JDRAMA RECOMMENDATIONCHANGEGenre: politics
Persoal rating: 8/10
I started my kimura takuya jdrama marathon after watching this.
Even though its orientated around a serious and heavy topic, the dialogues between characters and characters are humourous and witty.
Its surprisingly good, if you allow me to say so.
The story begins with the deaths of ruling party's Fukuoka legislator and his eldest son, his heir apparent, in an accident. It is decided that a by-election will be held, and Kanbayashi Masaichi, the leader of the ruling party, and secretary Miyama Rika conceive the idea of fielding the second son, Asakura Keita, who had been renounced by his father.
After Keita graduated from senior high school, he went on to a university in Nagano because he wanted to live in a place with beautiful stars, and eventually became an elementary school teacher over there. Well-liked by children and satisfied with his beloved star gazing, Keita has no interest in the world of politics. However, at Rika's persuasion and the pressure of his family, he reluctantly decides to announce his candidacy.
Upon returning to Fukuoka, Keita is given a hearty welcome by supporters. The election strategist, Nirasawa Katsutoshi, arrives there. He is guided by the notion "election is the only permitted legal war" and begins Keita's election campaign.
Applause for Kimura Takuya's performance.
No wonder he can rule jdrama world for 10 years straight.
No wonder he's being recognised as the legend in japan entertainment world.
JOTEIEpisode: 11
Genre: Revenge/ night club/ Romance
personal rating: 8/10
I am a sucker for women's orientated drama. Especially when there's endless bitching, and endless scheming involved. *grin*
Tachibana Ayaka is a normal highschool girl; a straight A-student and vice-president of the student council, but otherwise a perfectly normal girl. She is raised by her mother, who was abandoned by her lover when he became a political figure, and tried to keep his good name for the sake of his career. When Ayaka’s mother tragically dies, Ayaka leaves the good schoolgirl image, and enters the nightlife, becoming a hostess—a girl trained to attend to the desires of her patrons (not to be confused with prostitution). To top it off, it seems like every hostess is her rival, trying to get more and more clients for themselves. Even in light of her challenges, Ayaka vows to become ‘Jotei’, the queen of the nightworld, in order to take back what was taken away from her and her mother.
Any repeat customer of Japanese’ media will tell you endless tales of how sexuality and eroticism ties into their entertainment. For a country so renowned for its sensitivity and polite mannerisms, it has become an ironic joke; that the birth place of the beautiful sakura blossom and kimono also flaunts one of the world’s darkest red-light districts. Ayaka’s world, a hostess’ world, is surrounded by a prejudice that’s only expected of those who don’t live in it, and yet Kurashina Ryo chose to use this setting for his original manga, to show a deeper light within the shadows. Only with this kind of understanding can anyone really appreciate the amazing balance and creative genius of a series like Jotei.
LIAR GAMEGenre： Thriller/ Psychology/ Mystery
Personal rating: 8/10
Even my brothers like this drama.
Kanzaki Nao, an average girl who always believe to everyone even though not her familiar. One day, she receive a case full of money cash + video recorded + explanation letter. Which order her to keep those money and she will gift those back until the deadline (day) and receive none. In reverse, until the appointed day, she can't return in same amount as she received, she must pay for the money. Later, she find out, that her former teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo also recieve the same package, Fujisawa-sensei suggest her to trust her money to him and she believe in him. Go home with relax feeling, upon arrival at the house she get a letter like before, it said that her saldo is -100,000,000,000 yen. Off course she shocked, to think again, Fujisawa-sensei also a player in this game, and Nao-san just fooled by him. She tried to get back her money, but Fujisawa-sensei won't let it. He understood the meaning of this game, each players receive the money and should return back with amount same like their received, it doesn't said player can't trick other player to get more money to save for them, so it's survival game!
Frustrated how to return 100 million yen, she read in article that a young-psychologist just released from prison, Akiyama Shinichi, wished he would help her. After with some bargaining, he help her. First, he came to Fujisawa-sensei's house, threatening him that those 2 cases of money are going in Nao's hand in the end. really made teacher believe (and afraid) with Akiyama-san's words. He keep in house, not even go outside for a single day! Akiyama-san told Kanzaki to watch over her former teacher. Until the the man, whose told Fujisawa-sensei that he's representative of the company which sent him the money. Fujisawa-sensei let him inside, and the man need time to check all money. Right after the man checked all money, he took 2 cases, and came 3 girls said they're representative of the company which sent him the money. Confused by 2 representatives, the man gave 2 cases to Akiyama-san. Akiyama then gave the cases to Kanzaki, and the 3 girls representative come to Kanzaki to congratulate her for winning the game. Yet, Fujisawa-sensei don't accept it. Akiyama told him that he already lose. Akiyama explain to him that the man who came before 3 girls are the fake representative which payed by Akiyama-san to act like 'the representative' to trick him. The fake representative come 1 hour before the real representative came, this has notified by letter, but because Fujiwara-sensei afraid to go out-side, so Akiyama took them before Fujisawa-sensei check his mail box. Looks like Akiyama-san really manipulated Fujisawa-sensei's mind, well he's psychologist after all.
Not just finished there, Kanzaki were told to come to join next game with money 1 million yen each player. With same rule, the money should back in same amount in the end of game. This is LIAR GAME. The game not only trick each other, there some variants on each game. For example, Minority Rule game. One player randomly will ask a question and the other player should vote yes or no for their answer. The most voted chosen will lose. "Are You A Women", an example question. Kanzaki think with 18 guys, the women should have win the game, she vote 'yes'. Then, the counting section, it seem there 17 vote for yes, it means the other 5 voter which vote to 'no' is the winner. Off course Kanzaki confused, how come there 18 guys but only 5 vote for guys. Akiyama help her to understand, that this game was liar game from the beginning, so the point is you going to lie. It doesn't matter what the question is, as long as you lucky to vote in minority choose.
From the start, Akiyama tried push his psychics skill to control the game. This drama really full of psychic tricks and dishonesty. You gonna amazed when Akiyama Shinichi use his tricks in every games! There also honesty lesson from Kanzaki (in the end part).
With great sound effect, each actor really have good acting, various games, psychics tricks, you would be desire to be like Akiyama, a psychologist.
SATORAREGenre: psychological
Episode: 11
Personal rating: 7/10
This drama possessed the most
unique plot in the entire jdrama history!
There is
not a single handsome actors or beautiful actress, but the plot is awesome.
'Satorare' is about a 27-year-old, named Satomi Kenichi a.k.a. Satorare #7, who is longing to become a doctor. Unfortunately for him, Kenichi is born with a disease called 'Satorare' -- fortunately, though, he doesn't know it. Why do I say fortunately? Well, because
Satorares allow people within a few feet from them to hear their every single thought. They can't control it and it is said that if Satorares find out about their condition, they then tend to mentally breakdown or commit suicide -- which has happened to Satorare #1. This is why
the government put them under protection and look after them 24 hours a day, in order to keep them from finding out what they really are. Satorares are also geniuses, all with an IQ over 200, as well as being rare -- there is
one Satorare in every 10 million people.
Satomi Kenichi (Odagiri Joe) is a sweet, mild-mannered young man whose deepest dream is to become a doctor. And being the incredibly intelligent Satorare that he is, Kenichi manages to graduate from medical school with the highest marks and gets transferred into a hospital. Even so, Kenichi is kept away from the patients, due to his condition, and is unintentionally made to feel useless and unwanted. Kenichi is also a lonely, friendless guy due to the fact that most people keep away from him, as he is a Satorare. Anyhow, a beautiful psychologist, Hoshino Noriko (Tsuruta Mayu) soon arrives at the hospital as well, to monitor Kenichi and try to understand Satorares and the actual disease. Quite soon after, Kenichi falls head over heels for Noriko, a 'secret' that he, Noiko, his mother and the whole hospital finds out.
Many funny and touching incidents occur form then on. I love each and every one of them but a few do stand out. One of them includes when Kenichi and Noriko discover a baby in the hospital and Kenichi is put in charge of looking after the baby. His love for Noriko is more apparent than ever and his loving, sweet nature can also be seen, from his every move and expression when talking to Noriko or whenever he's with the baby (which he calls 'Satorare' as the baby seems to understand Kenichi's every though). Another much sadder and touching one is when he discovers his mother has cancer and performs surgery on her. Unfortunately (spoilers ahead) he finds out that it's too late. The cancer has already spread and is much too advanced. Kenichi then runs up to the rooftop and cries, totally blaming himself for all this and just generally being sad. Noriko is there to comfort him but obviously, it's not enough.
KUROSAGI
Episode: 11
Genre: swindling/ Thriller/ Mystery
Personal rating: 8/10
Based on the hit manga series by Natsuhara Takeshi and artwork by Kuromaru serialized in Young Sunday magazine. Kurosaki, aka Kurosagi (Yamashita Tomohisa) is a swindler who targets professional swindlers. He defrauds money and gives it to the victims; he never keeps it for himself. His father was once set up by a swindler and planned a family suicide. Kurosagi managed to save his life but lost his whole family.
The swindler was Katsuragi Toshio (Yamazaki Tsutomu) – the mastermind of all crooks. Despite knowing what Toshio did to his father, Kurosagi buys information off of him to capture other swindlers. Is there a way to free our world of swindlers?
Why, oh why is my tomohisa sooooooooooooo damn handsome?
He must be the most handsome swindler that ever exist.
The plot is excellent!
There are so many exciting twists and you won't ever know what kind of tricks kurosagi will come up with to counter the others swindlers.
Papa To Musume no NanokakanGenre: Family love/ Comedy
Personal rating: 8/10
This home comedy tells the story of Kyoichiro (Tachi Hiroshi) and his teenage daughter Koume (Aragaki Yui). One day, the two ride a train together after visiting Kyoichiro's mother-in-law. He sees it as a chance to get to know his daughter better, but he ends up getting more than that - by some mysterious force, both Kyoichiro and Koume end up with their mind in the other's body! Unfortunately, they have no choice but to swap lives, pretending to be each other at school and work.
The Queen ClassroomGenre: Realism/ School
Personal Rating: 9/10
Episode: 11
Selling point: Honestly, its so touching, it made me cried more than 1 litre of tears.
Yuki Amami plays Maya Akutsu, a sixth-grade teacher who dresses all in black and is repeatedly referred to as "oni sensei" (the teacher from hell), when, in fact, she seems to be an ultrarealist at heart. The drama focuses on a year in her classroom and, particularly, the effect it has on 12-year-old Kazumi--a nice but mediocre student whose parents want to send her to a private secondary school.
Akutsu-sensei accomplished this feat by introducing a test-based rank and privilege system on the first day. The highest scorers on the Monday morning test get their choice of seats and other perks while the two lowest scorers are burdened with all the chores for the week from blackboard and toilet cleaning to serving lunch. The system also disallows toilet breaks during class because this reflects an inability to manage one's own schedule.
Kazumi gets the first week's work assignment along with the class clown, a warmhearted boy who is not nearly as silly as he acts. The child actors in the series are all likeable pros who give realistic portrayals of the wide spectrum of an average classroom from the isolated serious students to the sophisticated girls who think they already know what life is all about. Akutsu-sensei lets them know immediately that they do not have a clue.
When the students protest her system and call it unfair, she tells them to open their eyes. In Japanese society, she lectures, those who work hard or have influence get all the privileges, and the lazy or less affluent end up with the leftovers. She says only six in 100 people can expect to be happy and the elite already have most of the advantages and access to the best medical care. She tells them that, as products of the public school system, they will have to scramble to get anything at all, and most of them will end up as "bonjin" (ordinary people), to whom those on the top will be happy to leave the soldiering and service-sector jobs.
Buzzer Beat Gakeppuchi no HeroGenre: romance/ basketball/dreams
Episode: 11
Personal rating: 8.5/10
My favourite drama for year 2009
Kamiya Naoki, who is on the professional basketball team, JC Arcs, has hit a slump in contrast to his outstanding success during his school days. At that moment, it is rumoured that the club he belongs to will be abolished as a result of the recession. Naoki would like to marry his girlfriend, Nanami Natsuki, one of the team’s cheerleaders, but cannot decide every time he comes to the crucial moment. One day after a quarrel, Naoki gets worried when he cannot contact Natsuki and in the process of searching for her, he meets Shirakawa Riko, who is working part-time at a bookstore and aims to be a violinist. Riko is the girl that Naoki’s team coach, Kawasaki Tomoya, has fallen in love with at first sight …
Even though its a basketball-orientated drama, it doesn't have a lot of basketball match scene. But who cares? The main selling point is yamashita tomohisa's body.
Characters
Yamashita Tomohisa as Kamiya Naoki
An athlete on the basketball team, JC Arcs. He decided to be a professional basketball player after his buzzer beater in a basketball match when he was an elementary school student. Brought up in a family of females – his mother, elder sister and younger sister, he is a down-to-earth guy who is not extravagant. However, he is weak in basketball, work and love, and doesn’t have confidence in himself. He is dating Natsuki but starts warming up to Riko with whom he can talk about anything.
Kitagawa Keiko as Shirakawa Riko
She aims to be a violinist and works part-time at a bookstore. Cheerful and positive, she hates dishonesty. She is kind to everyone and self-assured but also has a meddlesome streak. She is sometimes called boyish by the people around her but cannot be honest to the person she likes.
Aibu Saki as Nanami Natsuki
The captain of the cheerleaders. Her juniors admire her strong desire for improvement and devotion to studying dance routines. She has had enough of Naoki, who has no hope of ever getting ahead, but the appearance of Riko makes her conscious of Naoki again. She is cool, practical and would do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. She actually dare to two-timed yamapi in the drama!
Operation Love/ Proposal Daisakusen/ プロポーズ大作戦Genre: Romance
Selling Point: Yamashita Tomohisa (such a heartmelting handsome man, with the most charming smile, with the most sexy lip, with the most attractive eyes.I WANT HIM. I WANT HIM. I WANT HIM.)
Persoanl raintg: 9/10
This is the drama that makes me fell in
lust & love with tomohisa.
Yamashita Tomohisa and Nagasawa Masami play a young man and woman who have been friends since elementary school. Yamashita’s character, Iwase Ken, is obstinate and unskilled in love, but he fell long ago for the lively and cheerful woman, Yoshida Rei, played by Nagasawa. But Rei is about to get married to another man. While Ken and other friends from high school attend the wedding ceremony, a fairy appears and sends Ken back in time, giving him a second chance to win the girl he loves.
All the characters in the series are quite likeable, none of the characters are especially awesome as a human being but each has their own redeeming traits, which does make them memorable. I really admire the friendship of the main five and watching their adventures from high school till the time they mature at Rei’s wedding really was a fantabulous ride and watching their love lives develop was even better.
The supporting characters are quite memorable too with a philosopher, wacky teacher and unskilled hamburger chef as well as the random black guy who passes every once in a while. My favourite characters of the series are the main five and I love them all very much to choose an order would be a crime, their interactions make all of them shine and they all have their special scenes too.
The directing was very good and in some episodes there were hints as to what Ken had changed or was to happen plus the black man and they’re always fun to spot. The fairy’s words about the nature of human beings are true and make you think, sometimes, his advice is very good and realistic and we should apply them in real life.… too bad Ken didn’t follow it (STUPID KEN) .
There are sad, sentimental and sweet scenes and you’ll also find all sorts of humour like slapstick, parodies, corny gags and plain weird jokes
The series never goes too serious or too light-hearted which is a good balance.
conculsion: I love Yamashita Tomohisa, i want to marry him. i must marry him!
LIFE
Genre: High school Bullying
Episode: 11
Personal rating: 10/10 (the ONLY drama i ever given full mark. i did not even gave any yamapi's drama a full mark before.)
Adapted from Keiko Suenobu's manga "LIFE" ,this drama delves into the dark side of high school life. The story focuses mainly on bullying, but the manga also touches on subjects such as self-mutilation, suicide, and rape.It takes that stereotypical bullying scene to the next level.
What makes this drama so fantastic, is because of Fukuda Saki.
Fukuda Saki is the mastermind of all the bullying that is happening to the female lead. she has elegance and control. For that, she won the Best Supporting actress award. She does the occasional evil smiles, and her expressions wasn't exaggerated at all. Her bullying is psychologically truamtizing, with a fierce combination of intensity and the correct degree of subtleness. On many occasions, the bullying scenes made my hair stand and i will forgot to breathe. IT IS A VERY HEART-STOPPING TERRIFYING DRAMA THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE.
The fact that Fukuda saki is so pretty, makes all the bullying all the more horrifiying because behind that pretty face, she is capable of all kind of truamatizing actions that will mentally, spirtually and physically destroy another girl's life. Due to her extremely realistic acting, and the perfect editing technique of the director, i find myself thinking i am the female lead who is being bullied in every episodes. Even though its my number 1 recommended jdrama, its not a drama i will DARE to rewatch.
Labels: Mrs Tomohisa
