HERO 2

I think I might be a bit rusty with doing a drama overview - so please be patient.



I'm not sure that I've seen HERO season 1, but it came out in the early 2000's.  And so unlike so many others in 2014 that were the second season and with which I decided to start at the beginning - I just jumped into season 2 here.  

This is a story that falls into the legal/procedural bucket described in the 'Compartmentalizing' post. For some reason I thought that this was going to be a comedy (perhaps the first one was?), but watchers please do not be fooled.   This is neither comedy nor romance.   Each episode is stand alone except for the last two which make up a two-parter.  A very standard structure of a dorama of this type.

The primary character, Kuryu Kohei,  is coming back to his state law office after being away for the past 15 years.  Surprisingly some things have remained the same - I think there are 3 or 4 characters that were in the original show.  And Kohei - the overly casual prosecutor - seems to have remained the same.  He still wants to get to the bottom/truth of every case, even when it's easier to just process the criminal and send them to court.  This passion for doing a thorough job rubs off on his fellow state prosecutors and they all become more earnest, despite their initial frustration with his slow and methodical approach.

The primary subplot(s) are around the romantic entanglements the other prosecutors have with each other.   There's actually a cute - yet predictable - episode in which half of the team asks to be switched to work with different partners based on their romantic interests.  And of course when the changes are actually made, no one ends up with the person they had hoped to be paired with.  There is the old paralegal who likes the only female prosecutor, the young prosecutor who likes the only female paralegal and then two prosecutors who had an unfortunate break-up of their relationship a few years back. As subplots go, while predictable, it was sufficiently interesting - showcasing the depth of some of the characters.

And now for the most interesting part of this fairly routine drama - at least interesting to me as an American.  The legal system in Japan is structured somewhat differently than here in the States.  These state prosecutors (kenji) spend most of their time simply indicting people to go to court.  They are paired up with an "assistant" which I have to imagine is something akin to a paralegal - and who helps to handle the paperwork.   The kenji bring a suspect in and ask them a series of questions. Based on the answers to those questions, they decide whether or not to indict.   In the States indictments don't happen in a state attorney's office - they happen with a grand jury or in front of a judge - so this process was curious to me.   For most of the show I was unsure of whether or not the kenji were litigators - or if they were like the British where solicitors handle paperwork and another category of attorney (barristers) handle the litigation.  But, I learned in the last two episodes - when Kohei prosecutes a case - that they do indeed go into the courtroom.  But, in the all the weeks that elapse, it appears that they - as an entire office - has only had to go to trial once.   Very curious.....

All in, I wasn't too big of a fan of this drama.  I found only 1/2 of the cases to be interesting and the main character felt like he was phoning it in.  He was curious about his cases, but had little to no depth of interaction with his co-workers.  I was surprised by how bored I was considering the ratings for the first season were incredibly high.  Maybe I should go back to (re)watch that one instead.

I'm Back - 2015

Wow - It has been six years since I lasted posted on this blog!  And the one thing that is consistent throughout that time was the job that I had.  I have since moved on to another role and I guess I have a bit more work-life balance and this is a much smaller place with less to do.  So...I've found myself returning to Japanese drama watching!

To be fair, I've been watching dramas on and off during this time.  But, there are probably so many good ones that I've missed.  I have given myself a list of 10 or so over the past 3 years that received the highest ratings.

2014

• HERO 2 
• Doctor X 3
• Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai 2
• Kyo wa Kaisha Yasumimasu
• S - Saigo no Keikan
• Hirugao
• Zoku, Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi (season 2)
• Kinkyu Trishirabeshistsu
• Ashita, Mama ga Inai

2013

• Hanzawa Naoki
• Doctor X (season 2)
• Galileo (season 2) - watched?
• Legal High (season 2) - watched?
• Doctors (season 2)
• Last Cinderella

In looking up some of them, I've realized that I have actually started (and in many cases finished) the doramas from 2013.   But, I still have a ways to go in 2014 and 2015.  But, it seems like I stopped watching in 2009.  What does that mean for the 2010-2103 seasons?  I don't know yet.   It doesn't take very long to get through a whole season (about 6-8 watching hours), but getting through the list above is ambitious during a one week break - so we'll see...

I will get to the recap of the 2 most recent doramas that I've watched HERO 2 and Doctor X

Ryusei no Kizuna

I've been drama hopping for the past couple of weeks. I haven't really been able to get into any one series. I've started and stopped several from the past 3 years that were supposedly top shows - but none was able to hold my interest. And then I came across Ryusei no Kizuna. It has been on my list for a while, but for some reason I kept skipping over it. Well, I'm glad that I finally decided to try it out. It's my favorite since Orange Days.

Synopsis: I guess, I'd put this series in the 'Family' genre. The story centers on three siblings whose parents were killed when they were younger. They are bonded with each other in large part b/c they are committed to finding their parents' killer. Along the way they decide to engage in swindling activities - which leads to hilarious situations - and brings them closer to discovering the killer's identity.

Characters:
1) The oldest brother Kouichi - was the main character in Chichuie-sama. It was hard for me to see him as the older wiser serious brother b/c he looks so young to me. It was only in the scenes when his inner dork would show that I felt his character fit his face.

2) The younger brother - was the abusive boyfriend in Last Friends. I did not think that I would be able to see him as anything but that character. Surprisingly, I was able to forget about that character most times and see him as the naive and emotional younger brother.

3) The sister, Shizuna - was one the interns in Code Blue. Like in Code Blue she's supposed to be pretty attractive. But, she's so much more sentimental and less cocky about her looks in this series. I still don't see her as being particularly attractive -- but that's neither here nor there.


Impressions: This show has a wonderful mixture of humor and sentimentality. And it is only slightly predictable -- meaning at the beginning I had no idea how it would end, but within the last 2 episodes, it was pretty clear how things were going to end -- but I could easily deal with that.
It had enough sub-plots and twists to keep me engaged the whole way through. Also the main premise is one that you want to see to the end. If there's anything that I could complain about it would be the ending of the show. When you see what they're all up to now -- it was a bit vague and sappy for me. But, that only lasted for 5 minutes and was a very minor drop off in quality.
Two thumbs up for me!!

Oh No Veoh!

I used to use Veoh.com to download many of the doramas that I've watched. I'd then go to d-addicts to get the soft subtitles for the dramas. But, since Veoh has upgraded -- my normal routine has been disrupted. It seems that the new veoh does not work with my operating system and on top of that it causes my firefox to crash everytime I try to use it. Bah!

But the good news is that I have found an alternative location to view my Japanese dramas. So in the words of 30 Rock's Liz Lemon "suck it!" Veoh.

Compartmentalizing

I know that no one else reads this blog. I can't quite figure out how to make it searchable. But, I will one day and in preparation for that I thought it would be fun to have not just a summary of the shows that I've seen, but also a comparison of some shows to another. i.e. "If you like X drama you should check out Y drama" In my first step towards that, I am going to categorize the dramas that I've seen below. I will put them in order of my favorite types.


Working woman finding love: This type of show has the main character as a single woman at least in her mid-twenties who accidentally falls in love with another character. Usually there's some conflict preventing her from admitting the love at the beginning: either work, another boyfriend, a girlfriend/fiancee..something. But, in the end as expected the heroine makes it work with her beau -- usually learning a lot about what's really important to her. Most times this type of drama is approached from a comedic standpoint - but not always. If this type of drama seems interesting - you should check out:
Sapuri
Hataraki Man
Hokari no Hinkaku
Around 40
Kimi wa Petto
Zettai Kareshi
*Kekkon no Dekinai Otoko- the lead character here is a man

Quarter-life crisis: More like 1/5 of life crisis.: Kids in their 20s trying to figure out what life is all about. There's love and work and everything in between (often that's college).
Orange Days
Last Friends
Nodame Cantabile
Propsosal Daiskusen
Hatchimatsu to Clover (Honey and Clover)


Professional theme drama: I've seen two main types the medical drama and the police drama. They both focus primarily on the cases that these professionals face. The team has to overcome some unusual obstacle and they use their unusually high expertise to do so. Usually episodic in nature with three or four multi-episode cases in one season. It surprising how similar the the medical and the police dramas can be, which is why I've grouped them together. If you like watching ER - you should try:
Iryu
Team Medical Dragon
SP
Code Blue
Galileo

High school angst: This type of show is characterized by a girl and a boy who are at odds for most of the show, but clearly like one another. Usually there's a love triangle with a third person liking one of the two main characters (and sometimes a fourth). If this type of drama seems like fun to you - you should check out:
Hana Yori Dango (Boys over Flowers) - 2 seasons and a special
Hanazakari no Kimatachi e
*Nodame Cantabile (except this takes place in college)

Strong women kicking butt and taking names: These women kick butt either literally or figuratively (with their incredible minds). There's usually some minor love interest, but the focus of the show is on proving to the men that they can do it. If this kind of drama is exciting to you - watch:
Koshonin
Unfair

Family drama: This one can be a comedy or a drama or a slice of life type of show, but the focus of the series is on family dynamics: husbands and wives, women and their children, friendships or maybe all of those in one. There's usually some sort of social commentary about the state of Japanese life in the subtext.
Haikei, Chichuie-sama
Saitou-san
Karei-naru Ichizoku
Monster Parent
SCANDAL


The Classroom: Inevitably it's the high school classroom, from new teachers, to new students, to mean teachers, to mean students. These dramas usually have some "misunderstood" character element.
Queens Classroom
LIFE
Dragon Zakura

There's no "I" in TEAM: Team sports usually with a high school or college backdrop.
Ganbatte Ikimasshoi
Waterboys
ROOKIES

Hopeless Novice: The main character is starting out in a new field - usually this is a comedy or romance.
Attention Please (flight attendant)
Bambino! (chef)
Bengoshi no Kuzu (lawyer)

Sibling Rivalry: Brothers and sisters fighting for dominance - this is a comedy genre. This is actually my least favorite type as I stopped watching two shows of this type. But, if this kind of thing strikes your fancy try:
Kikken na Aneki
Seigi no Mikata


--And then there's the Drama Drama: These are tearjerkers that deal with illness/death or some other unfortunate circumstance. You know from the start that you will end up crying. I have not actually watched any of these -- as I tend to not want tv to make me depressed. But, from the descriptions I've seen here are some that look good:
Boku no Aruku Michi
14-sai no haha
Kaze no Garden
Bara no nai Hanaya

Going forward I will categorize any newly summarized dramas using this metric. Despite their being 11 different categories (a bit high) I think these groupings work. We'll see how it applies going forward.

K-drama v. J-drama

I love the break between Xmas and New Years for all of the drama watching I can do. I decided to try our a Korean drama - after hearing so much about them. There are many people who believe that Korean dramas are the superior drama of the East Asian dramas....I am not so convinced.

First drawback - the series are very long. -- Well, not all of them but they're definitely longer than a Japanese series which is no longer than 11 episodes plus a special. I had to hunt to find a short one and even that is 17 episodes (with 2 hour long episodes...).

Second drawback - They are primarily one genre- romance. Granted, I've only watched part of one series, but the descriptions of all the series I considered had to do with unrequited love or love triangles or something else related to love. The japanese dramas come in many genres: action, mystery, medical, sports, office, and romance. Even though I don't like all of the genres, I like the fact that there's variety to choose from. Keeps things interesting.

Third drawback - (and this is completely personal) I prefer the sound of Japanese to Korean. And I also think the Japanese actors are more attractive. It is probably that I've just gotten more used to watching Japanese people and slowly learning Japanese along the way.

Overall, I think that I will slowly continue to finish watching: The 1st Coffee Prince. But, I doubt that I will rush out to watch more Korean drama. I will just be patient and wait for the new seasons of Japanese dramas to come out

Haikei, Chichiue-sama

Synopsis:
A young apprentice chef works in a ryotei in Kagurazaka (a neighborhood of Tokyo known for its geisha houses). He is the son of a former geisha, now bar owner and the title of the series is dedicated to the letters that he writes to his unknown father. Most of the show takes place in the small ryotei with the other chefs, waitresses and the family owners. The background music is soothing and reminds me of another drama that I can't recall. The peaceful, small town mood of the dorama reminds me of Honey & Clover the anime (not the drama -- if the drama had managed to create the mood of this series it would've been infinitely more successful). It's a slow paced drama with hints of comedy -- good for an older female audience.

Main Characters:
This is a character driven drama -- in the genre of drama (although there are many humorous elements). The characters are very attractive (Naomi is actually very physically attractive). Because they are all so likable I empathized with each one of them. Even when there were conflicts between the characters it was hard to choose one side.

Conflict #1:
Between the okami-san "old boss" and her daughter the "new boss". The old boss was a consort to a powerful politician. This politician dies early in the series and the effect of his death is not only effects the family emotionally, but also financially. While he was alive he helped to support, through his influence, his lovers restaurant, Sakashita. With his death and the changing times, the mother and daughter fight over the fate of the restaurant. Should they hold out and try to preserve the old ways of the neighborhood or should they realize their fate and change along side the neighborhood. Despite how abrasive the 'new boss' is, you do feel for her having to assume so much of the responsibility of keeping the restaurant afloat -- and ensuring the livelihood of her family and the staff. The old boss is portrayed as much more loving and likeable, but really quite naive. The mediator between the two is Ryuu-san, the head chef. He has a calmness and reasonableness about him that seems to almost repel high strung people like the new boss. And he can see both sides of this dilemma - he loves Sakashita and all that it stands for, but realizes that financially it can't afford to remain in it's current state.

Conflict #2:
Between new boss and Yukino-chan, Ippei's mother (and everyone else). The new boss is a bit difficult and the most interesting scene is when she pretty much cusses out Yukino-chan and tells her just b/c she's had a child doesn't mean she's fit to be a mother. And what does Ippei do when his mother is being spoken to this way?? Nothing. As usual. But the new boss doesn't limit her crotchiness to just Yukino. She directs it at her husband as well. He unfortunately just takes it for the most part -- he seems beaten down by life. Her daughter is just as confrontational as her mother, but as of yet isn't as caustic. The daughter and mother b/c of their similar personalities. And let's not get started with the way she treats the waitresses. She's insufferable.

Conflict #3:
Between Yukino and Ippei. This one is simple to explain. Yukino does not tell Ippei who is father is. She doesn't tell anyone who the father is. Ippei, as he gets older, feels he has a right to know -- Yukino doesn't agree. When Ippei thinks that the writer is his father and Yukino refuses to confirm or deny, these two stop speaking. It's sad, but not terribly, b/c it's the sort of disagreement that parents and children get into and get over. You really see how much Yukino loves Ippei, despite her sometimes reluctance to express maternal feelings. It's sweet.

Conflict #4
Between Ippei and 'ojou-san' aka Eri. (and her family) I think you're supposed to feel sorry for Ippei as he inadvertently finds himself as the most likely suspect to become the husband of the new-boss's daughter. But, I didn't feel sorry for him. He was ridiculously oblivious and his inability to speak, if it will ruffle feathers, leads to him really hurting Eri's feelings. The old boss has set up a date between Ippei and Eri for Christmas eve. Even after he finds out that this is not just a friendly or familial meeting, it's a real date -- he can't tell Eri that he's not interested in the same way. Instead he gives his dopey roommate his ticket and tells him to meet Eri while he goes on a date with a girl he actually likes.
Now enters the most memorable one of all: Karasawa Naomi (Kuroki Meisa). She is the most beautiful Japanese woman I have seen in the dozens of doramas that I've watched. I am saddened when I think that the reason that I think she's so beautiful is because she looks Eurasian (although she is not). But that's still not enough to not be awed by her. The one thing that's a bit odd is that she looks years older than her mere 20 years of age. So, when looking at her and Ippei, who looks young for his age, they almost looked the same age -- but in some scenes she looked more mature....


I don't back the ending....Not at all! How can a show call itself successful when it does that. I understand the desire to not tie everything up at the end, but it should tie up some of the loose ends. For example we know that Ippei and Naomi spend the next 3 months together, but what happens after that? Do they stay together despite the distance? Does he move to Paris to be with her? Do they break up?? What the hell happens?
And then there are the 2 fundamental questions of the series: 1) Who is Ippei's father? 2)Does Ippei choose to work at the New Sakashita (thereby accepting the changing Kaguraza). These critical questions: one which the title of the show is based on, the second which the theme of the show is based around -- neither of them are answered! How bogus!

Bottom Line: As I'm writing this I realize how much I didn't like Ippei. He doesn't do anything. He seems incapable of making a decision on his own. And he doesn't ever stand up for himself or others. He's really very very lame. But all of the other characters are very interesting.

Around 40

I love the shows that focus on older women or men still looking for love. And this was another good one. So good I think that I watched the entire season over only two days.

Characters:
Ogata Sakoto: The main character is a woman who is 39, a psychiatrist and still single. It's shameful to say that it took 9 episodes for me to realize that I had seen her before -- in Queen's Classroom. She's quite head strong and enjoys doing things by herself, but realizes that she would like to have children someday and has not given up on the possibility that she will be married -- despite her dropping market value. Her declining stock was described in a funny scene when she goes to a "marriage bureau" (kind of like a dating service but with marriage being the end goal -- like a face-to-face eharmony?) There was even a graph showing how steep the drop-off is after 35 and past 40 it was almost like you should just get yourself a single apt. in an old folks home.

Okamura Keitaro: The main guy I recognized right off from his role in Proposal Daisakusen as the love rival. He looks much older and sophisticated in that show. Here he looks young and really much less cute, except for the episode when he wears a suit. :yummy: He is really strange in this show - a bit overly fixated on conservation (turns off lights, brings his own chopsticks, rides his bike even in the rain, etc.) This rigidity of his causes conflict between him and many other people in his life - including his many ex-girlfriends. He is introduced to the show b/c he joins Satoko's staff as a psychologist. While psychologists in the US are trained doctors, it seems that in Japan it's a less prestigous position, perhaps a bit more akin to a social worker.

Synopsis:
The story focuses on the budding relationship between Satoko and Keitaro (Okamura-san). It starts off purely professional with some conflict around his methods for healing -- moves into a friendship as they realize they share the same taste in comedy shows -- and then culminates with the difficulties of navigating a relationship where the woman makes more money and is more prestigious. The ending is really quite sweet and believable. They are two characters with very strong personalities and you want them to succeed without sacrificing who they are -- and that happens.

Unlike many other dramas that I've seen there are two fairly well developed sub-plots in this show.
a) The second plot surrounds Satoko's high school friend - who is the exact opposite of Satoko. Mizue was married early, has a child in his teens and her life revolves around her family and domestic duties. As the show progresses she realizes that she has lost her identity along the way and tries to figure out how to balance her family responsibilities while creating a life of her own as well.
b) The third plot is around a younger friend (unclear how they know her) who is an up and coming magazine editor. After she is passed over for a chief editor job she decides to change her anti-marriage position and marry a famous/wealthy many who has been after her. Not surprisingly this was not the best move for her to make and she spends the show pretending to be happy to others while trying to figure out how to make the best out of a bad situation. - I could actually empathize with her character. If work is all that you have and that begins to not go your way, it seems like it's natural to want to find another way to define yourself. Wife/mother is not a bad way to do that, if it that is an option.

Overall: I liked this show. I learned about male-female social dynamics in Japan - and that it's not terribly different from what happens here in the states when the woman is more successful than the man. Definitely a nice peaceful story, probably more attractive to older female viewers.

Drama Updates

I can't believe that with all of the doramas that I've watched that I only have 5 blog posts up here. You can see my growing list of watched dramas on the left with my overall ratings, but I don't know what's going on with the actual completion of posts.

I have progressed so far into my lists of j-dramas to watch that I'm thinking of switching over to Korean dramas for a bit (someone recommended them to me - although I think they're more of the romance genre).

Well, I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully I'll be able to speed up my chronicling of these shows...we'll see.

Security Police - SP

I don't know why I was under the impression this show was a comedy. Because of my difficulty understanding how it could possibly be funny I put off watching this show for a while. However, after making my way through my 2007 "to see" list, I didn't have any other choices.

Synopsis: This is NOT a comedy. It's quite a serious drama about a man who is in the Security Police force (kind of like secret service, except with much less props) and who has heightened sensory awareness. He also has a tragic past that of course links to the main plot throughout the show. The series is not episodic, outside of the first episode, the arcs are each 3(-4) episodes long. The final arc is strangely delivered with a "0" episode giving a bit of back story before ?? joins the SP.

Storylines
1) One episode about protecting a female VIP - I think she's a Diet member. This episode only serves the purpose of giving the viewer a more detailed understanding of Inoue's special skills. There are also a couple of recurring bad-guy characters that make their debut in this episode.

2) The second story is about a group of ex-military "terrorists" taking control of a hospital (most important an ex-prime minster) for the purpose of conducting some sort of stock trade to make money. Some fun fighting scenes here. I guess this show could be classified in the action genre -- at least this arc is. I thought it was interesting that the last episode of this arc introduced us (albeit briefly) to the bad guys of the next arc. Interesting way to segue...

3) The next story (episodes 5-7) is about protecting a potential witness from being killed. He's a participant in some sort of financial/securities fraud. He's not a terribly sympathetic character, despite the fact that he spends much of the time crying. -- I think this might be becuase he's so unattractive. But we do get to "see" the 2 most attractive characters in the show -- his wife and daughter are constantly shown close up in a picture that he keeps near his bed. They are both really cute! I guess we are to assume the wife is with him b/c of his money. And the daughter reminds me of the cutest child actress I've seen in j-doramas, Mukaichi Mion. I was actually thinking about her before this storyline -- I wonder what she looks like now. I want to see her in more stuff! She's so kawaii!!! The story actually has an unresolved ending, which caused it to be the most interesting. Knowing that the hit men are still after the witness, the team is forced to abandon him b/c he's no longer being protected by the DA (equivalent) office.

4) The final story pulls it all together, this time the team is to protect the Prime Minister. We see a reappearance of the knife-wielding bad guy from the first episode and much more "action". *eh* The getting shot scenes were funny mainly b/c of how badly the scene was acted. At least we get some understanding of who is behind all of the plots...it is a nice lead-in to the special (which I haven't yet watched but will add when I do)

Overall: I was surprised that there were no attractive people in this series. I think this is the first dorama that I've watched in which none of the characters were much above average. However, this did not stop me from watching the entire series in one day. I clearly have too much time on my hands! This feat was made easier by the fact that each episode is shorter than a traditional drama. The first 4 minutes of each episode consists of a recap and the intro. And then the episode ends after 36minutes (instead of the normal 42). I don't know why I watched it all other than a curiosity around such a highly praised drama. I was under-whelmed.


Bonus Episode: Argh! It had so much recap that I just couldn't get through it. It went through every single story line in an attempt to find out whether or not Inoue was involved in the plot to assassinate the Prime Minister. I thought it was going to be a continuation from the last episode of the season when we find out who is really behind the coup -- and maybe they did discuss that somewhere in the special, but I just couldn't justify sitting through 1.5 hours for 1 hour of stuff that I had already seen. Maybe I'll get back to it later -- but that's doubtful.

Monster Parent

I am very behind in my blogging of dramas. I will start with the most recent I've watched and work my way backwards.

"Monstah Parent-to"

That's the approximate pronunciation of the phrase mentioned over and over again in this drama about a pretty and successful civil attorney who does consulting work for the Board of Education - helping them solve disputes between schools&teachers and the parents.

The premise is actually not terribly interesting. What grabbed me about this drama was a description of the attorney that I read... she was described as being very well dressed. I love seeing Japanese fashion so I started watching this drama.

Characters
I was surprised to see a familiar face, Yonekura Ryoko, in the main role - Takamura Itsuki. I had just seen her in Koshonin. She looks really different in Monster Parent. Her hair has been lightened, I think, and she dresses in much more brightly colored clothing. Because of these things she's really pretty in this drama - where she's just good looking (in my opinion) in The Negotiator.

Another familiar face to me was Hiraoka Yuta. He was also in the drama 'Proposal Daisakusen'. His character in MP is much different. He was a bit of a playboy in PD. Here, he's quite a pathetic figure. He's young and quite insecure about his professional abilities. Addtionally, he has an unstated crush on Takamura-san.

The third familiar face, is the man of many supporting roles, Sasaki Kuranosuke. Bambino, Saitou-san, Iryu (see previous posting).... He again is in a pretty lame supporting role. I wonder what makes him not likeable enough of an actor for him to get a starring role. Perhaps it's his relatively plain looks. Unlike - Kusakari Masao - what an attractive older man. He looks somehow ethnically ambiguous, and his looks are made even more attractive by his sexy Japanese.


Overall
This show was pretty episodic in nature and some of the conflicts between the parents and the schools were pretty idiotic --- or maybe it was just the over-acting of some of the parents. In any case, this show was watchable entirely due to Ryoko. Her clothes really were fabulous and I watched each episode just to see what she would wear next. If someone is not really drawn in by pretty clothes, I'm not sure that this drama would be of much interest in either the comedy or drama elements. Oh - there was one more upside. I learned a bit more about Japanese culture. 'monster parent' really is a term used for overly demanding parents and there are several articles out there about this growing phenomenon. Also, I learned a bit more about what is expected of Japanese elementary school students. Another example of the struggle between traditional values (i.e. teachers being in charge of the development of children in an out of class) and more Western values (i.e. individuality, parental responsibility, etc.)

Last Friends

I've moved and started a new job and so I have less time than I would like to watch doramas. I knew that I missed out on 2 seasons and so had to quickly get back into the game.

It was not hard for me to choose Last Friends - a gay/lesbian themed drama. I had not seen any doramas that seriously addressed this issue (women dressing up like men to go to an all boys' school or the silly fan boys that are a staple in every comedy don't count).

--- A pleasant surprise. As with most doramas I switch back and forth between shows as I get bored of most doramas after episode 7 or so. Watching something else and then coming back to it is a way to pique my interest again. While watching LF - I watched the first Nodame Cantabile special. And as with Bambino! I was smiled to see that the LF cast had many of the same faces as the NC cast. Nodame = Ruka, Mine = Takeru, and Kiyora=Eri. And like in NC the last 2 are supporting characters (in fact I don't think I've seen a drama with Asami Mizukawa in a leading role)--

Last Friends did not disappoint. While the gay/lesbian theme was the supporting story, a look into domestic violence as it effects non-married 20-somethings was quite interesting too. I will admit I thought that some of the scenes between Michiru and Sousuke were a bit crazy. For example when he is kicking her in the ribcage as she's lying on the floor -- and she doesn't see this as abuse! :-0. But, overall I think the psychology behind why a person stays with a partner who is physically abusive was very believable.

It was also interesting to see them tackle gender identity 'disorder'. I don't believe there has been a mainstream American tv show that has portrayed a transgendered person at all. Just another moment when my stereotype about Japanese culture being much more conservative than American culture has been shattered. It was a bit disappointing that Ruka did not go through with the operation during the show, but I think that the point was made well.

What was also disappointing was how neatly they tied everything up at the end. *SPOILER ALERT*
The main villain commits suicide, the on again off again lovers get married, and the three friends (one mother, one gay, one transgendered) live happily ever after in a house built for 4. Too happy of an ending for me. But all in all definitely a good watch. Will add pictures and character summaries later.

LIFE

This was a difficult drama to watch. Not because I was un-interested but because the first few episodes showed just how cruel teenagers can be to one another. The level of bullying (which is what the show is about) was extreme. It became easier to watch about mid-way through the season because the "bullying" became so extreme it was comical.

I guess I can kind of see it as bullying to conspire to have someone jumped by a gang, but to have someone kidnapped and raped??!? That's not bullying. That's some sort of felony.

The main 'villainess' goes from someone you could maybe sympathize with (compulsive need to be loved b/c of wealthy family background) to someone who seems to have some sort of psychotic inability to feel guilt or remorse. But surprisingly she won a best actress award for her portrayal of this charcter

And speaking of psychotic, the male 'villain' is utterly ridiculous. It took 8 episodes for the heroine to exclaim "you're nuts!" and that he was. His sexual oddity for non-consensual bondage was strange - and the fact that he convinced a teacher that she should fall in love with him is even stranger.

I understand that this drama was supposed to bring light to a prevalent problem in Japanese high schools (and in the U.S. as well), but it took the bulying situations to an extreme that became comical and hard to identify with. And all of this started b/c the main character (the protagonist I guess) outscored her friend on the entrance exam and as a result the friend attempted to commit suicide.

The only bright spot in this dark show is the relationship that develops between Ayumu (main character) and Hatori-san: a pretty loner who is often picked on, but doesn't really seem to be phased by it and often is successful in defending herself. Not surprising Ayumu like a lost puppy gravitates to Hatori Miki. And like a mother hen Hatori-san protects Ayumu at all costs - often telling her she does not need to pretend to be happy in front of her. it's all the classic elements of a good friendship - feeling like you can be yourself around the person. It really is quite sweet, despite the fact that much of the relationship is shown as Hatori-san rescuing Ayumu from ridiculously dangerous situations.

Overall:
Too many ludicrous situations piled on top of one another made this really an unbelievable series (although it started off strong). It's not even entertaining b/c the subject matter is so dark. I watched it b/c it had received high ratings, but I'm not sure that I would recommend it to anyone else except perhaps if you're purely interested in good acting b/c I thought the main character did a pretty good job.

Only Doramas

I think that I will give up blogging about current anime. There are many bloggers out there now who write about the same topic. And while no one blog covers the wide array of interesting anime that's out, all together they do a pretty good job of tackling the topic.

That doesn't mean that I will give up blogging all together. I still have not found blog sites that talk about Japanese Dramas with any depth. Since there are so many good ones out there, I think that I will focus my blog abilities on this topic alone.

I wish I would have come to this decision earlier because I would have made sure to save some screen shots from the most recent drama that I finished, Hana Yori Dango (season 1). But, I think I will blog about it without photos and hope the pictures from season 2 are sufficient.

Negligence

Even with the addition of Iryu 2 I am way behind on my postings. I went 1.5 months without posting anything although I definitely continued to watch. There are some shows that I will not be able to blog about because I no longer have the videos: Bambino, Jotei and Hotaru no Hikari fall into this category. Then there are some that I could write on, but I am not sure that I will take the time to do so: Galileo and Genshiken 2. *sigh* I will try to be better with the next dramas I have queued: LIFE, Liar Game and Hana Yori Dango (season 1).

Iryu 2

Also Known As: Team Medical Dragon

Here is a summary of the plot of the drama (for those of you who have seen season 1 you will not be surprised by it at all:

Dr. Ryutaro Asada is a superhuman doctor who specializes in cardiac surgeries. He believes in order to be a successful surgeon he must surround himself with a well-oiled team. Unfortunately in this season his initial team is split up. He is forced out of Meishin hospital with the young surgeon Ijyuuin and the cardiac medical doctor Fujioshi. The new hospital has been stripped of any competent doctors leaving Dr. Asada to assemble a "rag-tag" team from doctors all of whom have personal issues that have compromised their abilities to be successful. As before Asada is pretty aloof and doesn't really pry into the emotional lives of the doctors. But, as the series progresses each of the doctors works through their own issues and by the end Asada is able to bring into the team: a hot-shot young doctor, Seiji Toyama; a socially awkward medical engineer, Hirohito Nomura; a troubled anesthesiologist, Nanami Kodaka; and a reformed alcoholic gastroenterological surgeon, Kotaro Matsudaira.



Iryu 2 is a bit more "preachy" than I remember the first season being. There are strong overtones of hospitals seeking to achieve fame and wealth at the expense of the poor patient. However, the episode methodology has remained the same. Dr. Asada is confronted with a patient who has a dire cardiac problem. He consults with his team, usually involving the emotional growth of one of the team members. At some point the situation for the patient becomes urgent an a surgery is needed sooner than expected. The team goes in to the surgery room to do its magic and lo and behold, the cardiac situation is even more severe than expected. Instead of having to perform the procedure originally planned there is a second or a completely different (and ultimately more complex) procedure that needs to occur in order to address this heart complication. Against all odds Dr. Asada is able to complete the surgery in the limited time allowed and with the successful recovery of the patient. Hooray!

But, despite this repetitive formula I still liked the show. I read on another blog that when asked what his favorite part of shooting the second season was Kenji Sakaguchi (Dr. Asada) said "the surgeries". And I must agree with him. The surgery descriptions this season were even more elaborate often showing an animation of the surgery to be performed making it even more accessible to all of us who aren't doctors. One negative of the surgery scenes was the horrific music that would be played as the outcome to the surgery began to look more positive. That whining song in English annoyed me to the point that I would mute the sound everytime it came on. However, other than the grating music, the surgery scenes were impressive!

I learned a lot about cardiac illnesses and their accompanying surgeries. And for those who saw and liked the Bambino threesome of Kazuki Kitamura, Yuki Uchida and Kuranosuke Sasaki, you get to see them together again here (granted only in the first and last episodes...and even then, I'm not sure that all three of them are ever in a scene together....).

I give this season a 6.5

Black Lagoon

I love vacation. And not the jet off to some exotic locale kind of vacation. The just kick it at home kind where you can really relax and recharge your batteries.

It is also great because I can watch anime and doramas all day and all night long. I have recently finished Black Lagoon (season 1) and I really like it. Many of the reviews describe it as Cowboy Bebop here on Earth and that is a pretty good summary of the genre of anime it falls into.


Characters

The "main" character is the most boring in my opinion. His name is "Rock" (name given to him by the leader of the group) and he joins this band of because he was inadvertently abducted during a case and after being abandoned by his company he decides to join this team. The job of the Lagoon Company is a lot like Akabane's team in GetBackers, they are "delivery men". They make sure that property (mostly illegally obtained) makes it safely from one party to the next. To ensure the safety they are heavily armed and trained fighters.

Revy (sometimes subbed as Revi and Levi) AKA "Two-Hands" is a Chinese heritage shoot-em-up girl. She has tons of attitude born from years of hardship growing up in New York City. But, it's clear that she's really very troubled underneath the tough exterior. Fighting appears to be all she knows how to do in order to express herself. Despite the multiple spellings of her name, I think it should be Rebi like a nickname of Rebecca. [**although I just saw on a website that "Rivi and Rivy" are nickames for Rebecca so maybe the spelling should be one of those??**] Revy seems to be the real main character of this show b/c she's infinitely more interesting than Rock.


She and Rock are lead by Dutch (pronounced Dutch-y by most). He's a big Black guy who is pretty cool and reserved under pressure. He negotiates most of the deals and has a yet unknown history. If he were to be played by an American actor, I imagine Ving Rhames playing the role.... He's a dead ringer, eh?? Wonder if the artist had him in mind...


Dutch works closely with a woman who heads the Russian mafia (Moscow Hotel) in the South Pacific, Balalaika. She was a former Russian soldier who worked in Afghanistan. It was there that she received the disfiguring scars that she has on her body. She's a great leader and pretty badass in her own right (much more level headed than Revi).


Finally the most minor of the Lagoon characters so far is Benny, the random blond Jewish guy who does the electronics stuff. I think he's American, but I can't remember if they said so in one of the episodes or I'm just making assumptions.


Plot
In 13 episodes there are about five or six different stories, all surrounding different jobs that Lagoon has been contracted to do. The character development continues across the episodes (what little of that there is), but that storyline is contained to two or three episodes. However, I like that well enough. You really are only watching it to see who fights who and how they miraculously get out of each situation. Very few times, despite all of the gunfire, do any of the main characters actually get hit by a bullet -- actually I only think that happens once.

Overall
I like this series. It's fast paced and very watchable. There's tons of blood, likeable characters and tons of nationalities represented in the cast (although they all speak japanese, which is weird but only stand out in the last job when one character, speaking japanese, tells another character to stop talking to Rock in Japanese, as if he doesn't understand the language. :-?)
The story undertones all have a "fight the power" edge to it. Whether or not it is German/American NAZI-ism or South American guerilla fighters and drug cartels or Arab anti-zionist fighters. The "bad" guys are often driven by a desire to overthrow what they consider to be an oppressive regime. Kind of interesting.
Another thing that tripped me out was the ending theme song which was eerily slow and would abruptly cut into the action of the show...I guess this was their version of creating a cliffhanger.

Other memorable characters from Black Lagoon -

Roberta/Bloodhound/Rosarita: South American maid (Columbia is switched for Venezuela half-way through) Her character is a little too resilient, the reference to the Terminator is accurate.


Mr Chan: I don't know what I like him so. He has a good sense of humor, but is also a badass fighter...but, smooth-like. I don't know he has a sexy appeal to him...maybe played by George Clooney, although I've never seen GC in a fighting movie. hmm.... [Eps. 11&12]


Shen Hua: Taiwanese knife thrower, the classy version of Revi [Eps. 11&12]

The old NAZI leader is also pretty memorable, b/c he's so damned offensive...yet, cunning. He masters the back-handed compliments. But he doesn't fight and so there's no real point to a picture of him.

These posts take a lot more time than I would have thought. So, I apologize for taking so long to write the next update. (although I'm skeptical that anyone is even reading this.) I have watched a fair amount of anime and one other j dramain the interim, but I am going to write about j drama Kimi wa Petto.

Synopsis:
One evening after a long day at work Iwaya Sumire comes home to find a beaten-up young man in a cardboard box in front of her apartment building. She decides to take him in and nurse him back to health. He becomes attached to her during this period and he reminds her of her dead dog Momo. So, she decides to keep him in her apartment as her pet.

Most of the drama is spent with Iwaya trying to hide the fact that she has a young man living in her apartment, especially once she begins to date her college crush. And with Momo trying to get Iwaya to see him as more than just a pet and to fight the fear that one day she will abandon him.

There are two sub-plots: one with Takeshi and one with Iwaya:
1) In Iwaya's subplot a scheming woman on her job tries to ensnare Iwaya's boyfriend.
2) In Takeshi's subplot involves his ex-girlfriend and his best friend (Eita! :0)). In typical love triangle form, his ex still loves him and his best friend loves his ex.
Neither of these plots are that interesting although Iwaya's co-worker is the biggest schemer I have seen on tv in a long time. You will love to hate her!

Despite the fact that Iwaya and her boyfriend work in a newpaper office, this is not an office drama. I would put this completely into the romance category (with hints of humor).

Characters:
Takeshi/Momo: I don't think that he's "attractive", but his character is supposed to be such in this dorama. (there are frequent references to his good looks). His personality is the most interesting of the group because on one hand he is an amazing ballet turned modern dancer. But, on the other hand he is a confused homeless 'animal' looking for a safe space to be loved. Matusmoto Jun handles both of these aspects of his personality really well.

Iwaya/Sumire-chan: Is played by Koyuki. Again she is supposed to be "attractive", according to the many references to her beauty, but she is not what I would consider to be attractive (and she is shockingly thin, even for a TV personality). Her personality reminded me a lot of myself. She has a need to be strong and poised when at work and when interacting with others, but in reality she longs to express her weaknesses just like everyone else. She enjoys her time with Momo because she can cry freely in front of him (he's not a person, he's a "pet"). I imagine that there are many career women who feel similarly.



My Impression:
When I first read that a woman keeps a young man as her "pet-to" I thought that it was more like a gigolo sort of pet. No. She really treats him like a pet dog and he responds like one. There are some episodes where he woofs at her and her date. And typically he greets her return home by jumping up on her. She enjoys patting his hair and scratching his neck. Quite strange....
It seemed obvious from the beginning that there would be a romance between the two main characters. *spoiler coming* I was afraid the drama was going to completely depart from the relationship already established and force them into some typical girlfriend/boyfriend scenario. However, they surprisingly stayed true to the relationship and left them in a very non-traditional friendship. *spoiler over*
There was something surprisingly intriguing about this dorama, although I don't think that I would call it a really good dorama. Each episode was annoyingly similar to the one before it and it took a bit too long to get to the resolution at the end. However, because of personal identification with the female lead and the strong acting of the male lead I give this dorama a 6.5

Orange Days

I watched this dorama after looking at a top 50 list. I knew nothing about it and I was utterly impressed!

Synopsis:
There are 5 friends, two women and three men, in their final year of college. One of the women, Sae, is a talented deaf violinist. She is asked out by Keita but when he finds out that she is deaf, he asks his friend, Kai, who speaks sign language to go on the date in his place. This starts the interaction between the 5. These 3, plus Sae's friend Akane and the third male friend, Shohie, form a friendship group Orange no Kai (orange club) and then write down thoughts to one another in a journal. The majority of the episodes focus on the relationships between the men and the women and how they all navigate the entrance into adulthood in different ways.

Characters: I've watched around 10 doramas many of which have popular main characters. This dorama had two characters that I had seen before. Eita who I saw in Suppli (my first jdorama) and the much more popular Unfair. His character is a lovable but hopeless romantic. He definitely has matured some since the making of this drama. He has much more sex appeal now. I also have seen Shiraishi Miho in Suppli and the Japanese cult hit Densha Otoko. Her role was still small, but cute.

I love that the Japanese actors are becoming familiar to me because of their roles in multiple doramas over time. It is so different from the US when a popular actor has a very difficult time being cast in another show because of type casting.

The real praise goes to Shibasaki Kou who played the main female lead Sae and Tsumabuki Satoshi who played the main male lead Kai. It is no surprise that he won the Best Actor Award for the Spring 2004 television season.
Sae

Kai

Impression: This drama was absolutely amazing! It so aptly portrayed the slow discovery of love between two friends and the difficulties that come along with very passionate loves between people. Neither character is perfect and so they are both very relate-able. The situations that they found themselves in while a bit unlikely at the end, are not completely far-fetched.
If I have any criticism it would be of the minor relationship between Akane and Shohei. It was pretty obvious the direction the relationship would take at the outset. But, just because it was predictable did not mean that it wasn't well acted.
I cried at the end of this dorama. It wasn't sad in the traditional sense, but the love between Kai and Sae was so incredibly powerful that I couldn't help but be moved. I don't think of myself as a sap....but this dorama definitely brought that side out of me.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romantic-comedies, college/slice of life dramas. This drama gets my first rating of 10

Bleach 117-121: Shinigami and Arrancar Fight!!

Bleach: Is a popular anime based on a popular manga (illustrated book, similar to graphic novel). The hero of the show is: Kurosaki Ichigo (last name/first name as they do in Japan). This review starts after three arcs (a series of episodes that lead up to a conclusion) and so it is impossible for me to recap all that has happened up to this point. Check wikipedia or other anime sites to find out more.

In these episodes we learn more about the Arrancar. Arrancar are hollows who have acquired some of the powers of the shinigami. This makes them stronger than the average hollow and makes for some really good fight scenes!

Episodes 117 - 121
The Arrancar attempt to kill the support characters who have soul energy. Soul Society members and Ichigo run out to protect these potential victims. The fights are varied and fun. We see what many of the Arrancar (top 20) look like and what their zanpukto released form looks like. Exciting!

Matchup 1: Kuchiki Rukia v. #16 D-Roy
This was a relatively quick fight. We learn that despite Rukia's low status, she actually has the ability of someone who would be high ranked in her squad. Her brother, Byakuya, wanted to protect her from dangerous missions and therfore keeps her out of the ranked squad. What a shame for Rukia, but it doesn't stop her from dispensing with 16 post-haste!


Winner: Rukia!



Matchup 2: Madarame Ikkakuu v. #13 Edorad Leones
Ikkakuu looks like his losing badly against 13's released form - Volcanica. But, he busts out his bankai: ?? and we get a bit of backstory telling us why he doesn't want anyone to know that he can do the bankai. When we return to the present both 13 and Ikkakuu fall out of the sky. But, who is the victor???



Winner: Ikkakuu---barely


Match-up 3: Abarai Renji v #15 Ilfort Grantz
Renji, with his weak bankai, is getting his butt kicked and then there's a surprise entrance from Ururu. This little girl when possessed has incredible strength! She turns it around and opens up her own can of whoop ass on 15. Unfortunately, when he releases his zanpakto the tide turns and he spears her with his horn. :-( No sooner than I thought it was done then Renji gets the word that he can use his full power. This makes him 5x stronger than he was before. In the next move he blasts the Ram. An interesting note is that Renji doubts that he would've won if he was at full power the whole time. He thinks the element of surprise is what earned him his victory. But, to me it doesn't matter how it happened b/c....

The Winner is: Renji (in a come from behind victory)


Match-up 3.5: Matsumoto Rangiku v. ??

This isn't a real fight because she lays down on the ground for most of the time (really lame!). When she gets the word that she can use her full power, she knocks the opponent out after his first attack.


Match-up 4: Hitsugaya Toushirou v. #11 Shaolong Qufang
Even a Captain's bankai with limited power has some trouble. Shaolong releases his zanpakto (a scorpion-like creature) and he methodically beats back the Captain. But, as soon as the limit is lifted Shaolong realizes that he's outmatched and attempts to run away. Toushirou quickly overtakes him, Game/Set/Match!


Winner: Toushirou. But I am not happy for too long b/c Shiro-chan took a real beating and he falls right after the win.


Match-up 5 Ichigo v. #6 Grimjow Jaggerjack
Rukia may have won against, but she is quickly knocked out by Grimjow who steps up to fight Ichigo. We learn that anyone with a number 10 or lower is an especially strong Arrancar and a member of the Espada. Ichi gets beat up in slow motion, in fast motion and in black & white. It's almost too much pain to comprehend. Just as the inner hollow is about to take over Ichigo, Tousen (sporting a slightly different hairstyle) comes to drag Grimjow back. He's in trouble for disobeying Aizen and bringing the Arrancar to the living world (and to their deaths).


No winner: This match is a forfeit, although Ichigo was the serious underdog