JDramas you thought would be good, but....

bmwracer wrote:
I'll bring a fire extinguisher. :sweat:

All this talk of pyromaniacs reminds me of our little conversations about setting a certain someone on fire... :hehe:

I think that's one of the biggest issues about so many shows out there that make high ratings, however: all of us have our favourite actors and actresses, but sometimes even their billed name cannot save a show from horrible writing, horrible directing, horrible premise, what have you. A good amount of the shows named in this thread are that very thing.

Sometimes these shows have redeeming qualities, but even that sometimes cannot save it from being a disappointment (best example in my head is the obvious Last Friends).

With that said, I'll bring the Marshmallows! :hehe:

Tenshigure wrote: horrible writing, horrible directing, horrible premise

That's should be the synopsis for Kira, Kira[/list:u]

eversenses wrote:bad acting? im quite satisfied with the acting by Ikuta Toma but not the actress who acted hanamoto though.

The whole cast lacked that emotional attachment to their characters...their performances left me cold. I wasn't wholly impressed by Ikuta Toma, but I haven't seen him in enough dramas where I can give him full credit as an actor (his appearance in HYD2 as that effete male model doesn't count)

Another drama that I'd like to add is Galileo. It received high ratings and had a promising cast (God knows how much I adore Fukuyama Masaharu) but for me, it sure was lacklustre. There were some pretty omoshiroi cases but the series got repetitive real quick. But then again, I'm science-challenged.

I don't know if this fits in with the topic, but a lot of shows sounded promising just from reading the synopsis and some dramas were highly recommended by people, but I found them falling short.

~ Slow Dance - great cast, seemed highly recommended at the time it came out and judging by the rave reviews people gave it, but when I started to watch it, I found it to be overrated and just too slow for my liking.

~ Onsen e Ikou 3 - I loved the previous seasons and this one started out great, but after a while, it turned out to be too silly as if they were doing a comedy instead of the drama that I had come to love.

~ Joudan janai! - this one sounded really good on paper--40-year old guy marries a girl 20 years his junior...then finds out that her mother is his ex-girlfriend. Turned out to be one crappy drama full of silliness and stupidity.

~ Liar Game - the first episodes were exciting, but it just got repetitive and boring towards the ending. The last episode was slightly unbearable even though it explained a lot.

cori wrote:I don't know if this fits in with the topic, but a lot of shows sounded promising just from reading the synopsis and some dramas were highly recommended by people, but I found them falling short.

~ Slow Dance - great cast, seemed highly recommended at the time it came out and judging by the rave reviews people gave it, but when I started to watch it, I found it to be overrated and just too slow for my liking.

~ Onsen e Ikou 3 - I loved the previous seasons and this one started out great, but after a while, it turned out to be too silly as if they were doing a comedy instead of the drama that I had come to love.

~ Joudan janai! - this one sounded really good on paper--40-year old guy marries a girl 20 years his junior...then finds out that her mother is his ex-girlfriend. Turned out to be one crappy drama full of silliness and stupidity.

~ Liar Game - the first episodes were exciting, but it just got repetitive and boring towards the ending. The last episode was slightly unbearable even though it explained a lot.

Ditto on Slow Dance and Liar Game. Haven't seen the other two but I've heard that Joudan Janai is horrible so I'm not even going to bother with that one.

momo-chan wrote:I've heard that Joudan Janai is horrible so I'm not even going to bother with that one.

Very wise. Don't waste your time on this pile of poop.

cori wrote:Joudan janai! - this one sounded really good on paper--40-year old guy marries a girl 20 years his junior...then finds out that her mother is his ex-girlfriend. Turned out to be one crappy drama full of silliness and stupidity.

They miscast this drama with Oda Yuji as the 40-year old... His constant mugging was intolerable and they didn't give Juri-chan a damn thing to do other than pout and be jealous throughout the entire drama... She deserved better than this. :grumble:

bmwracer wrote:
They miscast this drama with Oda Yuji as the 40-year old... His constant mugging was intolerable and they didn't give Juri-chan a damn thing to do other than pout and be jealous throughout the entire drama... She deserved better than this. :grumble:

I agree with the Oda Yuji comment. His facial expressions just bugged me, but the worst to me was Ohtake Shinobu. I just could not stand her constant teasing, flightiness, and overall character. But then again, I may be biased since I disliked her ever since I saw her in a certain drama. Poor Juri. She should've passed on this because it seemed like a really generic, throw-away role that any old 20-year old actress (or even idol) could've done. She must've lost a bet or needed the money badly.

cori wrote:I agree with the Oda Yuji comment. His facial expressions just bugged me, but the worst to me was Ohtake Shinobu. I just could not stand her constant teasing, flightiness, and overall character. But then again, I may be biased since I disliked her ever since I saw her in a certain drama.

Yeah, her character was really selfish and immature... She pissed me off, too.

Poor Juri. She should've passed on this because it seemed like a really generic, throw-away role that any old 20-year old actress (or even idol) could've done. She must've lost a bet or needed the money badly.

I wonder how that entire process works: does she have a say on the roles she's offered or is her agency twisting her arm to take anything and everything thrown her way?

I would hope the former and it was a bad choice on her part..... :sweat:

Tokyo Love Story - I read so much about it being the definitive love story made in the 1990s, and went in watching with super high expectations. Turns out to be borinnnggg!!! Annoying leads in a vapid story that went round in circles and a very very unsatisfying resolution. Hated it. :grumble:

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e - With this show I had much lowered expectations because I knew it was a silly idol drama full of pretty boys. But I wasn't prepared for the stupid nonsense that went on a full 12 episodes. Terrible. How could they get this so wrong? It's worse than the Taiwanese version which at least had a coherent storyline and chemistry between the leads. The only bright spark was Ikuta Toma. Without him, this show is worthless.

cori wrote:
I agree with the Oda Yuji comment. His facial expressions just bugged me, but the worst to me was Ohtake Shinobu. I just could not stand her constant teasing, flightiness, and overall character. But then again, I may be biased since I disliked her ever since I saw her in a certain drama. Poor Juri. She should've passed on this because it seemed like a really generic, throw-away role that any old 20-year old actress (or even idol) could've done. She must've lost a bet or needed the money badly.

Oh, I'm loving this! Did I mention how much I dislike watching Oda Yuji? His revered status as a leading actor in Japan, I totally do not get (yes, I'm aware of his hit movies etc. etc....but as far as I'm concerned, Oda Yuji can only play the straight laced good guy with personality of chalk. Ack). I didn't like him in Tokyo Love Story, didn't like him in Last Christmas - though I did like his leading ladies Suzuki Honami and Yada Akiko. I refuse to watch Jodan Janai based on the screen caps found on the internet. Oda Yuji hugging and kissing Ueno Juri makes my hair stand on end. Ew, ew, ew. It's got a pedophilic vibe and is soo wrong, not because he's 20 years older than Juri but he looks like a dirty old man. This was a bad, bad casting decision. I know this sounds superficial but the producers should've found a better looking 40 year old man to play the husband, rather than wrinkly faced, awkward looking Oda Yuji who resembles a bull-dog. :twisted:

bmwracer wrote:
I wonder how that entire process works: does she have a say on the roles she's offered or is her agency twisting her arm to take anything and everything thrown her way?

I would hope the former and it was a bad choice on her part..... :sweat:

I'm not sure about how the Japanese drama industry works, but based on what I read on another forum, it appears that Japanese stars have little say on what projects they get to do, and pretty much are compliant with their company's wishes. Korean drama actors (the very top stars - Hallyu Stars like Bae Yong Jun) get to command huge salaries (up to 100 million won per episode) which makes up the bulk of the production cost, and they get to pick and choose their projects. Many top stars form their own production companies for added leverage. By comparison, Japanese stars salaries are significantly lower than Korean stars (the very top stars earn about 2 million yen per episode). They can't really afford to pick and choose their projects, and the pay scale is dictated by the performance of their last drama. Japanese stars make their living through doing commercials rather than dramas.

shanghai_honey wrote:Oda Yuji can only play the straight laced good guy with personality of chalk. Ack. I didn't like him in Tokyo Love Story, didn't like him in Last Christmas - though I did like his leading ladies Suzuki Honami and Yada Akiko. I refuse to watch Jodan Janai based on the screen caps found on the internet.

I think he was good in Mahiru no Tsuki, Okane ga nai!, Seigi wa katsu and Furikaereba yatsu ga iru. The dramas you named were not his best ones IMO.

shanghai_honey wrote:Oh, I'm loving this! Did I mention how much I dislike watching Oda Yuji? His revered status as a leading actor in Japan, I totally do not get (yes, I'm aware of his hit movies etc. etc....but as far as I'm concerned, Oda Yuji can only play the straight laced good guy with personality of chalk. Ack). I didn't like him in Tokyo Love Story, didn't like him in Last Christmas - though I did like his leading ladies Suzuki Honami and Yada Akiko. I refuse to watch Jodan Janai based on the screen caps found on the internet. Oda Yuji hugging and kissing Ueno Juri makes my hair stand on end. Ew, ew, ew. It's got a pedophilic vibe and is soo wrong, not because he's 20 years older than Juri but he looks like a dirty old man. This was a bad, bad casting decision. I know this sounds superficial but the producers should've found a better looking 40 year old man to play the husband, rather than wrinkly faced, awkward looking Oda Yuji who resembles a bull-dog. :twisted:

LOL, that's great... :hehe: :rofl:

Yeah, he was totally miscast... I would've picked Abe Hiroshi as Juri-chan's hubby... That would've been an interesting pair-up. :victory:

shanghai_honey wrote:I'm not sure about how the Japanese drama industry works, but based on what I read on another forum, it appears that Japanese stars have little say on what projects they get to do, and pretty much are compliant with their company's wishes. Korean drama actors (the very top stars - Hallyu Stars like Bae Yong Jun) get to command huge salaries (up to 100 million won per episode) which makes up the bulk of the production cost, and they get to pick and choose their projects. Many top stars form their own production companies for added leverage. By comparison, Japanese stars salaries are significantly lower than Korean stars (the very top stars earn about 2 million yen per episode). They can't really afford to pick and choose their projects, and the pay scale is dictated by the performance of their last drama. Japanese stars make their living through doing commercials rather than dramas.

I sorta had the feeling that was the case... :sweat:

It's like the old Hollywood system back in the first half of the 20th century: the actors were at the mercy of the studios who (literally) owned them...

shanghai_honey wrote: Japanese stars make their living through doing commercials rather than dramas.

Just as an example, Manami's done about 20 dramas, here's the list of all the CM's she done:[/list:u]ž JR‹ãB
Ž­Ž™“‡ƒXƒCƒbƒ` "‰·ò–¦•Ñ"
Ž­Ž™“‡ƒXƒCƒbƒ` "•“؉¡’š•Ñ"
Ž­Ž™“‡ƒXƒCƒbƒ` "‰·ò“»•Ñ" @@New!

ž –쑺暌”
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–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â H•Ñ&2005H•Ñ"
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–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2006t•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2006‰Ä•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2006H•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2006“~•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2007t•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2007‰Ä•Ñ"
–쑺暌” "ŒÂlŒü‚¯‘Â 2007H•Ñ"

ž Asahi
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‚®‚тȂ܁B "¬¼^“Þ”ü Ä‚«Ž}“¤•Ñ"
‚®‚тȂ܁B "¬¼^“Þ”ü UDON•Ñ"
‚®‚тȂ܁B "¬¼^“Þ”ü Œ©Žç‚鏬¼•Ñ"
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‚®‚тȂ܁B "6ŠÊ•Ñ"
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‚®‚тȂ܁B "ƒŠƒjƒ…[ƒAƒ‹•Ñ"
‚®‚тȂ܁B "‚à‚¤ˆù‚Ý‚Ü‚µ‚½H•Ñ"

ž ¶ŠUŠwK‚̃†[ƒLƒƒƒ“
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¶ŠUŠwK‚̃†[ƒLƒƒƒ“2007 "‰ž‰‡‚̎莆•Ñ"
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¶ŠUŠwK‚̃†[ƒLƒƒƒ“2006 "ƒ[ƒJ[ƒYƒ{ƒCƒX•Ñu•Mƒyƒ“v"
¶ŠUŠwK‚̃†[ƒLƒƒƒ“2006 "–¾“ú‚Ì’©Š§•Ñ"
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ž ƒLƒƒƒhƒoƒŠ[ƒWƒƒƒpƒ“
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ƒnƒEƒXƒƒCƒg "V‚µ‚¢ŠX•Ñ"

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ž DTI
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DTI "ƒTƒ|[ƒgƒMƒbƒVƒŠ•Ñ"
DTI "‚Ђ©‚èæ‚芷‚¦•Ñ"

ž ‘吳»–ò
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ž AMO
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ž KOSE
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á”§ˆ "”ü”’–º ÎŒ²–³ ‰ü’ù•Ñ"
á”§ˆ "”ü”’–º ÎŒ²•t ‰ü’ù•Ñ"
Can't imagine what the list for somebody like Ryoko looks like!! :sweat: [/list:u]

gaijinmark wrote: Just as an example, Manami's done about 20 dramas, here's the list of all the CM's she done:[/list:u]

So they're like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods: 90+% of their income is from advertising, not career salaries... :sweat:

:bonk: Love Complex (utterly deceived by the presence of my favourite artistes)

:say_oops: Majo no jouken (love the theme song, hate the drama)
:banghead: Security Police (love the theme song, hate the drama)

Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni... (love the cast, hate the drama)

ANY SHOW WITH Fukada Kyoko IN IT. Lucky girl, she always gets good storylines like Nino. What can i do to follow those shows ? i 'mute' the volume and continue watching....(if only they would do a re-make without casting her)

Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu + 1 liter of Tears (i didn't come from work to make myself cry in front of the tv)

Eyeyore wrote:

ANY SHOW WITH Fukada Kyoko IN IT. Lucky girl, she always gets good storylines like Nino. What can i do to follow those shows ? i 'mute' the volume and continue watching....(if only they would do a re-make without casting her)

I donLt get it either why they keep on casting her again and again.
One show I hoped would be good was Attention Please. My first ever job was for an airline and until today I miss the crazy colleagues and team spirit. So I hoped I could find something similar in an airline drama ... I dropped it after episode 3 or so. Fukada Kyoko should have been in it ...

Eyeyore wrote:Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu + 1 liter of Tears (i didn't come from work to make myself cry in front of the tv)

YES. :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:

Hanayome wa Yakudoshi: Had high expectations because of Ryoko Shinohara and Shima Iwashita. Unfortunately they were saddled with a horrible script and a terrible supporting cast. You know, I have yet to see Shinohara as a regular in a good dorama series. One was decent, one was average, and the rest were crap. It is a testament to her acting ability that she herself was excellent in all of them. Someone--please give her a script and cast which are worthy of her immense talent.

Musashi: As someone who likes Taiga (although far less so with recent editions), I was looking forward to watching this series about Japan's greatest swordsman. NHK brought together an incredible all-star cast, even for Taiga standards. There were actors who were staples in jidaigeki movies from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. There were actors who were stars of previous Taiga dramas. There was some of the best young/middle-aged/older talent in dorama. And in the title role, a real honest-to-goodness actor, a Kabuki star, was cast. NHK also hired Ennio Morricone to do the musical score. Yet with all this talent, the end result was a plodding, bloated, dull series. (Sorry Beem)

Sakura: An Asadora whose heroine is from Hawaii. I was so eager to watch this. But an egregious lie that was promulgated throughout the series ruined it for me. Plus some of the actors' subpar English skills when they were supposed to be portraying sansei (third-generation Japanese-Americans) and the occasional attempt to speak pidgin which came off as authentic as a three-dollar bill did nothing to help me like this series. Auwe.

Hero: This was the first Takuya Kimura dorama I watched. I had read he was incredibly popular and that this series pulled in very high ratings. Well, neither the series nor the actor left me with a positive impression. I did try and watch several other Kimura dorama, but they only reaffirmed my first impression of him from Hero--that he is a one-trick pony of an actor, not terrible, but no better than mediocre.

Enka no Joou: Yuki Amani is one of my favorite actresses--I think that she, Ryoko Shinohara, and Miho Kanno are the three best leading actresses currently working in dorama. So when I read she was to star in this dorama, along with Riko Narumi who was so good as Ruri in Ruri no Shima, it caught my attention. And when I read Amami was to play an enka singer, I really was hooked since I like listening to enka. But what a disastrous mess this series turned out to be. It was so bad I wiped it completely out of my mind. Until now.