Sun_Shang_Xiang

Well, according to Edwin Starr (who's actually correct) Absolutely Nothing , but hang on... what about NHK's drama on the Russo-Japanese War ? Saka no Ue no Kumo is a lavish production, NHK must have blown a pile of Yen on this production, usually the digital explosions and fires in Japanese dramas look lame but the effects were really good in this.

It did show the horror of war (you only get to see this in the 4 episodes of the third/last arc)but should have been more critical of war - however this is a bit difficult being as it seen as a high point in Japanese history.However during the episode which focuses on the taking of Hill 203 over Port Arthur , NHK couldn't resist putting on the stirring music after the position was taken with the rising sun flag flutterring on top of the hill.The Russian fleet was in a pretty bad state by the time it reached the straits of Tsushima, however this isn't shown, as it would obviously detract from the victory.Out of deference for Japan's neighbours the Ching Empire (which at that time was the proper title I guess) and not China is used and I don't recall seeing a single Korean in the series.Kagawa Teruyuki as Masaoka Shiki for me provided the best performance, whilst Satomi Ishihara and Matsu Takako are reduced to playing beautiful vases.Motoki Masahiro did a pretty decent job as Akiyama Saneyuki.Whilst Abe Hiroshi and Kanno Miho's talents weren't effectively utilized.

As any one who watches Japanese drama will be able to tell you Japan has simultaneously the smartest and the dumbest police in the world. Well where exactly does this fall, a bit of both really.

If you like Ryoko Yonekura or tough women action heroines you'll probably like this.It starts off pretty badly though, in the first episode she's given body armour which rather than protecting her bust , it draws attention to it instead. In the next episode she's forced to strip by the bad guy to locate hidden weapons, such things never happened to Kojak.

Fortunately things improve greatly in the second half of this drama, so don't give up.Due to the script, Jinnai Takamori unfortunately doesn't get to display his skills apart from looking stoic and irratating simultaneously with his constant playing with his mobile phone, only towards the end he gets the chance to improve. Shiroto Yu on the other hand is amusingly over the top.Whilst the older actors Ibu Masato, Sasano Takashi, Osugi Ren and Kakei Toshio just about hit the right spot.

Really good romance, what I really like about this is that the protagonist Kaoru unlike most heroines is far from being a paragon of virtue. It's really nice to see Ishida Yurika get a leading role and she doesn't disappoint either.Both Ishida Yurika and Ihara Tsuyoshi (who most people will probably remember as the funny boss from last Christmas)give fantastic performances. Kyoko Hasegawa also provides an endearing but secondary role performance as Jasmine (by the way that looks like Kyoko Hasegawa prominently featured on the vcd cover which I guess shows more false advertising as she isn't the leading character).

Nice to see Japanese actors speak Cantonese and take in the scenery form Hong Kong.Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed by Kawamura Ryuichi's performance which lacked feeling although his Cantonese was probably the best all of them.Thoroughly enjoyable drama even if the last episode had so many cliches like running to the church to stop the wedding/running to the airport to stop the girlfriend from leaving/snow starting to fall/ Kaoru's intention to work in a bookshop in Notting Hill Gate !

Warm drama, excellent performances from Takenouchi Yutaka , Ogata Ken & Kohinata Fumiyo - Is there any role Kohinata Fumiyo is incapable of filling ? Narumi Riko gives an endearing performance, she's definitely got talent although I'm not sure whether she's as good as Tomoka Kurokawa or Shida Mirai as a child actress.As a lot of the inhabitants of the island are older ,It's great to see older actors get a bigger role.The only negative points were that I would have liked to have seen some romance between Konishi Manami's character Sanae and Takenouchi Yutaka's character - missed opportunity. And alot of the cast looked a bit fair skinned to pass off as Okinawans.

This is actually my favorite Matsu Jun drama, so far ...Kudos to Matsu Jun for his performance in this one and yet it lacks a certain human element to it. The main characters all seem preoccupied with the restaurant or cooking to the extent that they go around visiting other restaurants in their spare time to the detriment of everything else and unfortunately the human relationship element is sorely lacking.Yes ...romance is sadly missing, Fukiishi Kazue and Matsu Jun make a really nice couple, more so than with Inoue Mao (looks too young) in HYD or with Koyuki (looks too old ) in Kimi wa Petto, its a shame the writers didn't make more of an effort to expand their short relationship.

It does a good job of showing the industrial like preparation of food of the kitchen and also the view from the waiter's point of view.In terms of all the other food dramas I found this the most convincing drama .I really enjoyed Sato Ryuta's performance. Sasaki Kuranosuke and Uchida Yuki (who just stood around looking absolutely stunning) are both pretty good actors but sadly didn't do much in this drama.

This is a real tear jerker, this is for me is Takeuchi Yuko's best drama so far, wonderful cast with great support form the ever so cute Yagi Yuki, Terejima Susumu, Shaku Yumiko (her best role so far IMHO) Miura Tomokazu and Matsuda Shota.

This is really well written with some interesting twists however it did seem to start running out of steam after episode 7 and again in the last episode.Unfortunately Katori Shingo's performance to me wasn't that impressive, he delivered all his lines in boring monotone and his expressions seemed all the same even when he was supposed to be angry and he just didn't look in love with Mio; sure his character's grieving but surely he still has to have other emotions. I can't help feeling that other actors such as Abe Hiroshi or Sawamura Ikki or even Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (ok maybe they be older than the character should be) would have done a better job.

The second season was seriously marred by the use of negative stereotyping of African Americans in the first episode.If it wasn't for this the season would have rated higher for me.

The music for the most part was regurgitated from the first season down to the Harry Potter style music motifs which actually isn't a bad thing in itself, my only real complaint as regards the music was that I soon got fed up of hearing Utada Hikaru's Flavor of Life drowning out the dialogue every 35 - 40 minutes into each episode.Matsumoto Jun's acting was ok for the most part except when he was trying to hide something from his fellow F4 members, then it looked a little hammy. On the plus side, Matsuda Shota and Ogori Shun were good, however Kato Natsuki was even better and was the highlight of the show.

Very enjoyable, what a great performance by Kikuchi Rinko, no wonder she's an oscar nominee. Is it me ? but I found the logic used in the Angel -Devil game very flawed -Why didn't they even use the booths during the rehearsal? I also note the script writers use contracts between the contestants during the game but ignore their value when it suits them and enforce these contracts when it suits to further the plot line.

Mildly enjoyable but not very deep detective drama. This is a bit of a showcase for Kaho (her three siblings get subsidiary roles) but unfortunately it's not all that well written.Not the best vehicle for Kaho to display her talent, I saw her in the movie Sunadokei where she gave a great performance.Unfortunaely both Takenaka Naoto and Kato Natsuki are wasted in this as well.

Enjoyable Romantic drama but as in all dramas of this genre lacking realism. Plaudits should go to the supporting cast, if Saeko sounded sqeaky and was annoying to you... well I suppose that means she did a good job however the performance I enjoyed the most was Kobayashi Mao's, who provided a short but very touching perfomance, I hope she lands a leading role soon.P.S.Don't watch this if you're going on a diet.

I really enjoyed this until the last episode, the suspense is built up thru the episodes but like Koori no Sekai, I just don't find the explanations in the last episode credible and Sasaki Kuranosuke's character coming up with things he should have mentioned decades ago is plain silly. Pity though... great performances from all the cast.

Orphened Takimoto Moiri is brought up by kindly Endo Kenichi (whos usually playing Yakuza types) and his family as his own daughter. A series of events leads her to discover her biological Grandmother and leads her to run an okonomiyaki shop in Osaka. Quite enjoyable but not exceptional.

If you watch NHK world you'll probably know Megumi Yasu from Science Zero.Megumi Yasu plays Kagami Yu, a sort of super temp secretary with Jean Claude Vandamme type high kicking skills but suffers from bad luck in the romance department. Unknown to herself, She is employed by the Japanese government to investigate the murky going-ons in the Japanese business world.

This comedy was originally broadcast in the midnight slot so there's a little fan service, if you're a teenage boy you'll probably appreciate this.

Kishitani Goro who plays a policeman and his newly married wife Makise Riho move to a new town where unknowingly his ex-Wife Miyazawa Rie and daughter Kobayashi Ryoko live. And when they meet sparks start to fly. Very fine performances from all three ladies. If you're looking for a drama with a villain to blame then avoid this. Also look out for Becky who provides a short but amusing perfomance as Sato Ryuta's girlfriend.

Esumi Makiko's character leads a happy if somewhat boring marriage unexpectedly finds herself attracted attracted to a younger man. In parts this drama is slow and perhaps has less passion than other dramas but it is very engaging. Great performances from Esumi Makiko, YamaPi and Yanagiba Toshiro. Nice ending.

This is this first Kimu Taku drama I've enjoyed for a long while.I was worried about how good Lin Chi Ling's acting was going to be but was relieved on seeing the result. Actually her character gets less important as the drama progresses.

I actually felt that Kimu Taku who's back on form in this drama was outshone by Matsuda Shota's brilliant performance. Great acting also by Ryoko Shinohara. Loved the ending but felt that Shinohara Ryoko picked the wrong guy....that relationships never going to last ...with both those egos getting onto each other's ways.

If you like seeing Tacky stripped down this is for you. This is my favourite Tacky drama so far, wonderful perfomances from Tacky and Ikewaki Chizuru. Tacky puts on a kindly face to his peers whilst being evil and manipulative behind their back but in the end is tricked by Endo Kenichi's character.

The script writer must have watched Tom Crusie in Valkyrie and decided wow.... thats a good idea ! I can use that...
Emoto Akira is a Hitler look alike terrorist and even has his own Count Stauffenburg Aide in an episode. Ex-Swindler Tomoyo Nagase & Agent Fukada Kyoko have to stop him.Tomoyo Nagase does his best with the poor script but cramps Fukada's comedic style in the process. Unfortunately the triangle relationship between Anne's character Hirahara San-kyu and Tomoyo Nagase's character Yoroi Kyosuke and Fukada Kyoko's character Dorothy isn't fully resolved either.The show just doesn't work for me .

If you like watching Moko Michi stripped down and oiling his bronzed chest then this show is for you. Moko Michi isn't a great actor but roles which rely on his physical presence and have a slight comedic element seem to suit him. Strangely I much preferred this to GTO. Shida Mirai is always brilliant but her tiny size makes her stand out from her classmates. Great performance from Fumiyo Kohinata as the besieged principle.This show could have done with a bit more romance ! The Beautiful Manami Higa was underutilized.

Based on the true story of Satoko Tatemichi , Aya Ueto produces (for me anyway) her best performance to date as blind musician Juri Tatematsu. And at last Aya Ueto is partnered with an actor that doesn't look too old compared to her (Koide Keisuke).

Both Aya Ueto and Koide Keisuke trained with Tokyo Metropolitan Welfare Association for the Blind and visited Satako Tatemichi and her husband to train for their roles. Some may find it a bit slow, but its well worth sticking with.

When I heard about this I was really looking forward to this drama.This drama involves time travel so Uchino Masaaki plays 2 roles, one in the present day and 10 years in the future, where he has relationship problems with Aya Ueto. Uchino Masaaki is great in Rinjo but I don't sense much chemistry between him and Aya Ueto even in his present day character. A bit of a disappointment for me.

Even Kimu Taku has off days. Bad Japanese imitation of CSI, Rinjo does this so much better.Unfortunately although this drama has a star studded cast both Ayase Haruka and Kagawa Teruyuki who are both very good actors are both wasted in this.Ayase Haruka is reduced to being a porcelain vase. Yukie Nakama was great though in her episodes.

Very funny drama with excellent performances from Aibu Saki and Sasaki Kuranosuke . Although this drama is about a robot Moko fills the role with hilarity and a bit of Pathos. Maya Miki and Mizushima Hiro also provide good performances. The main problem with this is once you've seen the first episode you know how it's going to end.

I wouldn't call Mokomichi a great actor but this is a great sports drama which makes good use of Mokomichi's physical prescence. The best perfomances I felt were from the 2 supporting characters from Yamamoto Taro (this guy should get more credit for the roles he plays) and a short but hilarious appearance by Tomoka Kurokawa. Matsuda Shota performance was fair but I only wished that Aibu Saki's role hadn't been so passive in this drama.

Sasaki Kuranosuke's character gets laid off work so he goes off back to work as a host but he keeps this secret from his wife Hara Sachie. Of course the current young bloods don't accept him but he earns their trust and fights to protect the club. But you know exactly whats going to happen , his wife will of course find out ....domestic trouble ensues and then there will be loads scenes where he has to bow his head down to plea and get humiliated. Its not a bad drama but its all too predictable. Its a pity as Sasaki Kuranosuke and Maya Miki are really good actors but its not a great vehicle to show case their acting skills.

This should be good and the intention was probably to highlight prejudice but its execution is fately flawed. Matsumoto Jun is suitably darkened up to be a half-Filipino but his character seems weak and his actions at times seem irrational.Moreover his character only associates with Japanese and has regrettably no contacts with the Filipino community in Japan or the Philipines and does not attempt to speak a word of Tagalog and other than food seems to have no interest in Filipino culture.I suspect that Filipino migrant workers are subjected to an even greater degree of prejudice than half -Filipino Japanese nationals.I wonder if the writer was concerned about his audience's reaction had a braver approach been taken.

Nakai Kiichi is the self-hating Zainichi Korean who along with Oguri Shun give the best performances of the show. However given Nakai Kiichi's character's prejudiced reaction to Vito and Vito's own character flaws ,this drama doesn't exactly put half-Filipinos or resident Korean's in a good light. It would have been better to give Vito a stronger character rather than being a forever smiling Holy Fool/victim and get someone who's really half-Filipino to play the main role (i'd liked to have seen this with Mokomichi playing the main role)or write the role for a full Filipino migrant worker and get a Zainichi Korean to play Nakai Kiichi's role but given Nakai Kiichi's character's self-hatred, I doubt that any self respecting Zainichi would have liked to attempted the role as it was written.

Don't expect to find any great meaningful truths in this comedy but it is great fun. Yamada Yu and Shida Mirai's varied facial expressions are priceless. Sano Shiro and Mukai Osamu provide effective supporting roles as the down trodden Father and Husband/Brother-in-law in this tale of siblings.

but not a disaster .....I'm a little suprised at the high ratings this drama has, above that of Love Generation. But Kimutaku and Shibasaki Kou lack chemistry. I enjoyed Kuroki Hitomi and Yoon Son Ha's performance as Kimutaku's funny neighbour though. Maybe the script writer should have had Kimutaku and Tsutsumi Shinichi fight over Kuroki Hitomi instead.

I really enjoyed this, great performances from Abe Hiroshi and Endo Kenichi who I've only seen in scary roles before as loving step father, Endo kenichi seems in the zone now in the role nice step father as he also does in the same thing in the Asadora Teppan. There were parts when I felt that the drama was a little cheesy. The only negatives about the drama are that Shiraishi Miho and Konno Mahiru didn't do much, so there wasn't much romance and that this drama aired the same time as Aishiteru Kaiyo which is the better drama.

I quite enjoyed watching this, the music was great and the story was quite fast paced, however when I sat back and thought about the holes in the plotline and how stupid both the terrorist and police were ..I had to downgrade my rating. Kichise Michiko's performance was enjoyable though but even that can't save this drama.