Yayoi

I love comedies, which is also one for the reason why I decided to get this dorama because the reviews I've read. Sure enough, it did not disappoint me with it's many comical scenes. :)

The story is about Arata, who aspires to be a vet because he loves animals. He's a happy-go-lucky and sweet guy who is well-loved by animals, but at the same time, he is in a daze most of the time, prompting his classmates (and even lecturers) to take advantage of his kindness at times. His first encounter with Rosinante was at his University's veterinary clinic where the kawaii dog was staying for the weekend. When the owner did not turn up to collect the dog, Arata and his classmates went to look for him, only to discover that the owner had ...... When the now owner-less and homeless Rosinante was about to be taken away, the kind-hearted Arata decided there and then to adopt him, and in the process, got thrown out of his apartment.

From there on, the story revolves around Arata and Rosinante. Although the drama's title is "A Diary of a Dog", it focus more on Arata Mukai (Dohmoto Tsuyoshi) and the people around him (in some episodes). It's only towards the later half (and the end) of the drama then did the show started to focus on Rosinante.

The stories are funny (I've already mentioned that) and yes, touching. There're also some moral implications about animals in certain parts which can perhaps, influence you to change your way of thinking towards animals. Most of the stories are also down-to-earth, reflecting the dilemmas and feelings of modern day pet owners. The stories are, at it best, humourous, interesting (even exciting) and sad, but unfortunately, it kind of got a little boring in the end (IMO). The ending was nice in a way and I rather liked the ending when Rosinante finally went back to Arata, but some parts were like repeating themselves and going in cycles: he left, and he came back; he left, and he came back... if you get what I mean. But other than that, it's a fairly nice dorama to watch in your free time.

I think the characters were rather cute and funny (though some were really weird, like the nurse). They do tend to overact at times, but overall, the casts' (and dog's) acting were credible. (Akiyama Jun was cute too ^^). On a parting shot, I just want to say that I liked the ending part of every epsiode where there's a little scene Tsuyoshi showing talking to Rosinante (and in human form at that!).

Watch this dorama if you like animals, Tsuyoshi and comical-yet-touching stories. :)

Okay, first, I'd gotta admit that I am no sucker for family-related dramas. The only reason why I watched this VCD was because I read from other reviews that the dorama is a comedy. Now, I AM A sucker for comedies (^^;), so I decided to go ahead and watch this dorama.

Oyaji is a story about the Kanzaki family (of five). Headed by "super-naggy" dad (Tamura Masakazu) who nags and lectures like a machine gun, the Kanzaki family also consists of eldest daughter (Mizuno Miki), second daughter (Hirosue Ryoko), youngest son (Okada Junichi) and a very sweet and docile mum (Kuroki Hitomi) who helps to keep the Kanzaki family sane. Typical of any other family dramas, everyone in the Kanzaki family will face a personal conflict which they have to resolve with initial objections from their stubborn dad.

Tamura Masakaz did quite well as a stern, no-nonsense dad who can, sometimes (and unfortunately), does nonsensical things. ^^; While we may sometimes get annoyed at the way he treat his kids or say mean things to them despite his true concern for them, it still bring tears to our eyes when he shows his concern through actions secretly (or bring laughters when he DID showed his concern openly and ended up ruining things -_-0) But I think the dorama was successful in a sense that the whole plot and casts were very down-to-earth. :)

Granted, there are tear-jerkers moments, but the dorama is also funny at times and you can't help laughing at their general silliness at times. The dorama also subtly talks about moral issues and certain situations are quite thought-provoking. My only gripe is that the story started off rather slow and some parts of the drama can get a little slow too. But I guess most dramas are like that so ... ^^ Also, the ending was kind of nice, but I think it was a tad too abrupt and predictable.

Lastly, as a personal (bias) opinion, what I wanted to say is, maybe I don't know who Oikawa Mitsuhiro was before this dorama, but I'm glad I did watch this drama because he was also one of the eye candy in the drama (IMO, IMO!!!). I think he did very well too and it kind of touched me at the end of his story. I guess it takes lots of courage to be able to do what he did, but then again, like I said, you can almost learn many things from the various characters in the drama; courage is one of them. :)

So, if you have the time, take the time to watch this drama with an open mind. While some of the situations can be predictable, it's also what make the drama heartwarming and so close to home. Who knows, you might learn something from the drama too. ^^

[SPOILERS] Like my previous review & comments for Trick & Trick 2, this sequel also has the formula: TRICK = Thrilling + Romantic + Intriguing + Comical + Knowledgeable! (For details about why I gave this formula, please read my review for Trick 2. Here, I am going to yak about what I like in Trick 3 instead. ^^)

First of all, the plots are still as intriguing and mind-boggling as the previous Trick series, and the chemistry between Ueda and Yamada is still going strong. Ueda has since released 4 books, but he's still as faint-hearted as before. ^_~ The episodes are still enthralling in their own ways but my only gripe is that some parts are kind of repeated from the previous series, so it can get pretty irritating when you see "almost the same thing" happening again. However, the outcome is different, which is good since you can still get to learn something. ^^

The stories are still as comical as before! Maybe it's just me, but I think that Trick 3 requires you to be more attentive and alert. If you're are, perhaps you can see some weird (and funny) events happening at a corner of the screen or somewhere inconspicuous enough! (SPOILERS) Look out for that THING flying across the moon!! *lol* It's my one my favorite moments during the drama; the additional details such as these do really add comic relief to an otherwise intense moment. ^_~ Also, Yamada sometimes make references to previous happenings in Trick 2, so if you've never watched the other series before, you won't be able to catch the humor there. ^^

Yabe and his wig is back again, but his previous sidekick (Ishihara) has been replaced by Kikuchi (Kyou Nobuo). I admit it does take some getting to to, especially if you're used to seeing Ishihara in the previous 2 series, but Kyou Nobuo did quite well as Kikuchi, a Tokyo University graduate with a bright future in the police force. (Plus he's one of the eye candy in the show!! XD) NOTE: Hiroki Narimiya also appeared in the last episode (another eye candy!!).

The ending was beautiful too, and it was also comical. :) Although it seems like it kind of happened "too fast", I think the ending was straight-forward and quite sweet. For someone who's not as into romance dorama, the ending was quite perfect for me; it made me laugh, but it also kind of touched me coz their love was almost too innocent! ^_~

The Trick series is overall, a wonderful dorama to watch. Do give it a try if you like detective, mysterious or comical dramas!

[SPOILERS] Trick 2 is BACK! Ueda has just become a full-fledged professor and has released another book called, "Donto Koi Chojo Gensho". ^^ Again, he is called upon by the people who've read his books to investigate "supernatural" happenings. And again, he either tricked or coerce Yamada to join him in his quests. Like my previous review & comments for Trick, this sequel also has the formula: TRICK = Thrilling + Romantic + Intriguing + Comical + Knowledgeable!

The drama is thrilling and exciting in a subtle way and you can't help keep trying to figure out the mysteries behind each episode. And of course, it's also intriguing about how some people use the paranormal and ESP as an excuse to commit crimes. For instance, one of my personal favourite was the story of the Ghost Taxi which was both scary and exhilarating. It was one of the harder plot to figure out, and the plot was mystifying with so many loopholes to figure out. And what really surprised me was that the episode's ending was kind of unexpected.

Trick is also kind of romantic, but the romance part here is rather subtle unless you pay really close attention to all those hints given throughout the drama, especially towards the end. Of course, Trick 2 is not a love or romance dorama, so you can't really expect emotional tears-jerker scenes. Rather, the "romanctic" part here is more sweet and simple, a kind of a more discreet, innocent love. ^_~ The ending of Trick 2 is beautifully sad; you'd almost believe that they'll never meet again. But while the ending is sad, it's also kind of comical. :)

Trick 2 is also as funny as Trick but many jokes are cultural based and can be confusing to most people. For instance, in the last episode about the mysterious forest, Yamada made some references to "Shiina Kippei", so unless you know who "Shiina Kippei" is (which you'd most probably know if you've saw the casts), most likely, you won't understand the joke there. Also, the funny parts in Trick 2 are more subtle than Trick, so you probably need to follow the story closely to be able to "catch" the joke (otherwise you'd probably just ended up more confused ^^;). Yabe, his wig and his sidekick are also back, but with less funnier antics than Trick 1, which is rather unfortunate coz I did enjoy watching Yabe and his sidekick in action. :)

And lastly, knowledge. You can actually learn a lot from the Trick series, depending on how you look at it. Beside learning the various "tricks" from Yamada in the drama, you can actually learn bits of knowledge while Yamada and Ueda were unraveling the conspiracies behind each seemingly "supernatural" happenings. Which is why I like watching mysteries and detective shows as I can actually gain bits of knowledges and tips from the show. ^^

Overall, Trick 2 is a very nice drama worth seeing, especially if you like mind-boggling mysteries and lots of comic relief peppered thoughout. :)

With a bit of thrilling suspense + mind-boggling mysteries + comical humor + great chemistry between the casts, this cocktail of a dorama easily got me hooked right to the end! ^^

The story kicks off with Yamada Naoko (Nakama Yukie), a poor magician, who, in an attempt to get some money to pay off her rent, goes for a interview test organised by Ueda Jiro (Abe Hiroshi), an assistant physics professor. The purpose of his test is to look for people with real supernatural powers (or ESP, or sixth sense, whatever you call it) for some seemingly supernatural investigations. Ueda, like Yamada, doesn't believe in the paranormal and ESP; instead, they believe that for every unexplained thing, there's a big conspiracy behind. Ironically, Ueda is "tricked" by Yamada the first time they met, and off they go (actually, I would say Yamada was either "forced" or "tricked" to go) to investigate and expose the various supernatural happenings as elaborated scams.

The drama is arranged such that there are different stories (episodes) in the entire drama and each story's time-frame is rather short. However, the story are somewhat connected together by Yamada's past, which involve her mother's (Nogiwa Yoko) birthplace (and past as well). The various episodes cleverly cover up Yamada's past, but still drop enough hints to the viewer. Yamada's relationship to her mother's past is somewhat revealed in the last episode, and I think the last episode is a refreshing change from the usual "Ueda get asked for help - Ueda invades Yamada's house - and Ueda tricked (or bribed) Yamada into the case" starting :)

The stories are all very well planned and can be really scary at times, and the various plots are very clever and quite engaging. :) Yukie did very well as the cute and smart-witted magician with the weird laughter, abeit a little self conscious, and Hiroshi was very funny as the faint-hearted, know-all smart alec who unfortunately, does get tricked many times. Namase Katsuhisa also played fumbling Detective Yabe really well; in fact, it's also Yabe (and his wig) and his sidekick who, apart from Ueda and Yamada, provides comic relief throughout the show!

I love the ending especially; it was really kind of unexpected and hilarious, abeit a little romantic! ^^ You'd actually wished Yamada and Ueda would get together. I do wished they showed how Yamada and Ueda got themselves out of that kind of situation though! *lol*

TRICK = Thrilling + Romantic + Intriguing + Comical + Knowledgeable! ^_~

Initially, I thought this was a show about food, which it still is, except that the underlying theme is about one's own dreams. The story kicks off with Tachibana (Suzuki Kyoka) who, due to her own pride, drove away the chefs of well-known Chinese restaurant, Heiheiro, all because she wanted the seven top chefs in Hong Kong to cook for the feast she had organized and wanted the chefs of the restaurant to be their "helpers". Unfortunately, due to a breakdown of communication and misunderstanding, she also ousted the seven top chefs she invited from the ship.

With no choice left, she had to put together a group of "amateurs" including Heiheiro's dishwasher who was left behind, Sakota (Shiina Kippei) and wanna-be chef, Nanami (Ninomiya Kazunari). From here onwards, the story progress telling us how these "chefs" overcome the odds to make dishes that won the hearts of the VIP guests. Along the way, each characters' pasts are slowly revealed and how they overcome their obstacles (ranging from friendship to love to family and even themselves). Everyone of them has a dream and we can somehow see this slowly emerging through their short stint on the ship.

The story is funny, and sometimes, inspirational and encouraging. Everyone of the cast did quite well: Kippei was hilarious as a mostly misunderstood man; Kazunari was kawaii as the wannabe; Mikihisa came across as a brute at first but still lovable in his own ways and even the "much-hated-and-annoying" Shiro did very well as a grim and proper "waiter-cum-manager" only to reveal later that he has another kind and kawaii side to him. ^_~

My only gripe about this show is that some parts are so exaggerated that it makes me cringe, and the soundtrack is pretty much similar throughout the whole show. Also, not sure if it's just me, but the cantonese they used at the start and end each episode sounds really weird. But overall, it's a really nice, light-hearted drama. The ending was funny and cute too, and like Ryaltheyre mentioned, it's a bit of a cliff hanger. But my guess is, it's up to the viewer to decide whether the end of the short stint onboard the ship is simply the end, or was it the start of new beginning. :)

I love this show! This is a light-heart comedy about 4 men and a cake shop: Tachibana (Kippei) is the owner of the shop but ironically, he doesn't likes cakes; Kanda (Hideaki) is a star champion boxer who is force to say goodbye his boxer career due to some problems; Ono (Naohito) is the master chef who doesn't likes girls; Chikage (Abe Hiroshi) is the mysterious man who is actually.....

It all begins when Tachibana bought over an Antique shop and turned it into a cake shop, and meanwhile, Ono was fired (yet again) from his job as a chef but managed to "win" Tachibana over, who finally hired Ono as a chef at his shop. At the same time, Kanda, a star boxer, was told that he couldn't box anymore due to a problem. Feeling somewhat devastated and unsure of what he should do next, he went out jogging one night and came upon Antique. Bowled over by the delicious cakes Ono made, Kanda persuaded him to take him as an apprentice, much to the chargin of Tachibana (whom Kanda called "Uncle" ^^;).

And then... the story starts. It may also seems like the story is about those yummy cakes ^^;, which in fact it do, but the main plot here is about these 4 men whose lives revolves around the cafe. There're touching and heartwarming stories about family, friends and romance, which is kind of related to the cafe (or the guys) and how the guys helped themselves and the other characters over the tide. ^^ The way the story is told is quite different from normal plots, so I think it's rather refreshing. (I love those cute words popping out! ^^). Of course, some parts can be quite slow, but I think most stories can be slow too at times, so it's kind of understandable. I guess I got a little confused in the beginning, but the story connects itself nicely in the end. ^^

And oh yeah, the ending is weird, but I think it's rather nice, down-to-earth and encouraging.:) It's really very funny and yet touching at the same time. Kippei was great (and really pitiful *lol*) as the boss and Naohito was both sexy and kawaii as the master chef, and Hideaki, well, he was yummy (esp when he was eating the cakes ^^) and Hiroshi did very well as Kippei's shadow. *lol* And OH!! I love the way Naohito always looked at Kippei with those "....." eyes and in the end, Kippei.... *lol*