and Kutsuna Shiori. Say no more, I’m watching it.

Bitter Blood, also known as ‘Partners by Blood’ for some reason, tells the story of Ginza Police Department’s new rookie, Sahara Natsuki (Sato Takeru). He’s partnered with Shimao Akimura [nickname: Gentle], played by Atsuro Watabe, who is Sahara’s father. Shimao abandoned his kids more than 10 years ago. Thus, naturally there is tension between the two.

While the main characters are important, the supporting cast are just as valuable in making a drama awesome. In this case, we have a wonderful team with great chemistry. There’s Bachelor-san, a middle-aged detective desperate to get married despite failing numerous omiai. There’s Chaser Inagi, the meticulous one who keeps track of everything. There’s Skunk, one known for his smelly breath that could knock down even the baddest criminal. There’s Takano, he didn’t really leave much of an impression to me to be honest. Last but not least, we have the other rookie, Maeda Hitomi, played by Kutsuna Shiori.

To keep things interesting, I’ll throw in some background story. A few years ago, Shimao’s partner, Maeda, was murdered on duty. The criminal was never caught. And yes, Hitomi is Shimao’s partner’s daughter. This is the ongoing villain of the drama amongst other cases. Furthermore, as you’ve probably realized, there is only one female in this drama, so there’s bound to be sideline romance, my favourite!

Acting wise, Sahara and Shimao have excellent chemistry! They’re just so good together. As with all Japanese comedies, there’s exaggerated facial expressions and body language, but that’s what makes them lovable. Also, maybe because they’re always in nice suits. There’s something about men in suits, isn’t there.. Anyway, the team consists of completely different members who work together harmoniously, making this drama even more solid. Also, the fight choreography is surprisingly not bad for a drama.

Another thing I love about Bitter Blood is its opening credit and soundtrack. I have always skipped opening credits as I find them boring. Bitter Blood’s definitely worth watching as it is super cool! It has that Hollywood action touch, but still very Japanese. I don’t know if that makes sense but you’ll get what I mean when you watch it ;)

As a comedy, needless to say it is funny. The jokes are funny, the acting is funny, it all comes together nicely. As a family drama, I think they dealt with the family issues superbly. Not over the top, just enough so you value the bond between family members. Unfortunately, as a crime drama, it is well below average. I don’t mind the mediocre little cases, but the ongoing case is terrible. The villain, played by Oikawa Mitsuhiro, is awful. It’s like he’s trying so hard to look evil with his evil laugh, evil walk, evil orchestra music and carefully planned evil scenarios. It’s just too much and kinda ruins the finale of the drama.

All in all, I still recommend this drama if you’re looking for a laugh. Though not as excellent as BOSS, Bitter Blood has its own perks and is very entertaining indeed.

P.S. If you like Furukawa Yuki, he plays a detective from another team here. A small role, but makes an appearance in most episodes.

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Ryusei Wagon (流星ワゴン) 2015

Rating: 3/10

Recommend: Hmm, no.. I want to, but I wouldn’t recommend this drama..

Review:

Never before have I seen a drama drop exponentially in quality and grip until Ryusei Wagon. I mean, the first drama was so captivating it left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the following episodes are disappointing. Yes, even with Nishijima Hidetoshi I couldn’t bring myself to finish the drama.

Ryusei Wagon tells the story of Nagata Kazuo (Nishijima Hidetoshi), a middle aged man in the middle of a divorce, losing his job and his kid’s gone mad. Kazuo’s elderly dad, Nagata Tadao (Teruyuki Kagawa), is dying from cancer and he isn’t the least bit sorry for him as Tadao has always been harsh on Kazuo. In a nutshell, his life is a mess. When he was on the verge of ending it all, a burgundy coloured wagon picked him up and drove him to his past. The passengers of the wagon include the driver and his son, who were killed in an accident, and surprise, surprise, Kazuo’s dad. Or a younger version of Kazuo’s dad.

Yes, this is a fantasy/family drama. By the way, both genres are not my favourite but I gave this drama a go for none other than Nishijima Hidetoshi. And also for his pairing with Teruyuki Kagawa, as the last drama they were in was awesome.

Though I was skeptical about the plot in the beginning, the first episode I thought was amazing. It’s all so new and exciting! How they went back to the past, how Kazuo tried to fix his family’s problems, as well as the father-son dynamic. Sadly, it all went downhill from there..

You see, the thing is no matter how many times Kazuo fixed stuff in the past, it turned out that the present stayed the same. Kazuo and Tadao are completely opposite in personality, so needless to say they clash all the time. Tadao, a strongheaded countryman, tries to help Kazuo, the quiet, salaryman in his own ways. This sparks up a lot of issues from their past and always ends up in a screaming/yelling contest. Once in a while might be tolerable, but it happens every episode. Very repetitive. A lot of daddy issues, there.

I’m giving it a 3 still as I really enjoyed the first episode. It has potential, I could see it as an awesome movie. However, repeating the same issues again and again plus a lot of intense screaming throughout 11 episodes is stretching it.

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Umi no Ue no Shinryojo (海の上の診療所) 2013

Rating: 5/10

Recommend: Only if you like Matsuda Shota...

Review:

The title literally translates to ‘A Clinic on the Sea’ and it pretty much sums up the series. Umi no Ue no Shinryojo tells the story of the mobile boat clinic, Kaishin-maru, which sails from island to island. Before I started watching, I was skeptical about the plot, hoping that Matsuda Shota would make it better. And he did, but ever so slightly... So, let’s get into it.

Kota Sezaki (Matsuda Shota) is a new doctor to join Kaishin-maru. He introduces himself to his good-looking female patients as ‘Dr Kota, single’. And yes, he falls for each and every one of them. Each time he was rejected, which I simply do not get. How could anyone say no to that face?! Personal feelings aside, Kota-sensei announces at the end of each episode to leave the boat following the rejections.

The Kaishin-maru team consists of the married couple, Akira Hiuchi (Arakawa Yoshiyoshi) and Aoi-sensei (Fujiwara Norika), the cute but secretly bad-ass nurse, Mako-chan (Takei Emi), the other cute guy in the movie who happens to be a fellow nurse, Noboru (Fukushi Sota), and the three boat crews.

This drama reminds me of Unubore Deka, where the lead male character falls for different women in each episode. Also because the unlikely guy to be married to a beautiful woman is played by Arakawa Yoshiyoshi in both dramas. Unfortunately, Umi no Ue no Shinryojo is far below Unubore Deka in almost every aspects, especially humour.

Sure, some parts had me giggling and smiling, though mostly because of Matsuda Shota. However, even then some jokes fell flat and are repetitive. For example, every time Kota-sensei says something inappropriate, Mako would hit him in the had with a slipper. I think it aims for a cute scene, but it looked forced to me.

Furthermore, the plot is monotonous and there is no climax. Like any other dramas with this setting, there are two ongoing mysterious issues to keep the drama going. I had high hopes for the revelation of both mysteries, however both of them turned out to be meh. Like, really meh. It was disappointing. I’m gonna give a tiny spoiler to maybe interest you in watching the drama. One of the girls from Kota-sensei’s past is played by Toda Erika.

In conclusion, I am sorry to say that I don’t think this drama is worth watching, unless it’s for Matsuda Shota. Everything is average if not below. There are better dramas to spend your time on.

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Poison Berry in My Brain (脳内ポイズンベリー ) 2015

Rating: 8/10

Recommend: If you like romantic comedy, this would be a nice adaptation of your usual story.

Review:

In a sentence, Poison Berry in My Brain is like Disney & Pixar’s Inside Out, but for adults. It’s also an adaptation of a manga. Hmm, I’ve been watching a lot of manga adaptations lately..

It tells the story of Sakurai Ichiko (Yoko Maki), a 30-year-old writer who fell for a much younger guy. The 23-year-old guy, Saotome Ryuichi, played by Furukawa Yuki, is obviously super good-looking but still unstable in his career and future. Here comes Ochi (Songha), Ichiko’s editor, as the third party. Taking into account her age, Ichiko is now at the crossroad of choosing the hot, young guy or the more stable, more mature man. And there we have our classic love triangle.

The twist in the story is, of course, the fact that each time Ichiko needs to make a decision there is a meeting going on inside her brain. Five people attend the meeting, with Yoshida (Nishijima Hidetoshi) as the chairman. Though he is the leader who eventually speaks out their final decision, he is often compared to a jellyfish, due to being spineless and easily swayed by each opinion. Next we have the optimist and the pessimist, Ishibashi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Ikeda (Yoshida Yo). They’re always up against each other; one sees only the positive side while the other always sees the negative side. Lastly, we have Hatoko (Sakurada Hiyori) and Kishi (Asano Kazuyuki). Hatoko represents one who lives in the moment, only considers feelings and does not think about the consequences. Kind of like a child if you may, which is why she’s portrayed as a child. Kishi, on the other hand, lives in the past. He writes down everything that has happened and frequently checks his thick book to reminisce the past. Unsurprisingly, he’s portrayed as an elderly man.

If you haven’t noticed, I watched this for Furukawa Yuki and Nishijima Hidetoshi. After a while, I kinda fell for Ryunosuke Kamiki though... He’s adorable here. Anyway, I do like the story and the meeting in Ichiko’s brain. It’s very comical but not over the top, if you know what I mean. There are particular scenes which I found super annoying because of the intense screaming/shouting/yelling, you name it. However, however... Yes, I wrote however twice so you don’t miss this. However, my friend found those scenes very relatable and apparently conveys the feelings appropriately. So yeah, it’s probably just me and my cold heart that gets annoyed everytime there’s strong emotions going on. Another thing that lowers my rating is the so-so acting. It’s not bad, but not that convincing.

Anyway, I highly recommend Poison Berry in My Brain. It’s light, funny, full of ikemens, but also has a solid plot that carries the story along. It has its sad moments along with those ‘will they, won’t they’ moments. All in all, a very enjoyable movie.

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Bakuman (バクマン。) 2015

Rating: 9/10

Recommend: Everyone really, even if you don’t usually watch Japanese movies. Read below to see why.

Review:

Bakuman is a live-action adaptation of a manga about a manga. Say whaaaat, mangaception. Seriously though, I think only Japan can pull this off, who else would draw a manga about drawing manga?! Fun fact: it’s by the same creators of Death Note. I haven’t read the manga, so I didn’t know what I was in for, and frankly didn’t have any expectations.

Two high-school guys, Moritaka Mashiro (Takeru Sato) and Akito Takagi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) team up to create the best manga ever, aiming for #1 most-read manga on Shonen Jump, biggest name in manga business. Along the way, they develop friendship with fellow mangakas as well as rivals. There’s also a side love story between Moritaka and his voice-actor-aspiring classmate, Azuki Miho (Komatsu Nana).

Before I comment on anything else, can I just say I very much enjoyed this movie! It is entirely about creating manga and in a way I guess I learned how difficult it is to be a mangaka. Striving to draw and create stories in order to make the weekly deadlines is the main point of this story. It’s also amazing to see how diverse the manga world is. There’s sci-fi manga, gang manga, even cooking/fantasy manga. They’ve delivered the manga-drawing scenes beautifully, it makes me feel like I’m watching an action movie instead of some people drawing with the awesome CGI and background music.

With live-adaptations, there’s a tendency for exaggerated facial expressions which you will also see here. Thankfully, they’re still within tolerable limits. If I have to pick one flaw, it would be the side romance... Though I don’t mind the awkwardness (because it’s Takeru Sato and he’s cute, excuse my bias), I just felt that it was meh. No development, at all. Too bad the side romance’s quite important to keep the story going.

Nevertheless, Bakuman is highly entertaining and quite possibly a one-of-a-kind movie concerning manga-making. Do give it a watch!

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Ouroboros (ウロボロス) 2015

Rating: 7/10

Recommend: If you like the manga or the actors, otherwise this drama might come off slightly quirky..

Review:

Ikuta Toma and Oguri Shun in a drama? Plus Ueno Juri?? Regardless of the plot, I would definitely watch it. And so I did.

Heads up for everyone, Ouroboros is an intense revenge drama. The poster gives off vibe that is more light-action/detective-ish to me, or maybe I’m just hoping for another hilarious pairing of Ikuta and Oguri like in Hana Kimi.

Ouroboros is a live adaptation of a manga of the same name. It tells the story of two boys from the same orphanage, who swore to avenge their teacher/carer’s murder. Both boys took very different paths in order to reveal the truth. Ikuta plays Detective Ryuzaki Ikuo. He comes off easy-going and kind-hearted with an intriguing sense of smell. His partner, Hibino Mizuki (Ueno Juri), is the daughter of one of the top guns in the police department. She’s strict, plays by the rules and hates it when Ryuzaki goes to investigate by himself. On the other hand, Danno Tatsuya (Oguri Shun) has chosen the yakuza path. With forces from both ends of the law, Ryuzaki and Danno team up to kill the person who took their childhood away.

Halfway through this series, I didn’t realize that this is based on a manga. Everything made sense when I finally found out. The super quirky characters, the ‘Ouroboros’ reference, Oguri’s bad hairstyle and dramatic, unrealistic scenes. I can imagine how those would fit a manga.

Plot-wise, I thought the story started a bit slow, then it finally picked up pace. I guess I can’t really comment on the story itself since it’s based on a manga, but I must say the ending was mind-blowing. Did not expect that. At all.

Acting-wise, Oguri as always delivers well. Ueno and Ikuta did too at first. Their chemistry was okay at the start of the series, however as their relationship progresses their interaction still came off as superficial as it was at the beginning.

In conclusion, Ouroboros is a manga-come-to-life drama of revenge. It is dark, intense and complicated. While it takes it time to build up suspense, once you’re halfway, I reckon it would be hard to stop watching. It pulls you in that you just have to find out what’s gonna happen next.

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Strawberry Night (ストロベリーナイト) 2013 [Movie]

Rating: 9/10

Recommend: For those who have watched the drama and those who prefer darker police drama.

Review:

So obviously I am 2 years late and I remember how hyped I was when I learned that they’re making a movie adaptation of Strawberry Night in 2012. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my hands on it at the time, so here I am, in 2015, smiling ear to ear having finally watched this!

Although it’s a stand alone story, it would be much better if you watch the drama first to get a background of the dynamic of the team.

Himekawa Reiko (Takeuchi Yuko) is the only female detective in the precinct. Her no-nonsense attitude allows her to lead her team, solving cases by cases. Teamwork was the highlight of the drama I thought, however in the movie there is very limited screen time for Himekawa’s team members. Heck, even the case itself didn’t seem like the focus of this movie. Thus, I’m gonna sum it in one sentence.

Plot: Himekawa goes to investigate a potential suspect, Kento Yanai (Sometani Shota), despite being told specifically not to, and in the process she met a yakuza boss, Makita Isao, played by the lovely Osawa Takao.

Now, let’s get into the gist of it. It might be that I’m biased,  but what it seems like the movie focuses on Himekawa and Makita’s blooming relationship. For those who has not watched the drama, Himekawa’s right hand, Kikuta Kazuo (Nishijima Hidetoshi) is also into her. And there you have your love triangle. I have to say Himekawa and Makita’s chemistry is undeniable from the very first moment they met. With completely opposite backgrounds, will their romance survive? The only thing holding them together is their dark past..

I love both Nishijima Hidetoshi and Osawa Takao, so I was torn on who to root for. In the end, I still chose the good-hearted Kikuta over Ryuzaki gang’s future successor, Makita. But, who would Himekawa pick? Watch the movie to find out.. (They’re both good-looking, mind you).

Despite the intense courtship, I was quite disappointed at the extremely limited team on-screen time. They have great rapport and is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the drama so much. There is almost none of it in the movie.

Nonetheless, I think the producers nailed this movie. Very well made in terms of shooting, music as well as acting making it a very gripping movie.

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Stand by Me Doraemon (STAND BY ME ドラえもん) 2014

Rating: 8/10

Recommend: If Doraemon was a part of your childhood, this is a must watch.

Review:

This will probably the first and the last non live-action movie I am going to review here. I don’t normally watch cartoons, but this is Doraemon! I grew up watching Doraemon every weekend and reading the manga any other time, so when I found out that they’re making a 3D-CG movie I was pleasantly surprised but was not going to be the first one to go see the movie. I figured it would be just another adaptation.

Well, I was wrong. Just like Doraemon on the poster, this movie left me teary-eyed...

The movie basically follows Nobita’s life before Doraemon, with Doraemon, and.. possibly after Doraemon.. or will they always be together? You gotta watch it to find out *wink wink*.

Who would have thought friendship between a clumsy dork like Nobita and a robotic cat from the future could be so heartwarming??? :’)

If you’re not familiar with Doraemon, he is a robot sent by Nobita’s future offspring to help the present Nobita go through his primary school life, which is disturbingly eventful. Not in a good way. He is bad at sports, bad at academic subjects, bullied by Giant and Suneo and of course, he has a crush on pretty Shizuka. On a plus not, he is one lazy kid. I wanna say useless, but useless is a harsh word, eh.

So, worried Nobita might not make it in life, Doraemon was sent to help him with various tools from the future. He is essentially a cheat sheet for life. Some of Doraemon’s infamous special tools made appearances in the movie, such as the take-copter. To this day, I still wish I can get hold of Doraemon’s gadgets, they would make life so much easier (I think I’m becoming Nobita).

Personally, I think this movie is excellently made. I’m not sure how to comment on the animation and technical stuff but what I can tell you is the ‘feel’ I get from this movie. Warm, fuzzy feelings, with some tears here and there. Mind you, I don’t get those feelings when I watched the cartoons on TV or when I read the manga. However, the producers had beautifully transformed a funny cartoon for kids into a must-watch movie about life and friendship that can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages.

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Do-S Deka (ドS刑事) 2015

Rating: 6/10

Recommend: Only if you like the actors or super fictional detective/comedy dramas

Review:

After almost a year of drama-free period, I am back and ready to dive into some light detective drama with some of my favourite actors. I did not expect it to be ‘BOSS’ good, but I did have some expectations. Unfortunately, not all of them has been met.

Do-S Deka translates to super sadistic detective, which sounds weird in English, but is quite a common phrase in Japanese apparently. Tabe Mikako plays Kuroi Maya, an eccentric, always dressed-in black second generation elite detective. Besides her great analytical skill, she is also one ass-whipping detective. Literally. She carries this black, long whip everywhere to whack the criminals. (Have you begun to wonder how quirky this drama is?)

As a new member of the squad, she ignores her superior’s orders and picks her own partner, someone who can be bullied very easily, Daikanyama Shunsuuke (Tadayoshi Okura). I’m not sure why, but she calls him Daikan-sama instead and continuously orders him around. He is supposed to be the kind-hearted but dumb partner.

Other members of the squad worth mentioning is the lady chief, who is strikingly similar to Kuroi in terms of hairstyle and personality, and the young detective Hamada, because it’s Hey! Say! Jump!’s Yaotome Hikaru.

There are so many things I find weird with this drama, mainly the plot. We have the mismatched detective duo, with one submissive partner who does not actually help with case-solving at all, the actual whipping of a whip and this disturbing routine where they go for a spinning tea cup ride to solve the mystery. The mysteries themselves are quite variable, though some are predictable and cliche.

Acting-wise, I couldn’t really feel the chemistry between the duo. By themselves, I kinda fell for Daikan-sama’s dumb-but-cute smile here and there. Then again, I am very biased to Johnny’s. Meanwhile, it is quite a new sight of Tabe Mikako as a ‘bad cop’, she does the tongue-clicking and death stare very well, but the mean smile is slightly off.

Overall, I hate to say that this is a very average detective/comedy drama. Not that bad, but not excellent either. It has its perks, I did laugh at some scenes, however not on my top list.

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HERO 2 (2014)

Rating: 7/10

Recommend: For those looking for detective-ish drama, and ofc for HERO fans!

Review:

Like most HERO fans, I was prepared to hate the season 2 of the drama because Matsu Takako is not there anymore. And just to take the suspense off the table, no, she is not making a guest appearance anywhere in the drama nor is her relationship with Kuryu explained.

So, moving on to the drama itself... It is actually not that bad. Not bad at all. Besides the completely different group, the drama has succeeded to keep its 'feel', for lack of a better word. The office is still the same, the chemistry between the characters is still there though most of the members are different, and of course how they shoot those office scenes are exactly the same. Just in higher definition, go technology.

Kuryu Kouhei (Kimura Takuya) is back to the Tokyo prosecutor branch where he used to worked at a few years back. Two of the paralegals, Suetsugu and Endo are still there. New paralegals are the security guard who is now a paralegal, and of course Asagi Chika (Kitagawa Keiko), self-claimed most efficient paralegal and now assigned to help Kuryu. Four more new faces can be seen in the office, 3 prosecutors and the head prosecutor.

With new characters, comes new conflict. I find it interesting (but in some instances boring) how they tried to bring in the past by mentioning the issues with past members of the team. I can't help but find the problems similar though. For example, young prosecutor falls for the pretty paralegal, romantic tension between the two more mature prosecutors, and old paralegal helplessly drooling for the lady prosecutor. So yes, exactly the same problems, just different characters.

If this is your first HERO drama, I guess it would be a pretty good one. But if you've watched the first season, I have to say the first one is still the best. 

The ending is a bit meh, but a movie is coming up or so I've heard. And with Matsu Takako this time! Can't wait :D

Here comes a bit of a spoiler.. 

One thing I like about HERO 2 is how they did not force a romantic relationship between Kuryu and Asagi, cause that would be just too weird with the age gap.. I could imagine fans going on a rage if they did decide to replace Matsu Takako's Amamiya with Asagi.

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HERO (2007)

Rating: 8/10

Recommend: Awesome by itself, excellent if you've watched the drama!

Review:

So just for the sake of chronology, there was an SP preceding the HERO movie. Watched it, but couldn't bother to write a review about it since it was so dull and the team was completely changed. SP is still worth watching just for completeness sake I guess.

Now, to the main topic, the movie itself!

Kimura Takuya as prosecutor Kuryu Kouhei is back to the Josai branch, back to his old team, back to his old flame. AWYEAAAH!! Being a movie, naturally the case he handles would be a bigger, more serious one. Yep, you guessed it right. Politicians and their ways. This will bring duo Kuryu-Amamiya to Korea to investigate. The atmosphere at the office is exactly the same as the drama, and I love how they stick to it. It's what makes HERO, HERO. 

Plot wise, as mentioned above, it's related to the preceding SP but you don't necessarily have to watch the SP to understand the movie. Pretty good, not overwhelmingly complicated, yet not overly simply that it's predictable. I like that.

Like everyone else, what I was dying to know was of course Kuryu and Amamiya's relationship. 6 years after, what happened following the end of the drama??????? Good thing the producers answered our cries in this movie. Since the genre is not romance, make sure you keep your expectation for lovey-dovey moments low. The movie gave just enough for closure. Just.

All in all, a movie worth watching, especially for those who have watched the drama. If you haven't, it might annoy you a bit cause they use a lot of in jokes which might not make sense.

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HERO (2001)

Rating: 9/10

Recommend: Yep, yep, yep! To those looking for comedy, a unique prosecutor/detective-ish drama, or you know, Kimutaku himself.

Review:

I kept postponing to watch HERO because it aired 14 years ago.. But hey, they had their second season last year. So, I figured I should start from the very beginning. And I couldn't believe myself when I find myself enjoying this old drama... Yes, HERO is that good.

The king of jdrama, Kimura Takuya plays prosecutor Kuryu Kouhei. Always dressed casually with his brown-orange down jacket, Kuryu is the new prosecutor at one small Tokyo office. He was paired with the serious, 'average' lady paralegal, Amamiya Maiko (Matsu Takako). Like all good jdramas, the office is full of unique personalities equipped with individual quirks. And just because I love them so much, I'll give a quick summary of each.

The head of the office is one elderly, diabetic man who seems to have a 'secret' relationship with Amamiya. His clerks consist of 3 prosecutor-paralegal pairs. The first one being Shibayama (Hiroshi Abe) and Endo, a giant and a chibi; the second one being Egami-Suetsugu, with their cute love-hate relationship; the third one being Nakamura (Otsuka Nene) and Amamiya. With Kuryu in the scene, Amamiya now switches from being Kuryu and Nakamura's paralegal.

What I love the most about HERO is the team. While Kimutaku is still the star, without the team, it wouldn't be the same. Their chemistry is just unbelievable! They're hard not to love. There's the love triangle, the in-office affair, the dancing maniac, the two gossip men, as well as the tv shopping addict. They fit together perfectly.

Though wiki listed this as a 'legal' drama, I find it more of a detective drama. Basically, a prosecutor makes sure that a criminal really did commit a crime by prosecuting him and bringing the case to court. Normally, the prosecutor gets information from the police and does not do any leg work. However, Kuryu is not your ordinary prosecutor. So, in order to get the truth he would go out of his way investigating the case, of course followed by Amamiya.

And as I always said... A hint of side romance is really the strawberry on top! You can expect awkwardly cute interactions between Kuryu and Amamiya. A lot of them, cause basically they're always together. Keep in mind though that this is not a romantic drama so.. keep your expectations for romantic scenes low.

All in all, highly recommended!