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.

Chonmage Purin

[Rating: 7/10]

A single mother and her son find themselves sheltering a young man, Kijima Yasube, who claims to be a samurai from the Edo period. During his stay with the family, Kijima finds that he has a knack in making pastries and decides to work as a patissier…

First impressions from the synopsis had me thinking this show is a sort of romantic comedy with a time travel twist, think Kate and Leopold, but it was actually more of a family drama with a time travel twist. Romance takes a backseat in this movie, the story focuses more on Kijima’s growing bond with the Yusas, especially young Tomoya, and how his time in the modern world gave him a chance to be inspired and dream bigger than what he would have faced as a young man in the Edo period. The characters themselves weren’t particularly stellar, but the show had the earnest family drama feel to it. The father-child cake making contest was very epic, especially the final round and how Kijima solved the problem. I would have liked to see more baking scenes, especially of him at the patisserie. Also, the ending actually managed to surprised me a bit, but it was no less heartwarming.

If you don’t mind a rather formulaic family drama then I recommend this, as a short movie you won’t have much to lose.

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.

Most Probably Following:
Himitsu
Iryuu 3
Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso

Maybe Following/Undecided:
Face Maker
Juuri Dolittle
Keizoku 2 SPEC
Nagareboshi
Perfect Report
Second Virgin

Dropped:
Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna
Ogon no Buta

Others
Jyouou
Kenji Onijima Heihachiro

[Rating: 7/10]

Genre: suspense, drama

Narita is a young aspiring lawyer whose world turns upside down when he is framed for the murder of his boss and mentor. The series depicts his adventures while on the run and his race to find the real criminal, and the lives of the people he touches along the way.

This series is one that is full of constant action in the sense that Narita is always moving. There is quite a lot of information to remember as each episode builds up to the next and nearly everything is related. Also later on it turns from a standard murder mystery into a political one as the world of politics converges into it, throwing even more information at the viewer. Yet it while heavier than other mystery jdramas I’ve seen, the pace was pretty decent, albeit a little long drawn at times, especially in the first half when everyone’s trying to figure out what the heck happened. Narita isn’t too naive and idealistic which made him likeable, and the twists are well executed. I was thrown off with a couple of the characters’ real motives and while I talk about this actor alot, Kitamura Kazuki really took the show on a ride; this man plays morally ambiguous characters really well, and the big reveal with his character at the end surprised me. What I found rather unbelievable was the female lead instantly believable that  Narita as the culprit as  she seemed fond of him, and considering Narita’s relationship with her father and family. Also I think the information given to the viewers could have been spread out more evenly rather than rushing everything in the last couple of episodes, as opposed to the ample amount of time of Narita helping the people he met while on the run.

While I’ve seen better mystery series, the twists and suspense in this one kept it riveting. It would suit someone who wants to try a darker and more serious law show.

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: 8.5/10]

Genre: josei, drama

Kinue, a plain and totally unfashionable saleswoman in the futon section of a big deparment store suddenly finds herself transferred to work on the women’s fashion floor. Her views on fashion and the people who work in it start to change as she goes on her own clothing journey, mentored by Miki, her new boss and no-nonsense ice queen.

It’s rather amusing how I originally did not have much interest in watching this as it sounded like a clone of Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty, but when I gave it a chance it ended up one of my favourite jdramas. What I liked about it was that Kinue’s colleagues and boss were less bitchy and shallow than the fashion workers in abovementioned american productions. In otherwords, the characters were more real and likeable. While Jinbo Miki was portrayed to be an ice queen, Miranda Priestly she is not. She actually showed concern and interest to her subordinate’s well being and understood her personal assistants quite well, often delivering some good advice and insight to both the fashion industry and to life. Kuroki Hitomi played her role with grace and poise, and the moments where Miki was dealing with her long time customers were warm and inviting. Her back story added an extra dimension to the character. Karina, who played Kinue didn’t come across as too stubborn and ignorant, and when as she learned the importance of personal presentation, her own fashion style was quite nice. I also liked when she became a mentor to the new sales assistants later on. I also enjoyed the rivalry between the two male leads, Tabuchi and Hachiya, played by Nishijima Hidetoshi and Koizumi Kotaro. Absolutely loved their dress styles and contrasting personalities, especially how they dealt with clients. Another thing was that while there was a little romance going on, it was played down and did not take up the plot, rather it was a relationship that subtly progressed from being colleagues to friends to mutual attraction but not an all out romance at the end. It made their working relationship more realistic as well.

So strong casting and overall a very enjoyable series. I think it can be appreciated by many types of jdrama fans, and is a safe choice people who are new to the jdrama scene.