Episode 8 of "Wakamontachi 2014". When Tadashi was outside Kasumi's house and she wouldn't come out as soon as he started to kneel I said to myself, "It's gonna start raining any second now." Sure enough next thing you know there's thunder and the floodgates open.
Finished ep 3 of Saikou no Rikon. Mitsuo is rather annoying and I think he and Akari should just end up together and make each other miserable. Yuka is still a hoot and I really like her, she and grandma are really sweet together. Ryo seems nice and all, but still a bit hard to figure out at this point.
"Aibou 12" finished last night. On about the same level as "Aibou 11". There was one major hole in the plot of the final case:
Spoiler — click to reveal How did they know Shinichi wouldn't shoot Kai in the head instead of the body?
Speaking of the Shinichi character, with the beard and the way he was overacting I thought it was Tomoya Nagase. Turns out it was Shinnosuke Abe. They do look a little bit alike though. Here's Abe: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Abe_Shinnosuke
Been slow with Saikou no Rikon and only finished ep 4. Mitsuo is really, seriously annoying. I'm so glad Yuka gave it to him straight, really don't see what she saw in him in the first place. Ryo and Akari... messy. The ending theme song is growing on me, though I could do without the fancy posturing.
Episode 7 of "Oyaji no Senaka". Ken Watanabe, Masahiro Higashide, and Kimiko Yo. Higashide plays Yo's son. Probably the best episode since episode 1. But that's because most of the episode deals with Watanabe and Yo. The character of the son is really secondary.
Episode 10 of "Wakamonotachi 2014". This is making such a strong impression that when I first started watching this episode I thought I had missed episode 9. So I went back, started watching episode 9 and realized that I had in fact watched it. :shakehead:
Thankfully, only one more episode to go on this one.
Like many asadoras before it, I like it a lot. The little girl playing little Hana was adorable and enchanting. Nakama Yukie was great at creating her character and depicting her inner conflicts and complexities. Yoshitaka Yuriko is a good actress but she doesn't seem to be especially suited for this type of character... Perhaps she will change my mind when the story revolve more around Hana. There are quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments but also tinge of melancholy sadness sprinkled within. Hana's family is really likeable too, Kuroki Haru stood out particularly as Hana's sister in only a handful of scenes. The harsh, rural way of life of her family really adds a lot of gravity and substance to the series.
Just finished Saikou no Rikon. I like it generally, but feel rather dissatisfied with Ryo and Akari's ending. It just seemed so out of tune with their characters, it's as though both of them got whiplash and lobotomies in the last two episodes. It didn't help that I never quite warmed up to Akari, and the characterisation for Ryo kinda felt all over the place.
Mitsuo and Yuka's progression felt more natural and I could buy their ending. The bit where they walked home together was sweet and heartwarming. The parental units were a hoot as well.
Episode 8 of "Oyaji no Senaka". Oizumi Yo is the father in this one. I've always thought of him as the "anti-Kimtaku". Most of Kimura's dramas are good, but I can't think of a real good drama Oizumi has been in.
Surprisingly, this was a pretty good episode. Maybe that's the trick, he should only be in one episode. :P
The thing is, I've seen Oizumi in a reality show called "Onigiri" where he travels around Japan with two other people checking out various restaurants. When he's just himself he can be hilarious. Link to "Onigiri": http://utbhollywood.com/en/program/variety/hungryhoppers/
Two thirds into Liar Game and enjoying it a lot. I like the leads and the music is awesome, really ups the suspense and tension. Matsuda Shota's hair in this is super mehhh, though, but he's done a very good job as Akiyama so far.
Against my better judgment started "MOZU 2". Mostly to see if it's as confusing as the first one. The first episode is over an hour long but the first 20-25 minutes are a re-hash of "MOZU". It's almost as if they know that nobody could possibly have understood the first one so they have to give us a refresher. :shakehead: