Himitsu

[Rating: 7/10]

Genre: family, drama

Based on the novel Naoko by Higashino Keigo, Himitsu is about a man, Sugita Heisuke, who who has to deal with the aftermath of a tragic accident that ended the life of his wife, Naoko and left their teenage daughter Monami in a coma. However when Monami awakes she claims that she is Naoko in Monami’s body…

I’m not really sure how I feel about this drama, it was certainly unique and interesting to watch. I have to commend Shida Mirai who played the role of Monami/Naoko, as she had to not only portray a teenager who did not realize her mother’s spirit was possessing her, but also the role of her own mother, who struggled to fit into Monami’s schoolgirl world and into the shoes and character of Monami herself without making other people suspect Monami wasn’t really herself. From the way this drama angled itself, the focus of the story was Naoko, as she comes to grips with the fact she is no longer alive, and that her family has to get on without her and go about life as usual, also that her beloved daughter is growing up and will face typical teenage issues, especially those regarding matters of the heart. No matter how hard Naoko tries to deter Monami and Souma from falling in love, fate has a different idea, and Naoko realizes that he isn’t a bad kid, pretty tolerant of the strange quirks she adds to Monami’s behaviour and sometimes even liking her more for them. One thing that was unavoidable but still did get me rather squicked about was Heisuke’s relationship with Monami/Naoko. You feel sorry for the man, not only has he lost his wife and daughter, but they’ve now somehow become merged, and the struggle to keep sane and properly balancing this new relationship is painful. Still, the fact was that Naoko did still want Heisuke to be intimate with her and that scene (which thankfully did not happen) was slightly disturbing to watch. Shida Mirai showed a much more mature side in this drama and that she has the potential to be a good actress in the future. She has a fair sized credit list to her name already but this was something different for her. It was also interesting for me to watch Sasaki Kuranosuke, one of my favourite Japanese actors playing a more emotional and angsty role.

This drama adaptation is certainly not as philosophical or deep as some reviews I’ve read of the book, and might not be to some people’s liking, but it is a pretty decent drama about family relationships from a more unusual perspective.

Inu wo Kau to Iu Koto
[Rating: 8.5/10]
Genre: family, drama

Hongo Yuji is your average salaryman and young father trying his best to make ends meet for his wife and kids. Their fate takes a turn for the worse when Yuji loses his job and his ex-band mates from school start pestering him to join their group… During this period of hard decisions on life, Yuji’s two children find a lost dog who they name Sky. How will Sky affect this family’s future?

This drama is one of those I might have skipped over from it’s ordinary sounding synopsis but am glad that I decided to watch. Sure it’s another family drama where everyone overcomes their troubles and the dog plays an integral role in bringing out people’s best, but that’s not just why I liked it so much to give it such a high rating.

In this show, there are no pretensions or highly exaggerated stereotypes with the characters and situations. The Hongo family is very real, they aren’t totally broke, but they aren’t comfortable either, they know that they are not rich, they get depressed about it, but they somehow pick themselves up and live through their struggles.

The young couple is strong in their own quiet way. Sachiko is really the backbone and firm conscience of the family, working shifts to help out, looking for a new job even though she gets pregnant a third time, not sucuumbing to the temptation to date an old schoolmate, Hotta, who is now a successful doctor, and who probably habours some feelings for her too… It’s because she values her family so much that Yuji hardly ever doubts her. Yuji may be a little too nice and trusting at times but the contrast is what makes him fit with Sachiko. He still harbours his longtime dream to enter a music career but knows he must provide his family with a stable income. He is also a loyal friend to his ex-bandmate, Hideki, refusing to sign a music contract with a company who only wants to cash in on him and get rid of Hideki later.

Even the children are very likeable characters. Though the story spans less than a year, they mature over the time they care for Sky and learn more about their parents’ problems, but still remain optimistic children at heart. Masaru especially, started out as a bully who stole another kid’s Pokemon cards because he was jealous, probably matures the more of the pair though more attention is placed on the idealistic and caring Mako, who deems herself Sky’s mother.

Of course we must not forget to give credit to the actors of this show, for it was their portrayal of this simple and earnest family that moved me. The primary reason I watched this show was for the actress, Mizukawa Asami who played Sachiko. I became a fan of hers since Nodame Cantabile and Iryu, this was the first main role I’ve seen her in and I was not disappointed. It also helped that I’m recently getting more impressed by Nishikido Ryo (Yuji) as an actor, and while watching this series their chemistry really shone, playing off each other’s strength’s subtly.

Sure, this show was nothing terribly dramatic, emotion-inducing nor did it have the most interesting plot, but it was heartwarming and the dog while having an important role did not take up the main screentime, which I found refreshing compared to other animal shows, every character’s screen time was well balanced. It did not have the kind of exaggerated happy ending where the family gained immense riches or something, and the future is still unclear, but the fact is that they lived through it and continue to do so.

Mioka

[Rating: 8.5/10]

Genre: Drama, Romance

Taichi, a university student saves a girl from jumping off a rooftop. Her name is Mioka and he gets drawn by her vibrant and carefree personality. One day Taichi finds out the truth about Mioka and is even more determined to be with her.

I don’t normally watch very angsty shows, especially those pairing incurable diseases and romance, hence I haven’t really gotten into korean dramas. However Yoshitaka Yuriko is one of my favourite Japanese actresses, and in Love Shuffle, she played the part of girl suffering from depression and one who lost her memory in Tokyo DOGS pretty well, so I decided to give Mioka a go. Not to mention Maya Miki and Tanihara Shosuke were part of the cast as well, playing Mioka’s mother and doctor respectively.

Mioka wasn’t as angsty and melodramatic as I thought it would be, thanks to the vibrant character of Mioka and the development of the romance was actually interesting to watch. It only became more dramatic in the last few episodes when the disease progressed into its final stages, and I couldn’t help but feel for the girl. Maya Miki and Terawaki Yasufumi who played Mioka’s parents gave stellar performances that you’d think they are a family in real life. A scene that really tugged on my heartstrings was when the family went to visit the ailing grandmother and grandma was telling Mioka how she (grandma) had lived a full life and was satisfied, and told Mioka to become an adult and have a family of her own and make happy memories, and poor Mioka has to smile and nod as granny doesn’t know about her granddaughter’s disease. I really liked Mioka as a character because instead of locking herself up at home and angsting and fretting she put up a brave and positive front and really seized what she could.  I’m no expert on paralysis but I felt Yuriko acted out the symptoms quite convincingly. One thing I wonder is whether Taichi ever managed to reconcile with Mari and if they got together in the future. Although Taichi and Mioka have good chemistry I think Mari deserved something after what she had to put up with. I mean, Taichi would have ended up with her if Mioka did not come into the picture, and they would have made a sweet couple.

Mioka is definitely one of the more positive fatal illness plot centric romance dramas I’ve seen and I certainly recommend it.

[Rating: 7/10]

Genre: drama, romance

Five young people meet on Twitter and decided to get together in real life…

You know how big an impact social networking has made on the world today when it becomes the vehicle plot of a show. It is a good attempt of getting younger viewers back to watching tv as nowadays there are so many other forms of entertainment that distract us from the tv, which is rather amusing to think of. I would categorize this series under ‘slice-of-life’ and in a way it reminds me of Love Shuffle targeted at a slightly younger crowd (LS’s main cast were in their 30s and 40s whereas SNN’s characters are in their early-mid 20s). As with such shows, this story is about friendship and also the line between being friends and something more, also how far people will go for each other in the name of frienship. Of the characters, my favourites were Peach and Haru. It was interesting to see another jdrama with another foreign cast member as one of the main leads (ie. JaeJoong as Doctor, previously it was Li Chin Ling in Tsuki no Koibito). It was also refreshing seeing these young actors and actresses in roles that were pretty different to what I had seen them in previously. My gripe is how Linda’s character suddenly dropped that surprising revelation only nearer the end of the series, I felt they could have built that up more as it seemed rather random and somewhat unreal. Still I think Tamayama Tetsuji did a good job with what he had. I couldn’t really fell much for Nakaji, even though he was meant to be the ‘hero’ of the show. I would have preferred Haru to end up with Doctor, I feel they could have managed to make it work over time if Nakaji hadn’t shown up at the airport. What is with jdramas and breaking up multicultural relationships…

While the concept of this jdrama is certainly original, I felt it wasn’t very outstanding and could have developed more towards the end events. However, I think many people will easily enjoy it as it isn’t too heavy with the romance and is a nice show about friendship.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

Genre: drama, family

Nao is an elementary schoolteacher who wonders if there is something more to life. She encounters a girl named Reina in one of her classes, who has bruises and marks around her body and is often hungry. Nao, suspecting something decides to intervene and what follows changes her entire life…

This is not your usual family drama where very episode ends giving you the warm fuzzies. It is quite poignant and gripping, albeit rather slow moving at times and I did drop and pick it up rather than watch it consistently due to this flaw. However towards the final few episodes it became much more interesting. I really commend the cast for managing to capture each role beautifully even if I didn’t have strong likings to any character aside from Reina, who was just really cute. The characters were very real and I can imagine something like this happening in real life, even if the story of a teacher spiriting away her own pupil may seem a tad farfetched, but how everyone reacted to the events was very believable. With regards to how things ended, where Reina eventually ended up is common in reality. Nao, despite her good intentions was guilty of kidnapping even if the child went along willingly and to a better, safer environment. Ashida Mana, who played Reina has to be commended on her acting skills for a 6 year old she is very talented, and as I said before, this is not a typical happy family drama. All the women, especially the three mothers (Nao’s two mothers and Reina’s mother) had lots of depth to them and while they had their own faults, I did feel a little sorry for all of them as they did have their own reasons for how they behaved.

If you like slice of life stories, and one that deals mainly with character emotions and don’t mind dramas that are a bit sad and slow, then this is for you. If you’re looking for a family drama to cheer you up after a long day, then I point you elsewhere (ie, try something in the vein of My Girl, Abarenbo Mama or Brother Beat, be warned the first can be sad in parts but is overall very warm and fuzzy)~

[Rating: 6.5/10]

Genre: drama, romance

A poor chinese factory worker gets entangled with the dealings a Japanese furniture king who is thinks only of expanding his empire. Will she be the one to melt his cold heart?

This drama was surprisingly short, and the ending kinda threw me off a little. I not sure whether the ending was saying long distance/multi-cultural romances are not worth it and it is better to stick with someone closer to home, or that it was trying to be more realistic in that Cinderella did not get her Prince and as a modern woman found her niche and is happily living with her family. The cast at first glance was a hit and miss for me; Shinohara Ryoko is one of my favourite actresses, and Lin Chi Ling (who I had only seen as Xiao Qiao in the Red Cliff movies) sounded intriguing as it is rare you get non-Japanese cast members play a main role in jdramas. However the lead being Kimura Takuya did not appeal to me despite him being one of the most popular Japanese actors and lots of women fawn over him- personally I don’t find him that attractive and I’ve not been too impressed with the shows of his I’ve seen (Beautiful Life, Hero, Mr. Brain, Wonderful Life)… He was a little better in Tsuki no Koibito though, but it could be because this time the story wasn’t boring and the other characters helped made the show more interesting. One thing I enjoyed was Lin Chi Ling’s character, Xiu Mei, who was the rather cute and fresh element of the show and as a person learning Japanese, she spoke in simple sentences that I could understand with my limited knowledge of the language. I was also quite impressed by Matsuda Shota and Abe Tsuyoshi who spoke pretty decent Chinese, though I am not sure if their chinese lines were dubbed… in any case Abe had to speak Chinese for his entire role, as his character didn’t know any Japanese, and Matsuda for about half his role. Even though the latter’s character turned out to be the bad guy, I actually preferred him to Kimura’s. Ren was rather annoying most of the time, leading the two girls around… not to mention he’s so chauvanistic, which I found was a big letdown with the male characters. Maemi could do so much better than Ren best friend or no. I actually quite liked her with Sai/Cai… Another strong role was Keitagawa Keiko’s, who really developed from a spoilt model to a somewhat wiser and independant lady. She could have spiralled further and become the stereotypical vengeful ex-partner but once she pulled off the jealousy/selfish googles, she was rather likeable and provided a nice contrast to Xiu Mei.

This drama would suit those who like soap opera type romance in a drama rather than romantic comedy, as it does get a little angsty in some parts, but nothing depressing thankfully. And while I felt it could have lasted a little longer, eight episodes is pretty compact for someone wanting a quick jdrama fix and don’t want something too fluffy and happy.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

Glee is the story of a highschool show choir made up of an ecclectic crew of students and their journey to the regionals.

I have to admit I am not very up to date with english tv series. Glee is probably one of the few exceptions and I mainly watched it as I love musicals and hearing remixes of songs. One of the strong and weak points I found were the characters. I enjoyed how the glee club was made up of all sorts of students who came to be there due to different circumstances, and their camaderies was great. It was nice that the producers took the time to assemble a cast of actors with actual stage experience. However, I didn’t particularly like many of the characters. For example, the ‘main’ girl Rachel was very egoistic and annoyed me most of the time. However Lea Michels is indeed a very talented singer and I would love to see her sing in person. Finn reminded me of Zac Efron’s character in Highschool Musical (which was very cliche and campy, I just don’t enjoy teen movies as much anymore), the misunderstood nice guy jock but did not have much personality. My favourite characters were Will Schuester, Kurt Hummel and Quinn Fabray. Matthew Morrison has a really nice smooth voice, and I warmed up to Kurt and Quinn slowly as the series went. Will’s wife, Terri, put up a tight competition with Sue Sylvester as ‘villanesses’. The other staff members weren’t very likeable either. Still on the whole the acting was really good, as I think it takes good acting to make you like and dislike characters. The remixes of songs too were often better than the originals I found. For example, the Lady Gaga episode. I am not the singer’s biggest fan and think her videos just don’t make sense and are over the top, plus her singing is just ok for me, but you know the ballad rendition of Poker Face that people complained about? I actually thought it sounded good, and that episode made me like Bad Romance a little better too. I have to admit that one reason Lady Gaga does not appeal to me so much is because I don’t really connect with her lyrics either, and lyrics are a big element that make me like an artiste. I also like how they weaved in real issues such as teenage pregnancy and while exagerrated, the relationship problems the characters faced were very real. Life can be pretty warped up.

Favourite Glee songs:
Keep Going On (I love Avril’s music and thought this was just as good as the original)
No Air (a song that I liked the more I listened to though I wasn’t too impressed at first)
Halo (love the harmonization)
Don’t Rain On My Parade (Rachel’s best, better than On My Own which was a bit overused and I am biased to Les Mis)
Over the Rainbow (very melo and relaxing renditions)
I Could’ve Danced All Night (too bad Emma did not have more songs), I Wanna Sex You Up, Imagine (very moving~ love the incoporation of the sign language)
Single Lady (probably one of the most epic episodes in the season)
Piano Man (Matt Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris is a very deadly combination~)

If you love music and musicals, I’d definitely recommend Glee for it’s fun soundtrack and the dance choreography was really good as well. I would say it’s a highschool show for grown ups~

[Rating: 8/10]

Based on the blog ‘Belle de Jour’, this tv series tells the story of Belle (or Hannah), a high class call girl and the ups and downs of her profession and how it affects her personal life.

This series plesantly surprised me, and I found myself marathoning the first two seasons, and was happy when I found out there was a third recently. It wasn’t hard as catching up with other series as each season was neat and compact, at less than ten episodes, which was one of the major selling points for me. I have read a little of the actual blog that it was based on, but I found the tv show much more entertaining and the script less wordy and to the point. Hannah/Belle is a very real and practical woman, and her job aside, it is easy to relate to and sympathize with her. I commend Billie Piper bringing the role to life, and Hannah is definitely a character I will remember. I think one thing that I like about Belle is that she is game for most things, but sensible enough to know her limits and does not do just anything. She is also very independant and witty, though one might say it is part of her job, I like how she is adaptable to different situations and is able to relax people. The secondary storyline with Bambi, her ‘mentee’ and Bambi’s relationship with Byron (introduced in season 3) was cute. I found Bambi a bit annoying at first but she did grow and mature in the series. I think it was a pity the editor, Duncan, turned out to be such a prick because he and Hannah really looked like they would go far. I preferred the two of them together than Hannah and Ben (Ben was a nice guy but I didn’t really feel much for him, aside from his concerns for Hannah).

While the adult themes in this series does not make it family entertainment, I think it is very enjoyable and tastefully done. The show did not glorify being an escort but tried to portray it as a job. It has a nice balance of drama, humour and romance that would sit down with many people well, if they can get pass the somewhat controversial topic.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

It is the late 12th century an archer in Richard’s army makes a promise to a dying knight, only to find himself saddled with a task that will seal his fate.

This is the beginning of the outlaw known as Robin Hood.

When one who is familiar with movies and english folklore and asked to picture Robin Hood, what do you think of?

Lush green forests, a group of men making merry, clad in brown and green? Robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Maybe singing at every opportunity and wearing tights. Perhaps not even men, forest animals (ala Disney). We think of an evil and sly sheriff. We think of an innocent young maiden who falls for the outlaw.

Well, all I can say is that is not that Robin Hood you will be seeing in this movie.

Here he is a simple  archer who has an adventure thrown upon him because he decides to assume the identity of a dying knight (Sir Robery Loxley) and escape safely back to England – sure he made the promise to take the sword back to said Knight’s family and such, but on the whole, he was just doing what he needed to survive. Here Robin Longstride is a middle-aged battle-worn soldier who has apparently lost the memories of his childhood. His ‘merry men’ are the band of fellow soldiers who have escaped with him, later including a group of orphans in the forests of Sherwood. Maid Marion (Lady Loxley) is a headstrong woman who has been left in charge of her war gallavanting husband’s estate; and England is bleak and gloomy yet enchanting at the same time, but definitely not all green fields and clear skies. Of the versions of Robin Hood I’ve seen, I have to admit this is probably the most realistic and believable, should there have been such a figure in history.

I feel an important thing to note is that this movie is not about Robin Hood the Outlaw, but rather how he came to be an Outlaw, for he is only exiled right at the end. It may not be clear from the trailers (though I haven’t seen all of them), but this movie focuses on the French vs. English conflict and the Crusades. There is a whole host of new characters and Prince John plays a more active role as the main villan as opposed to the Sheriff of Nottingham, who hardly appears, and everytime he does, he’s pretty much a spineless coward. Which could be quite disappointing if you were expecting a character similar to the one Alan Rickman played in the past. He is assisted by Sir Godfrey, a fictitious English knight who is secretly plotting with the French King. Interestingly, Richard also dies pretty much near the start of the film so this plot point veers quite drastically from other versions where Richard was in hiding as a mysterious knight and emerged to claim his throne back later.

The cast was really good, and while I’m not a huge fan of Russell Crowe, his chemistry with Cate Blanchett who played Marion was simply electric and built up nicely (ie, they did not fall for each other immediately and it actually had time to develop).  I really like Marion as an independant widow rather as it gave her more depth and added to the more realistic tone of the movie. Blanchett always has this wonderfully poised sort of air about her and her figure just commanded presence even though dressed in simple gowns and often caked with dirt due to the farm work and labour Marion had to do. She balanced the survivor traits and shyness of Marion very well. I like how everyone had to help out in the fields. Prince John’s character was also given a whole new angle as while he was generally as a spoiled and arrogant  bastard, he did have the odd moment where you felt nearly pitiful towards him, and when he led the army into battle against the French for a moment, I did wonder if the script would go a different way (as it already had taken a direction I had not expected from the start) , and perhaps there might be a very slight chance than he might change… Unfortunately not, but it was expected. Still, to feel something for his character after his rather standard cookie cutter versions in other adaptations, I’d say it wasn’t a bad thing. The female cast was quite strong, with John’s mother,  Queen Eleanor and his first wife, Isabella being notable. I would’ve liked to see what happened to his first wife but she disappeared after he remarried. The plot also had a lot going on to keep one interested, even without the storyline about Robin’s past, I really enjoyed the efforts at merging it with historical events and feel it would have been quite substantial.

That said, a fine adaptation of this tried and tested story. I was debating on whether to say this is ‘family friendly viewing’ as it has themes like death, war and betrayal in it, but considering movies like Harry Potter, I think it would be fine for older children as well. Probably not for you if you prefer something more ‘merry’. For History buffs and period movie fans, it is a good piece of entertainment.

[Rating: 7/10]

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Ban is an confident and enthusiastic university student who dreams of becoming a chef. One day circumstances bring him to work as a kitchen-hand in a popular Italian restaurant in Tokyo. There he gets a real eye-opener to what it is really like working in the restaurant-business.

Firstly let me get his off my chest… I did not like Ban, no matter how much I tried to. He was arrogant and whiny throughout most of his traineeship and frankly, the staff at the restaurant were doing well without him. I felt like he hadn’t changed much by the end of the show. At one point watching him was like watching a train-wreck and I was so glad he got his act up eventually, sort of. The reason why I’m giving this show a more than just passable rating is for two reasons – I love the rest of the cast, and the show itself was an interesting all-rounded insight into the various aspects of running a restaurant. The ‘management trio’ as I call them (ie. Miyuki, Kuwabara and Yonamine) had such great chemistry that I could watch them all day. They were just so at ease and in-sync with each other. And coincidentally they are played by three of my favourite Japanese actors – Uchida Yuki, Sasaki Kuranosuke and Kitamura Kazuki. Miyuki totally has the two men wrapped around her finger. It was nice to see them in more laid-back roles that I normally see them play. The rest of the cast were alright, and featured many notable names, in fact if you ware familiar with Japanese dramas you will recognise most, if not all of the main cast, who range from Karina to Sato Ryuta… And man, the food looked really delicious, and that I live within walking distance to the ‘little Italy’ of my city certainly made me crave Italian food and dessert while I was watching it.

While the main character was a bit of a mood-killer, I still do recommend this show because it is light and entertaining to watch especially if you are a foodie or someone who enjoys cooking.