en6117

I'm surprised that some people are bashing it because it doesn't follow the novel completely...I think they've done a great job in re-adapting the entire story and putting humanity back into all the characters. And the SMAP dude was amazing as Goku.

Better performance from supporting actors would have made the drama better...some of them are just too old to play high school students (ichinose...how made make-up did that guy put on?). And the coaches are extremely annoying. However the series quite well paced and generally well-shot.

I quite enjoyed the series. While the plot is slightly thin, good overall performances by all the actors (even the minor characters) result in a very pleasing, relaxing drama. Takenouchi's understated performance is also a nice touch.

I am biased towards family dramas, so I fully loved this series. The characterisation of each member of the 'new family' was extremely well done. Doumoto's performance was quite subtle and he was able to let the viewers emphasise with his character quite well. And Inoue Mao was very catching in this series!