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Here's a drama that understands the importance of well developed characters, Gonzo unfolds at a good pace dedicating just enough time to back story to make things a lot more interesting. I think there are alot of things jdrama screenwriters can learn from this show, you don't need to be to flashy to make a drama intense, while Gonzo gets off to a bit of a slow start the pressure builds and doesn't let down, its a slow burner with some very good payoffs in the later episodes.

This is the best drama I've seen in awhile, hopefully we'll see more shows like this in the future.

Although this drama has some pretty big names, this is one of the few dramas where I felt like the director is the real star of the show(IWGP is the only one I can think of that betters this one). It's all very pleasing to the eyes and ears(great orchestral pieces, even got the one from 2001: A Space Odyssey!). The problem is that although having a unique style is refreshing, the drama lacks a good storyline. Actually it gets down right ridiculous at the end and the "cool" factor is ruined by moments where you literally go "wtf?"

As for the acting Okada does a good job, I'm surprised he pulled off the action scenes so well. Tsutsumi is always good but his character in this drama is pretty stock, theres no depth to him, and most of the other side characters, which makes the "twists" not so gripping. I guess that's the biggest issue with this drama in the end, it chooses style over substance, making the drama as a whole pretty forgettable.

Okay, I'll admit that I thought this show was going to be terrible, two of the most wooden actresses in Japan starring in a drama that has one of the stupidest synopsis's I've seen. This prevented me from watching the drama until it was subtitled to the 6th episode. Due to me being bored out of my mind one day I decided to give it a chance and see how truly bad it is.

Turns out it isn't bad, it's hilarious in fact with some great direction and clever writing. Fukada Kyoko reaffirms that there is no reason she should be acting in dramas but what's awesome is that Ito Misaki really has a coming out as a great comedic actress in this drama as the Kabe Onna, the drama completely revolves around her and that is a good thing. I think this is the first character she has played with some depth to it and she does well, hope she can breakout of her type casted 2D characters after this show.

Yeah the drama is advertised as just a bunch of boob jokes but most of the jokes are actually creatively done and consistently funny and when it gets dramatic it works because it focuses on the insecurities of Ito's character in general which allows the viewer to relate some what(I actually think girls will enjoy this one more than the guys due to this factor even though most people seem to think it's a "guys drama" for obvious reasons).

This review is based off of the first 7 episodes, I doubt my score/review will change unless something crazy happens like Ito's character being hit by a train thus allowing Fukada Kyoko's character to take the spotlight.

I watched this drama more than 10 years after the original release date and I can't help but think that people will still be praising this drama 20 years from now. What a great blend of comedy and drama this show has, clever humor one minute and then intense action the next! This has also got to be both Oda Yuji and Fukatsu Eri's best performance ever, they really brought the drama to life.

This drama has something for literally everyone in it and it hasn't aged one bit (well maybe the dial-up internet needs to go...). This is not only one of the best police dramas I've watched, it's one of the best dramas I've seen period. Although Odoru Daisousassen doesn't rank in my top 10 dramas I decided to give it a vote as this show managed to be smarter and more relevant than dramas that are coming out 10 years later.

This drama would be best described Boku no Aruku Michi meets Beautiful Life and Yasashii Jikan. A teacher helps an autistic woman learn how to live in the real world while the woman helps the teacher learn how to love again. There are so many heart warming moments in this drama and the great thing about it is that they all feel genuine! All those cliches you would expect from a story like this are absent. Tomosaka Rie's character is seriously like an angel come down to earth. There is something so pure and innocent about her, it will melt even the most cynical man's heart.

Other than the main love story, the relationships between the family are also very well done. This drama includes one of the most realistic father characters I've seen in a drama, he is over protective but not ridiculously so. Tomosaka's brother (played by Fujiwara Tatsuya, this seems to be the last project he did before exploding into super stardom with Battle Royale) is also well portrayed, the whole family has there own little character flaws which makes the drama feel alot more realistic.

The major criticisms I have with the drama are with the rest of the supporting characters, especially the one diet member who is literally evil without explanation for 9 episodes. When we finally get the explanation for his motives it just came off as a little too ridiculous.

To be honest I'm not even a fan of this drama genre and I still ended up really liking it. I recommend this to anyone looking for a very different kind of love story.

Shiroi Kyoto could have been split into two seasons, the first "season" of this drama would probably rank in my top 5 dramas while the second alone would have gotten a 9/10 rating from me. The first half of this show is a complex character drama with Zaizen Goro's struggle for power and recognition. The second half is a somewhat typical but still highly engrossing plot driven drama where a lot of the supporting cast become major players.

This drama could have failed in so many places but the execution was just impeccable, from the artistic direction, the brilliant classical pieces, to some very memorable performances, it's really hard for me to find anything to complain about. Karasawa Toshiaki has an amazing amount of charisma throughout the drama, there were times I wished I could be there to some how help him in his desperate struggle for success. The rest of the star-studded cast delivers as well, I canft think of any poor casting choices.

Shiroi Kyoto is also not your typical "epic" drama, the show does end up taking quite a few risks, the memorable ones for me include the trip to Auschwitz and the critical commentary on smoking near the end (especially in a place like Japan where smoking is still the norm, I was very impressed). This is one of those dramas that just put everything else to shame, highly recommended.

I never thought I would be calling a high school drama "underrated" but Medaka is without a doubt the best school related drama I've seen(yes that includes GTO, Gokusen, Queen Of The Classroom etc.).

The reason this one is so good is because of the students, the problems they face are easy to relate to and don't come off as petty and selfish like all those other school dramas that seem to be so popular. The story is made better by a really great cast of "nobodies" with Mimura at the center. I haven't been impressed with Mimura untill this drama. She IS Medaka, I can't think of any actress who could fit the character better

Yes it's a little cheesy at times but for the most part the drama just oozes genuineness and it's nice to see a drama where it feels like everyone involved is really proud of what they are doing. I could go on and on about how special this drama is(the romance, the comedy, the music, everything) but I'll just end this by saying that you are truly missing out if you don't watch Medaka, a hidden gem in what really was a great year for dramas.

Sexy Voice and Robo seems to have been overshadowed by some of the bigger name idol dramas happening in the spring 2007 season in both japan and the online drama community and that's a shame because it's actually pretty entertaining.

The drama relies heavily on "weird" humor so if that's not your thing you probably will end up hating this drama(see review above). I personally was looking forward to every episode, partly because of the quirky story but mostly because Suzuka Ohgo is one charimsatic 13 year old. People like to praise Shida Mirai in the child actress department but if Suzuka continues to put out performances like she did in this drama I'm guessing that she will end up being the more successful of the two later on. Matsuyama holds his own as the big otaku and has pretty good chemistry with Suzuka.

Each episode ends with a voice over monologue by Suzuka and this is usually my favorite part of the show as it never failed to leave me with chills as the last line is delivered right after the music cuts off, in a sea of dramas that use the same repetitive format for story telling it's really refreshing to see a drama that breaks the mold in that aspect. Even how the drama finale ends is pretty different and is more in synch with how life usually goes for most of us (although it did leave me a little unsatisfied).

There is nothing ground breaking about this but it really is a fun little time waster that I didn't want to see end. If nothing else watch it for Suzuka Ohgo's fashion, I swear that the world would be a better place if all girls dressed like that!

After Pride and Engine I was starting to wonder if Kimura was just going to end up doing roles that would just keep his popularity at a peak, playing the cool guy cliche. Karei naru Ichizoku definitely surprised me, being Kimura's best drama since Good Luck!! and easily his best performance since One Million Stars Falling From The Sky.

Karei is a mature drama, both character and dialogue heavy. Great direction and music, the only problems end up being with some of the story and characters. Although it is an intelligent drama in the business parts, the romantic relationships are very soapish and border on ridiculous at times. It is also some times predictable; Kimuras character seemingly doing no wrong through a lot of the show.

Still for the most part it works and is pretty powerful throughout. The ending episode is definitely the high point and takes the drama from being cheesy to meaningful. If you're looking for another Pride this isn't it but if you're interested in a substantial drama that succeeds in doing something different, I suggest you check this out.

Suna No Utsuwa is a show that has alot in common with One Million Stars Falling From The Sky. Both have protagonists who are burdened by fate and both these protagonists are being tracked down by a relentless detective. The difference between the shows lies in the execution. While One Million uses fast music and cliff hangers, Suna takes its time, building all of it's characters through the use of expressions, not words.

Suna No Utsuwa is the first drama I've seen that truly understands more can be said with a set piece of music and a look than any amount of dialogue. The use of opera and orchestral music along with sweeping shots of both urban and rural Japan is breath taking and can't be done justice in this review, it just has to be seen to be appreciated. The "Shukumei" piece is like nothing else I've ever heard, how it progresses along with Waga's character throughout the show is brilliant and makes it all the more moving.

The cast is perfect. Matsuyuki gives me hope for jdrama actresses, it's good to see that their is someone else out there other than Shibasaki Kou that can do these dark roles well. Watanabe Ken is great as the detective who wants the case to be solved but at the same time is conflicted by how tragic the whole situation really is as he slowly pieces together Waga's life. I don't really know how to describe Nakai's performance, I've never been able to so easily sympathize with any character in any drama period. This is a truly tragic character that is made all the more sadder by Nakai's expressions and mannerisms. Harada Yoshio also deserves recognition, the last two episodes of the show were held together by him.

This show does have a few holes in it, the major ones lying in the logic behind some of moves Waga makes when trying to elude the detectives. These are minor complaints though as most jdramas are usually riddled with coincidences and are pretty much a standard affair to keep a drama moving.

I've heard people call this slow but it has been a more intense experience than almost all the shows I've seen. Maybe it's because we are so used to having cliches shoved down our throats that when something like this comes along, people have a hard time adjusting. Regardless of its pace, I can't recommend this show enough and now that it has been subtitled(thanks to gromitt) there is no reason you shouldn't at least try it. I personally believe this is a must watch if you consider yourself a jdrama fan.

P.S. I felt some what unfulfilled with the ending but I decided to sleep on it before writing this review. When I woke up the next morning I understood and appreciated what they were trying to do. This drama is about real life and that's what it delivers.

Such a shame, this show had alot of potential as the movie it is based on is one of the best romantic films I have ever seen. There were two major problems with this show: writing and chemistry.

The show added a few more characters to create some side stories but these side stories really led nowhere. It was obvious that they were just trying to eat up time half way in so that the show would last a full 11 episodes.

The reason the movie was so special for me is the chemistry between the main leads and the drama just doesn't have it. Narimiya Hiroki is a talented guy but whenever he is in the same shot with Mimura they both seem to fall flat and I ended up finishing the show for the sake of finishing to see if there was any difference between the movie and dramas ending.

A bright spot in the show though is with the two younger actors who play the high school version of the couple. These two did a pretty good job and the flashbacks ended up being my favorite part of the entire series.

Overall though this was a waste of a great concept, disappointing.

Kudo Kankuro written dramas have always been fun to watch but I have also always felt that they lacked some focus. This being due to him making his stories creative above anything else. IWGP has been the first exception from this where you feel like the story is kind of all over the place and then the last couple episodes bring everything together BEAUTIFULLY, really it was incredible to see it all come together.

The drama was original from the direction to the music to the casting(amazed Sakaguchi Kenji could pull his role off, didn't know he had that in him). Although it stars a couple very popular Johnny's members, don't let that turn you off(or on if you are a fangirl) as this is totally a drama catered to guys with some brutal violence and crude humor(nothing beats seeing Koyuki participate in the sick fantasies of a gang leader).

This is the kind of show you need to watch once in awhile to realize why you started watching dramas in the first place, fantastic.

This show started off strongly with the relationships between the main characters filled with tension. The story undergoes a major shift around episode 7 and I really felt after this point that the characters seem to lose touch with reality. The relationship between the daughter and the main character especially seemed forced and the ending seemed like it was sloppily put together just to get that last symbol of the caged bird to work.

I really wanted to enjoy Aoi Tori as it seemed like my kind of drama being slow moving and with an emphasis on characters but it really falls flat half way through. The dramas story and characters alone really deserves a 6 but the the production and scenery in this series is gorgeous(almost worth watching for this alone). How the show is shot bumped it up a point for me.

Aoi Tori is not bad by any means but if your expecting something special I'd say look else where.

This is a show that is comprised of 3/4's comedy and 1/4 drama. I won't really go into the comedy aspect of it as most people have already talked about how hilarious it is every single episode. Think of all the crazy physical comedy going on in a manga or anime brought to life and that's pretty much what Nodame Cantabile is in a nutshell.

As for the drama aspect I think this is where the show really sets itself apart as something special. It goes into a subject that I don't think we see enough in dramas which is with the character becoming part of something bigger than himself and undergoing a major shift in personality due to the effect of those around him, specifically by his love interest (or better described as his punching bag that goes gyabo! when you hit it) who is a polar opposite of himself. This show reminds me of Densha Otoko (made by the same director) in that yes it is a love story but more than that it's about becoming a better person because of the interactions with people we take for granted.

It is also reminiscent of Densha because of its great ensemble cast. There is of course the two leads who both seem like they were destined to play there respective characters, but the other orchestra members also give great performances that are so memorable. Special nods go to Eita(Mine) and Koide Keisuke(Masumi) who do so much with the little lines they are given. Also Kimura Ryou coming in in the last few eps as Kiyora(musically) and Masumi's(err.. romantically?) rival was a great decision, that guy is a comedy ace and brought in some fresh comedy when the series needed it. Most importantly though is Takenaka's portrayal of Stresman, he deserves some kind of award for stealing every scene he is in.

Nodame is really well done with the best musical arrangement I have ever heard in any drama and it is a shame that it isn't more popular than it is. I'm guessing that once it becomes more accessible this show is going to be recognized as one of the best, if not the best of 2006.