Beach boys [ビーチボーイズ] Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched) | Beautiful life [ビューティフルライフ] Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) Other than Long Vacation, this is probably the other Takuya drama that I really like so far. And Takako Tokiwa was surprisingly natural in this. And probably the only drama involving a terminally sick lead that doesn't put me off! | Bokura no yuuki ~miman toushi~ [ぼくらの勇氣 ~未滿都市~]
watching... kinki kids put on a good effort, matsujun is pretty convincing even at this age, aiba didn't seem to stand out so much due to his weak link in the plot... |
Dekichatta Kekkon [できちゃった結婚] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) | Garasu no kamen 1 [ガラスの仮面] Rating: 3/10 (Watched) I have been addicted to the manga since I was a little girl and of course, very excited to see the drama. But after watching 1 episode of this I realize that not all manga should be adapted to the screen. The imagination and fantasy of the manga is gone somehow... The female lead is really trying very hard but it's weird when I know that it's an 'actress' acting like a 'great actress'. And I don't think the male lead is macho/kakkoi enough to fit the character... somehow I was expecting an equivalent of a 'rich and powerful Richard Gere' kind of guy. :( | Gokusen [ごくせん] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) This probably reached the limit of slapstick, stereotype, corniness, silliness before it gets too overboard for me! And because of this balance, it's unique in it's own way.
Firstly, kudos to the director and editing guys to get the pacing crisp and sharp.
Next are the 2 leads, Yankumi and Shin, of course, for bringing the manga characters to life. gosh, i thought they walked out of the anime! if nakie hadn't been as over-the-top as she acted or if jun hadn't been as contradicting, dead cool as he perf, the drama would have gone straight to being another silly, forgetable, low budget, high school story.
to me, the script plays the least important role in this drama. i believe you can replace any of the episode storyline with any other stereotype student problem script and it will still be a hit.
i mean the formula is set already: superhero teacher + super kakkoi problem kid + villain who interferes at all the right time + feel good storyline = predictable success |
Gokusen Season 2 [ごくせん2] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) Not anywhere as good as Part I. Disappointing. Looks like a bunch of transvestites taking over a juvenile prison. And the fighting was even more fake than part I.
And did Yankumi have a memory lapse? What happened to her crush on that police officer? And the high school teacher is sooo unattractive... The jokes are even wackier this time - to the point where I didn't find it funny sometimes.
I think this is really for people who've not watched part I and Kat tun fans. I have the same feeling about this as watching Mukodono 2003. | Good Luck !! [グッドラック!!] Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched) not bad. | Hana Yori Dango [花より男子] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) gosh... i've never 'chased' a drama by the ep like i chase this one... O.o... and all for this scrawny, little babe, Jun...
story-wise... predictable, if it gets any longer, it will be like a kdrama... lol!!! but the paradox is, if it gets any shorter, i'll have less of jun to watch... duh...
amazing acting from the 3 leads, just like most high quality jdrama...
beats mg with a fart... pfffff haha!!! |
Hanayome wa 16-sai! [花嫁は16才!] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) | Hero Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched) | Kimi wa Petto [きみはペット] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) nothing on the production part of this low budget drama is outstanding. the art direction is awful, the editing is flat, the background music sounds canned and the styling is ordinary.
but somehow, it's one of the most memorable drama i've ever seen.
i've never seen anyone on this planet act a human dog as successfully as jun. the fact that he blatantly takes on this embarrassing role without holding back is what makes the drama (and him) impactful and memorable. the acting alone is reason enough for me to vote for this drama.
storyline is stereotype but yet not stereotype. the idea seems shallow but yet not so shallow if you read into the psychology of it...
out take: excellent! |
Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo Season 3 [金田一少年の事件簿 3] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Still prefer the manga though. Didn't watch 1&2, but Jun is kawaii as Kindaichi. Better than I thought. | Kisarazu Cat's Eye [木更津キャッツアイ] Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) so funny!!
i think this is the best performance by okada and sho ever!
the pacing is great and the editing is great.
but coz of the style of the edit, i tend to get pretty confused at times... still thumbs up!!
didn't give it a perfect score coz of the odd ending. it's still great, but i would have preferred if it didn't drag on for the last 15min ^^...
and i gotta comment that okada looks really OLD in this drama (too much smoking? staying up at night? clubbing? drugs? girls?^^)... and Bambi is chooooooo kawaii ne!! wanna kiss bambi! | Laundry Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) I'm not so sure if the retard is lucky to have met the shoplifter or vice versa. But it's really interesting how both balances each other out in their weaknesses. Such a sweet story. I've always thought Kubozuka will never let me down :). |
Long Love Letter [ロング・ラブレター〜漂流教室] Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) I find this really touching and mind provoking. The build up in the bonding of all the cast away characters is really powerful. In the end, I was keeping my fingers crossed for all the stranded characters. But of course, I believe that the whole dissapearing school story was just a hypothesis and a visual concept on what could happen if we continue to destroy the environment. | Long vacation [ロングバケーション] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) Will always be one of my favourite. | Love generation [ラブジェネレーション] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) i prefer long vacation |
Love letter Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) It brings out all the endearing memories of innocent childhood romances and the time when I was living with my grandfather, who is no longer with us anymore. Excellent. | Majo no jouken [魔女の条件] Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) Love the theme song. love the lead actress. love the story. simple but sweet.
didn't give it a perfect score coz takki's acting sucked in this.
i keep feeling like he just woke up from bed and stumbled into the set... or that he's churning all his lines in his head most of the time... or maybe even forgot some lines... or waiting for the director to give him the sign when he should start to speak... duh.. | Mukodono 2003 [ムコ殿2003] Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched) The begining was really interesting. The contrast between the superstar self and the boy next door self was pretty original. But when it starts to fall into a pattern of 'Hero saves family one member per episode', I start to get bored... zzz...
The lead guy is gorgeous though. So that's the only reason I watched it till the end... :)
I heard part I is better... dunno if I should watch it...? |
Narita Rikon [成田離婚] Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched) Funny! I remember the lead guy washing his wife's underwear... was hilarious! | Nemureru mori [眠れる森] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) | News no onna [ニュースの女] Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched) |
Orange Days [オレンジデイズ] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) I've never really like stereotypes, but this one just blows me away! Of course it's the leads that make this story endearing. The screenplay is great and never once was there a dull moment. And it has one of the best ending ever! Satoshi and Kou make a compelling couple. They sort of balance each other out super well. They definitely have my vote for their talent in this. | Over Time [オーバー・タイム] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) | Pride [プライド] Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched) Starts well till female lead's 'boyfriend' comes home. Gets ridiculously unwatchable after that. |
Psycho Doctor [サイコドクター] Rating: 4/10 (Watched) Only managed to watch 3 or 4 episodes. Too weird for me... | Renai Hensachi [恋愛偏差値] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) Love the scripts. So insightful in a way. First and third story the best. | Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi [空から降る一億の星] Rating: 3/10 (Bought & Watched) gosh! what's wrong with me?!
i can't seem to 'feel like' watching this after the 3rd episode and it's a kimutaku drama!
don't know why but can't seem to focus on this story at all... hello hello... must be pretty bad huh??
i asked around and my friends also say they can't get past the 2nd ep!!! duh... what a weird case... |
Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni... [それは、突然、嵐のように…] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) Really it's much ado about absolutely nothing!
I wouldn't have given it such a high score if it weren't for the lead actress, who i like. the lead guy is cute too, but he doesn't seem to put enough effort into his act... and the script is so weak, and i personally hate stories where you are forced to pity the terminally sick/genetically ill/suddenly cancerous lead! | Stand UP!! Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched) Quite sweet and cute. A bit draggy and stereotype near the end though.
I must say, quite an eye-candy cast, except Nino... BUT, he's the most memorable of them all! I think he put in the best and most natural effort of the 4 guys. Nino is a very good actor. Period. I like Yamapi as an 'idol' (and such a cute looker), but he's really dull as an actor. Shun was kind of 'invisible' here. I think Hiroki is best in Orange Days, he sort of overacts here. | Strawberry on the shortcake [ストロベリー・オンザ・ショートケーキ] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) Kubozuka saves the otherwise flat storyline. |
Taiyo no Kisetsu [太陽の季節] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) Takki's acting was great in this. and that's all i can say about this drama. Watching kids act like vicious, matured adults really bugs me, especially when all of them are so short!
They should get a cast with more 'presence' or at least more matured. | Taiyou wa shizumanai Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) didn't watch till the ending unfortunately...
tear jerker type | Water Boys [ウォーターボーイズ] Rating: 2/10 (Bought & Watched) what works in a 2 hr movie may not work in a 10+ hr drama.
this is a proof of that.
where the pacing, humour and storyline was simple and tight in the movie (that i absolutely enjoyed), it's draggy and complicated for nothing in the drama.
and of course, the cast just falls into the shadow of it's movie predecessor. i can't even get pass the 2nd episode... zzz... |
With love Rating: 3/10 (Watched) Lead actress is ugly. | Yamato Nadeshiko [やまとなでしこ【大和撫子】] Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched) Somehow a little stereotype for me. Girl prefers rich man but falls for poor guy. I didn't particularly liked the running away from weddiing thing coz it's been done to death... :( | Yasashii Jikan [優しい時間] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) I've finished it! It's soooo beautiful! I watched it for Nino at first (never seen him act before), but he blended into the story so well that you actually lost your attention on him and concentrate on the plot/other characters instead. I don't find it 'slow' like most of the other reviews. Rather I thought it's shot like a movie style/pace than the average dorama.
And the theme song is awesome!
However, I thought that Nino could have portrayed a more 'rebellious' type character according to the story. He is too docile to have that comflicting edgyness...
BUT, strangely, the ending is so hopelessly touching that the whole time I just want to give Nino a big hug... he really tugs at your heartstrings at the end.
A must watch if you're looking for something more warm and mellow then the average quick and noisy stereotypes. |
Yoiko no Mikata [よい子の味方] Rating: 2/10 (Watched) Oh no!! What a weak plot... How can it stretch a full length drama in the first place? Even sunny Sho can't save this. It doesn't make a good portfolio, why is he even doing this? Everyone is 'overacting' to make up for the mediocre script. I hope Sho fares better in his other dramas. He gotta learn something from Jun or Nino on acting too... | | |