Fall 2008 Drama Reviews

So instead of doing a drama preview and separate review, I bring to you near-end of season reviews! Short and sweet, hopefully. Well, even though I haven’t finished any series yet, I’ve been dying to do this! Dramas are so nice…they make a great study breaks, haha =)

Celeb to Binbo Taro

Starring: Ueto Aya, Kamiji Yusuke, Kunitaka Ryoko, Kashiwabara Takashi
It’s the story of a rich girl (Ueto) who’s the daughter a major hotel chain owner, who also runs her own fashion line. She meets a poor widower with three young kids (Kamiji) and blah blah stuff happens. Basically it’s a drama with almost everyone really exaggerated, where the villian’s motive is nowhere to be found (yet? who knows). But, it’s still a fun watch for when you’re bored.

Mini movie reviews

Waters

Starring: Oguri Shun, Hirayama Hirouki, Morimoto Ryoji, Kirishima Yusuke, Matsuo Toshinobu, Suga Takamasa, Katsurayama Shingo, Narumi Riko

Seven guys who need money start working at a host club. When they all get there, they discover that the manager of the club has run off with all their desposits. But the owner is kind and says that they can stay and work as hosts if they also run the entire venue themselves. With nothing left to lose, they decide to accept his offer. Also in the story are five women who are now successful entrepreneurs. Oguri Shun’s character knows the CEO and they had one of those friendly acquaintances/almost-lovers-but-not relationship.

[Jmovie] Kisaragi

Starring:
Oguri Shun as Iemoto
Santamaria Yusuke as OdaYuuji
Koide Keisuke as Snake
Tsukaji Muga as Yasuo
Kagawa Teruyuki as IchigoMusume
Sakai Kanako as Kisaragi Miki

One year after the suicide of a C-list idol, Kisaragi Miki, five of her fans meet to commemorate her death and celebrate her memory. Although none of them have met in person, they know each all by their aliases on Kisaragi Miki’s fan boards. The party starts off light-hearted enough, but when one of the members brings up his suspicions that Miki didn’t commit suicide, a heated discussions starts. He claims that she was murdered and that the murderer is actually in the room and starts accusing one attendee.

Winter 2008 Drama Preview

New season, new dramas, and a renewed spirit! This’ll be my first drama preview post as just my first impressions on the dramas I’m planning on watching and reviewing.

First Impressions

Shikaotoko Aoiniyoshi

A very unlucky man is forced to move his post at a university lab to a girl’s high school in Nara, where the deer roam around freely. Ogawa Takanobu moves into an apartment/inn of some sorts with a bunch of his co-workers. Life in Nara is quite different from Tokyo and Ogawa has probalem adjusting, including a student who seems to hate him. And not to mention that there seems to be someone tailing him and writing telltale notes on his classroom blackboard. So far, I’ve found Shikaotoko Aoiniyoshi to be quite interesting. Even though, it takes place in Nara that’s depicted as mostly slow-paced and not very exciting, the drama is full of life. I also love that the humor is very dry; there doesn’t seem to be any slapstick to be seen. I also have to mention that Tamaki Hiroshi and Ayase Haruka have pretty unflattering hair compared to their previous hairstyles. Maybe it’s supposed to be reflect on their location.

[Jdrama] Hanazakari no Kimitachi e

Starring:
Horikita Maki as Ashiya Mizuki
Oguri Shun as Sano Izumi
Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuiichi
Kono Mahiru as Hara Akiha
Kamikawa Takaya as Umedo Hokuto
Yamamoto Yusuke as Kayashima Taiki
Mizushima Hiro as Nanba Minami
Okada Masaki as Sekime Kyougo
Kimura Ryou as Senri Nakao
Ishigaki Yuma as Tennouoji Megumi
Kyo Nobuo as Himejima Masao (Oscar)
Iwasa Mayuko as Hanayashiki Hibari

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (roughly translating into For You in Full Blossom, nicknamed Hana Kimi) is a Japanese dorama that aired in the summer of 2007 on Fuji TV. It aired on Tuesday nights at 9:00 PM. Its average ratings were 17.3%, though the finale hit 21%. Hana Kimi is one of the few dramas that has both an opening and ending theme song. The opening is Ikenai Taiyou by ORANGE RANGE and the ending is PEACH by Otsuka Ai.