Watched the first two episodes and I'm enjoying it so far. I really like the balance of show, being serious when it needs to be, but throwing in light moments that don't come across as corny. Some shows struggle maintaining that balance, but I think Change has done well so far.

This drama feels like Engine done on a bigger, higher level. Except that there were so many veteran heavyweight actors in Change who were sorely under utilised. Pity that.
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I know feel like Akira Terao is definitely the best candidate to win Best Supporting Actor. If Eita doesn't win it, I hope Terao-san will.
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Political drama is hard to entertain...but somehow this drama manage to pull it off.

Good casts.

HIGHEST RATED "GEKKU" DRAMAS (2000-2008)

1�@34.20�@01/01�@�g�d�q�n
2�@26.12�@00/10�@��܂ƂȂł��� (Yamato Nadeshiko)
3�@24.90�@04/01�@�v���C�h (Pride)
4�@22.82�@06/01�@���V�L (Saiyuki)
5�@22.42�@05/04�@�G���W�� (Engine)
6�@22.26�@02/04�@�󂩂�~��ꉭ�̐� (Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi)
7�@21.91�@07/10�@�K�����I (Galileo)
8�@21.72�@08/04�@�b�g�`�m�f�d
9�@21.54�@04/10�@���X�g�N���X�}�X (Last Christmas)
10�@21.35�@02/01�@�l�ɂ₳���� (Hito ni Yasashiku)
11�@18.91�@02/07�@�����`�̏��� (Lunch no Joou)
12�@18.79�@06/10�@�̂��߃J���^�[�r�� (Nodame Cantabile)
13�@18.78�@05/10�@�댯�ȃA�l�L (Kiken na Aniki)
14�@18.58�@08/01�@�K�N�̂Ȃ��ԉ� (Bara no nai Hanaya)
15�@18.25�@06/04�@�g�b�v�L���X�^�[ (Top Caster)


*Fuji TV Monday 9pm timeslot

--------

HIGHEST RATED FINAL EPISODES (2000-2008)

1 41.3�@00/01�@�a�����������������@�k������
2�@ 37.6�@03/01�@�f�n�n�c�@�k�t�b�j�I�I
3�@ 36.8�@01/01�@�g�d�q�n
4�@ 34.2�@00/10�@��܂ƂȂł��� (Yamato Nadeshiko)
5�@ 32.5�@05/01�@��������(2) (Gokusen 2)
6�@ 32.1�@04/01�@�������� (Shiro Kyoto)
7�@ 30.4�@07/01�@�ؗ�Ȃ�ꑰ (Karei naru Ichizoku)
8�@ 28.8�@04/01�@�v���C�h (Pride)
9�@ 28.0�@00/10�@�I���W���B(Oyaji)
10�@27.6�@07/01�@�Ԃ��j�q�Q(���^�[���Y) (Hana Yori Dango 2)
11�@27.4�@08/04�@�b�g�`�m�f�d
12�@27.1�@04/01�@�l�Ɣޏ��Ɣޏ��̐����铹 (Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi)
13�@27.0�@02/04�@�󂩂�~��ꉭ�̐� (Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi)
14�@26.0�@07/01�@�n�P���̕i�i (Haken no Hinakau)
15�@25.9�@06/10�@�c���D�R�g�[�f���Q�O�O�U (Dr. Koto Shinryojo 2006)
16�@25.5�@05/07�@�d�Ԓj (Densha Otoko)
17�@25.4�@01/07�@�~���a���Q�S��(2) (Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji 2)
18�@25.3�@05/07�@�����̋��� (Joou no Kyoushitsu)
19�@24.7�@06/01�@���V�L (Saiyuki)
20�@24.3�@05/04�@�G���W�� (Engine)
20�@24.3�@00/04�@�V�����j(2) (Shomuni 2)
22�@23.6�@08/04�@��������(3) (Gokusen 3)
23�@23.5�@02/04�@��������(1) (Gokusen)
24�@23.2�@06/07�@�}�C���{�X�@�}�C���q�[���[ (My Boss My Hero)
25�@23.0�@04/04�@�I�����W�f�C�Y (Orange Days)
26�@22.9�@04/10�@���X�g�N���X�}�X (Last Christmas)
27�@22.8�@08/04�@���X�g�E�t�����Y (Last Friends)
27�@22.8�@04/07�@�v�`�s�d�q�@�a�n�x�r�Q
29�@22.5�@02/01�@�l�ɂ₳���� (Hito ni Yasashiku)
30�@22.4�@05/10�@�Ԃ��j�q(Hana Yori Dango)
30�@22.4�@06/10�@�P�S�˂̕� (14 Sai no Haha)

---------

DRAMAS WITH AVERAGE RATINGS OF 20% AND UP (2000-2008)

1�@ 34.20�@01/01�@�g�d�q�n
2�@ 31.86�@00/01�@�a�����������������@�k������
3�@ 30.41�@03/01�@�f�n�n�c�@�k�t�b�j�I�I
4�@ 27.83�@05/01�@��������(2) (Gokusen 2)
5�@ 26.12�@00/10�@��܂ƂȂł��� (Yamato Nadeshiko)
6�@ 24.90�@04/01�@�v���C�h (Pride)
7�@ 24.18�@00/10�@�I���W���B(Oyaji)
8�@ 23.87�@07/01�@�ؗ�Ȃ�ꑰ (Karei naru Ichizoku)
9�@ 23.71�@03/10�@��������(�Q�N�[��) (Shiroi Kyoto 2nd chapter)
10�@22.82�@06/01�@���V�L (Saiyuki)
11�@22.59�@08/04�@��������(3) (Gokusen 3)
12�@22.42�@05/04�@�G���W�� (Engine)
13�@22.26�@02/04�@�󂩂�~��ꉭ�̐� (Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi)
14�@22.13�@06/10�@�c���D�R�g�[�f���Q�O�O�U(Dr. Koto Shinryojo 2006)
15�@21.91�@07/10�@�K�����I(Galileo)
16�@21.72�@08/04�@�b�g�`�m�f�d
17�@21.69�@07/01�@�Ԃ��j�q�Q(���^�[���Y) (Hana Yori Dango 2)
18�@21.54�@04/10�@���X�g�N���X�}�X (Last Christmas)
19�@21.35�@02/01�@�l�ɂ₳����(Hito ni Yasashiku)
20�@21.04�@05/07�@�d�Ԓj (Densha Otoko)
21�@20.82�@01/04�@�k�n�u�d�@�r�s�n�q�x
22�@20.68�@04/01�@�l�Ɣޏ��Ɣޏ��̐����铹 (Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi)
23�@20.29�@00/04�@�V�����j(2) (Shomuni 2)
24�@20.20�@01/07�@�~���a���Q�S��(2) (Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji 2)
25�@20.16�@01/01�@�����e (Shiroi Kyoto)
26�@20.10�@07/01�@�n�P���̕i�i (Haken no Hinkaku)

----------

Drama Grand Prix: "CHANGE" and "Last Friends" win for Fuji TV
Thu, July 17, 2008 (1:42am EDT)


Nikkan Sports has completed its Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix for the spring season, which counts as the first quarter of the 2008 awards. A total of 8,350 votes were gathered during the first ten days of July.

Fuji TV's Monday night series "CHANGE" took two awards. It edged out "Last Friends" by 129 votes to be named Best Drama, and Takuya Kimura overwhelmed "ROOKIES" star Ryuta Sato by a margin of almost 2,200 votes in the race for Best Actor.

Yuki Amami was voted Best Actress for her role in "Around 40." The next closest choices were Aoi Miyazaki and Yukie Nakama.

"Last Friends" picked up the remaining two categories, Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Ryo Nishikido only collected 1,100 votes, but it was enough to defeat Hiroshi Abe and the rest. Juri Ueno, considered only a supporting cast member to Masami Nagasawa, pulled in more than 2,500 votes, with Eri Fukatsu slightly less than 400 votes away.

source: tokyograph

Uh, are you going to post this in every thread?

It was already posted in the Awards thread last week.

mac_meister wrote:

Ryo Nishikido only collected 1,100 votes, but it was enough to defeat Hiroshi Abe

That's downright criminal

I finished to watch "Change". I have to say that I love this dorama. At first I was not so enthusiastic, because I'm not interested in politic at all... But anyway I started to watch it, because I really liked the cast - Kimura, Abe, Fukatsu. And I never was disapointed by "Change"!

The story was smart and witty, with a lot of funny moments and dramatic scenes in a good mix. Acting was simply brilliant! Now I respect Kimura-san even more than before. He's such a talented and versatile actor. Eri Fikatsu also was great and Abe added a lot of fun in the show. I also liked Akira Terao's acting very much - his Kanbayashi sensei was and excelent villain!

Just finished the sixth episode earlier today and it was nice to see the show get back on track after the fifth episode that was just a little too much on the comical side. After doing such a good job of balancing the seriousness with some funny moments, I thought the fifth episode was going a bit overboard trying to be funny. The sixth episode righted the ship and it looks like things are heating up for the Prime Minister.

There's enough political intrigue to keep me hooked, but I think it's more the Prime Minister and his interaction with his aides, fellow politicians and the citizens. I find it be more of a human drama, more so than a political one, as the Prime Minister has been inspring people not through his policies but through his beliefs and how he handles his work. Still I like the power play going on behind the scenes, and I'm eager to see how the Prime Minister handles the situation.

Lastly, I enjoy the interactions between the Prime Minister and his aides at his place. Fukatsu's character is usually trying to be serious while Abe and Kato completely ignore her and run with whatever conversation they're having. Meanwhile, Kimura just sits there trying to sort it all out. Again, it's enjoyable and it helps the show keep a nice balance going.

Just finished the last episode of Change and I really enjoyed that and the drama overall. Good acting, a nice mix of serious and funny moments, and a nice feel-good story, even if it's seems more of a dream than something that could actually happen in the world of politics.

Speaking of politics, if I were just to focus on that, then this drama would have been horrible. While I haven't the slightest clue about Japanese politics, I seriously doubt that some of the events that occurred in the drama could actually unfold in real life. The meeting between the Prime Minister and the U.S. Trade representative was a disaster. I have a hard time believing that something like that would actually go down. While it's nice that the Prime Minister cares so much for his country and his people, but even without sleep I doubt he had the time to read through the proposals. The politics in this drama was really a stretch, oversimplified and exaggerated, even though I like the power play by Kanbayashi-sensei throughout the drama.

Thankfully, for my sake, the tone was set early in the first episode, that the drama wasn't going to be as serious about politics as I might have thought. When the music changes from a serious mood to a playful one as the Prime Minister steps out of the helicopter, that's pretty much a sign that things aren't going to be so serious. If that didn't ice the cake, the interaction between the characters of Kimura, Abe, and Kato certainly did the job. From there, the introduction of Kimura's character and how he presented himself as a candidate gave the impression that this was going to be more of an ideal, a dream politician. I think the honesty he has amounts to political suicide in actual politics, but in the world of Change honesty actually is the best policy. How he treated others, what he believed in. Those I think were more important and politics was merely a springboard. More of a human drama than a political one. If I had treated it as just a political drama, I would've thought this drama to be horrible and probably would've quit after the fifth episode, which went a little overboard with the comedy and the negotiation mentioned before.

The speech at the end of the final episode was nice, but the message he delivered about the importance of voting seems more ideal, which is in line with his character. I don't think it's great by any means, other than the fact that apparently it only took Kimura one take to do it. That is impressive, but in the context of the drama, not so great. Again, while it's in line with the drama and his character, it's just too ideal for a cynic like me. However I really liked the twist the Prime Minister threw out as a solution to the problem. That was awesome.

Quote:

The meeting between the Prime Minister and the U.S. Trade representative was a disaster.

From my poin of view, the 5th episode was hilarious! I laughed non-stop. This is obviously the funniest episode in the series and I liked it greatly. But I understand that American viewers could have problems with the 5th episode. It's satire on the US style of making politics with othe other countries was so funny and true, but at the same time it was quite acid and bititng.

oorono wrote:

Quote: The meeting between the Prime Minister and the U.S. Trade representative was a disaster. From my poin of view, the 5th episode was hilarious! I laughed non-stop. This is obviously the funniest episode in the series and I liked it greatly. But I understand that American viewers could have problems with the 5th episode. It's satire on the US style of making politics with othe other countries was so funny and true, but at the same time it was quite acid and bititng.

I can agree with your points, but it looks like the attempt at humor was just lost on me

I love how they make fun of their own English in this drama. Like when Hikari-chan serves bad tea, and when she doesn't know how to explain she laughs nervously and just says Goodbye! Or how the "bodyguard" screams My daughters. There are lots of other examples as well.. It's so funny
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adylma wrote:

I love how they make fun of their own English in this drama. (...) It's so funny

Right you are! In the 5th ep. they (Japanese, I mean), were brave to make fun of themselves, too. Not only of their problems with English language, but also of their relations with USA in politics. My respect to "Change" spriptwriter. He has very sharp sence of humour. I laughed a lot watching this dorama. In fact in "Change" there are a lot of irony and satiric elements on modern Jananese politic life almost in every episode.

IMHO, from the beginning that was not a serious, realistic story, but it was in different genre - of satiric and moralistic...how to saw it...modern "fable" (?) The story had no intention to be "believable", "like a real life we know" type (while I've read that they put into script some stories from real practice of Japan prime-minister Junichiro Koizumi). But, IMHO, they used this funny, almost essentric form to make ppl in Japan, (where the repute of politicians and political activity now is so very low after many scandals). to listen to the message which was in Asakura's TV speech - if you will not do it yourself, nothing will change.

oorono wrote:

Right you are! In the 5th ep. they (Japanese, I mean), were brave to make fun of themselves, too. Not only of their problems with English language, but also of their relations with USA in politics. My respect to "Change" spriptwriter. He has very sharp sence of humour.

Yes I must agree, the author(s) do have a very good sense of humour and irony. Very good indeed.
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adylma wrote:

the author(s) do have a very good sense of humour and irony.

If i'm not mistaken, screenwriter in "Change" is Fukuda Yasushi, who wrote "Hero".

oorono wrote:

If i'm not mistaken, screenwriter in "Change" is Fukuda Yasushi, who wrote "Hero".

Soudesuka? Actually, I haven't watched Hero yet. Is it any good?
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adylma wrote:

Soudesuka? Actually, I haven't watched Hero yet. Is it any good?

Yes, it is very good.
"Hero" series of 2001 are also witty and quite funny, with the same type of sarcastic humour. In Japan "Hero" series were the most popular Takuya Kimura's dorama so far, with highest rating. He's starring there with Takako Matsu, Hiroshi Abe and a lot of other very good actors.

adylma wrote:

Or how the "bodyguard" screams My daughters. There are lots of other examples as well.. It's so funny

Ome of my favourites as well! And there's also this exchange between Miyama and Hikaru when the PM went missing, as Miyama asked Hikaru if he had looked everywhere, and Hikaru simply says, "I even looked in the drawers!"

I also love how each and everyone person who have come into contact with Asakura Keita directly is affected by him. First, Miyama of course, then the skeptical bodyguard (because Asakura was younger than him) who later forged a bond with Asakura, and also Nirasawa, the PM's doctor, the parliamentarians, the bureaucrats, and even the secretary to Kanbayashi.
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Kanjani8's 18th single, "365 Nichi Kazoku" out June 8th, 2011!

colorbar credits to

WD wrote:

Ome of my favourites as well! And there's also this exchange between Miyama and Hikaru when the PM went missing, as Miyama asked Hikaru if he had looked everywhere, and Hikaru simply says, "I even looked in the drawers!"

Hahaha yes yes!!

WD wrote:

I also love how each and everyone person who have come into contact with Asakura Keita directly is affected by him. First, Miyama of course, then the skeptical bodyguard (because Asakura was younger than him) who later forged a bond with Asakura, and also Nirasawa, the PM's doctor, the parliamentarians, the bureaucrats, and even the secretary to Kanbayashi.

Yea that was good.. but to be honest, I found the drama a bit cheezy at times...
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