summershine

I think the first thing I noticed about this drama was the music. The music is abosolutely breathtaking. Set against the snowy slopes of Hokkaidou, this drama uses Japan's beautiful scenery to the largest extent it can. It provides a beautiful, serenity-filled ambiance. It also, however, sets a rather slow pace - a slow pace that scares off fans who want drama, action, romance, and thrills, and aren't willing to wait patiently for a gentle drama to unfold.

Terao Akira is magnificant in his portrayal as a father embittered by the loss of his wife, and unable to face the son he loves dearly because of the role his son had in his wife's death - a reckless driving accident.

And Ninomiya Kazunari is nothing short of astounding in his role as the tentative son, hoping for the love that he is too scared to seek from his father. Ninomiya learns to deal with his rebellious past and the consequences of his actions, while Terao learns to deal with the loss of his wife.

And over time, the two must come together to reunite - in one of the most touching scenes Japanese drama has seen.

I found this drama captivating, and was glad at the change in genre - for something like Hana Yori Dango, I find it impossible to pace myself, buy would rather watch every episode back to back. But for Yasashii Jikan, I found myself watching an episode a day, and mulling it over before I went to bed every night. It was truly a magnificent drama, and I do pity those who can't finish it because it is too "slow". That is the nature of it, and for those who cannot handle slow, I suggest you seek a faster-paced drama. For those in need of a gentle, dynamically-performed drama, I recommend you take a look at Yasashii Jikan.

10/10

Wow - what a carbon copy of Gokusen 1. Yikes.

For starters, Gokusen 1 was... well, most of it was very good. The only thing that bugged me was the outrageously fake fighting scenes, and the fact that the actress and actor playing Yankumi and Sawada Shin are obviously not very athletic (that doesn't mean that they are not in shape). While I could have put this aside, the fact was, the outrageously fake fighting scenes were in every episode, and I always had to watch a very unathletic Yankumi battle her way through twenty or so guys for harming her dear students.

Oh - and the, "Who am I? I am their homeroom teacher," line was pretty cool the first time, and then it got really annoying as she used that as her "entrance speech" before she beat up each different group of kids/adults.

But anyway, I'm getting off topic. As much as it may seem I don't like Gokusen 1, I really, really, did - I managed to put up with the afore mentioned simply because the acting was semi-decent, it was lighthearted, and the concept itself was new - a Yakuza teacher taking control of her gangster-like students is definetly not a cliche in my book.

But ONCE is enough. Honestly, Gokusen 2 was EXACTLY the same. The only reason I could see for people to watch it was because Kame and Jin were in it. And honestly, Kame and Jin can't replace the image Matsumoto-san put for us of Sawada Shin. And I would say the same if Kame and Jin starred in the first one - Matsumoto-san wouldn't be able to replace them. Once you have a 3-D leader, that's the 3-D leader you stay with - Kame and Jin simply couldn't beat Matsumoto-san. It would have been better if they had been put into a different drama, so that their talents could have been better showcased.

And poor Nakama Yukie - I really pity her. I would hate to have done that all over again. I must say, Gokusen 2 was simply Gokusen 1 with different actors - and I must say, the actors from Gokusen 1 were much better. Having the same thing happen for every episode amazingly worked in Gokusen 1, due to the new idea of the drama and the good acting jobs that pulled the show along, but it simply can't be done AGAIN for a second season. 1/10

Okay, let's just get this out of the way - yes, I watched this because Ninomiya Kazunari and Oguri Shun were in it. Don't kill me, but I had no idea who YamaPi was at the time. Still don't like him that much. Anyway - ahem.
This drama - wow, what a letdown. Although I ususally stay away from these type of dramas, I thought I'd bear through it because of Oguri-san and Ninomiya-san. What a mistake! The story follows four boys, the last virgins in their schools, attempting to lose their virginity before high school is over. The first six episodes, while not horrible, are just moreover boring, and contain a little too much of hormone-driven boys. While I thought that there would be a turnaround starting in Episode 7, it led to a MAJOR disappointment in the last episode. I won't say what happenes, but the lesson I thought the boys learned at the end of the final episode was clearly NOT learned, as shown in the very, very end. Let's note the boys worshipping the condoms at the very end.
Anywho, even though the acting was substantial, if not exceptional at some parts, the plot was GREATLY lacking, and... well... horrible. And it really did ruin the entire show for me. 3/10