[Drama] Daisuki !!

Winter 2008

Episodes: 10

Starring: Karina, Hiraoka Yuta, Kishimoto Kayoko, Fukuda Saki...

Yuzu is a mentally disabled young woman who fell in love with a mentally disabled young man named Sousuke. Sousuke got Yuzu pregnant and later died getting ran over by a bus. Yuzu's mother initially would not let her keep the baby but then managed to make her mother, Miyoko change her mind. Yuzu's child-raising journey is an especially hard one considering her disabilities, but she was supported by her strong will, her mother, her younger brother - Ren and later Sousuke's sister Kotone came into the picture as well.

Miyoko is a doting mother who cares a lot for Yuzu. Often, she tried to make Yuzu learn to be independent but has to put in a lot of effort to help her.

Ren is a caring younger brother who supports his family, thus sacrificing his dream and his girlfriend. Nonetheless, he prioritizes his family.

Kotone was a troubled young woman who faced problems in her orphanage in Chiba, she ran away from home and chanced upon Yuzu and was taken in by the family as a part of it.

What ensues is a touching and at times sweet story of love and perseverance... and the goodness of family... and how mommies are great... and... T_T

*****

I have to say, I have seen great performances from actors who play the mentally challenged. Karina's is not one of them. But you can tell very well that she tried. That's is all that matters, since Japanese dramas are not well known for their impeccable actors and their skills in acting.

No, really, they're not. We're in it for the pretties. Lets not lie to ourselves. Karina is very pretty. I'd rather see her strut her stuff on the runway or play a hot young woman. She's trying to evolve, to prove that she can act, but its not really working. So she should really just stick to being pretty, its totally okay. BUT, she gets better as the series progresses though. More convincing. Well, yeah... perhaps.

Hiraoka Yuta. Ah~ Is 'Ah~' enough to convey? xD I don't want to go all happy and exclaim that he's hot and stuff. His character is sweet as well. Ah, I'll leave it at that, because I will go on and on about how tall he is and how nice his smile is. I don't want to.

Fukuda Saki. I didn't watch "LIFE". But she has always had a positive image in my head because she doesn't stick to playing the sweet and the kind. That is good for health.

Yuta has nice, cute, baby lion a.k.a. cub teeth. xD SEE? I need to find something else to say or I'll go back to Yuta. Damn~~

I found the first episode especially touching, the rest just revolves around how Yuzu overcame the difficulties she faced while being supported by the people around her. Boring. They had the little girl from Hotaru no Haka play the 5-year-old Himawari. I didn't like her. Though she's a great actress. GREAT, I tell you.

Did I mention Yuta is tall? xDDD I am sorry. And his character is great. He's a man with a burden but he never thought that it was a burden. He made a resolution to watch over his sister and his niece, thus he sacrificed his dreams and his love. T_T Great. I totally forgive Yuta for dumping Hachi. xD Wait... Shouji dumped Hachi. Yuta played Shouji. I shouldn't really~~

See, I am so effing mixed up now. xD LOL.

Its a heart-warming story about family love that extends beyond family ties. Its about how the mentally challenged are also human beings with feelings. Its... T_T

Rating: 4/5

[SP] Proposal Daisakusen

2008

Starring: Yamashita Tomohisa, Nagasawa Masami, Eikura Nana, Hiraoka Yuta, Hamada Gaku, Fujiki Naohito...

The SP took off exactly where the drama left off. Iwase Ken left his childhood friend's, the love of his life's wedding broken hearted. He took a cab and left the scene after giving a moving speech about his love for her. Rei left her own wedding in pursuit of Ken. While the cab Ken was riding in had a petrol insufficiency problem, he had to push the cab and we hear a voice calling "Kenzou!" from behind. Ken turned around and smiled.

This 2 hours show tells us that it was indeed, as everyone expected, Rei who called out to Ken as she was the only one who had known Ken as such since forever. The two had a talk and got their love affair moving. The scene fast forwards to a year later where Tsuru and Eri were to be married in Hawaii.

The wedding fell apart as the bride was discovered to be missing. Looking at Tsuru's situation reminded Ken of the wedding with a similar happening a year ago. With the help of the freaky fairy, Ken went back to the past, determined to save his friends' wedding and regained his courage to face Rei's parents.

*****

Firstly, I did NOT take a nickname from this drama. NOT. Pi is not even my favourite NewS member anyways.

Secondly, awww... I enjoyed this. Very... nostalgic. The songs, the characters. Except Yuta's hair... the hell?

It gives completion, which is what the drama didn't give. I like this.

[Drama] Tatta Hitotsu no Koi

[Moved from my old blog.]

Year: 2006

Starring: Kamenashi Kazuya (Nobuta, Sapuri) , Ayase Haruka (Sekai no Chushin Ai o Sakebu Drama) , Tanaka Koki (My Boss, My Hero) , Toda Erika (Nobuta, Liar Game, Death Note), Hiraoka Yuuta (NANA, ProDai).

Episodes: 10

Hiroto, Kou and Ayuta are three poor boys who graduated into society early and had gone through life the hard way. They work to support their families at the age of just 20. They are sad people who are bitter and disappointed with life. Okay not 'they' more like Hiroto, his dad committed suicide, his mom is a good for nothing person and his little brother is weak, has asthma, and needs to move around on a wheelchair.

Hiroto narrates the story, saying something about his one and only unforgettable love happened when he was 20, which is where the story commenced. The story will fast forward into the present when we reach the end.

The three are best friends, they sell the fish they caught illegally to make extra income. Kou is a bald guy who is happy-go-lucky and all optimistic. (And so totally lovable!) Ayuta is apparently the hottest of them all. He is caring and helpful.

The three were selling their fishies as this rich chick from a prestigious female college ran into them. Nao and Yuuko, best friends, rich, bright future meets three boys who are their total opposites. The girls mistook them for students of the neighboring boys college. They meet again at a mixer thingy party thingy... and the misunderstanding deepens as the boys lie to have the girls fancy their poor asses, which worked by the way.

They hooked up, Hiroto with Nao, Kou with Yuuko and the hottest was left single. But problems arise as their status differences show. But yeah, the end... is up to you to decide if you want to discover it.

***** Spoilers begin*****

They fall in love too fast, too dramatic. The story is too cliched, too predictable (for a drama-watching veteran.)

I like Kou best because Koki is my favourite KAT-TUN member and also because guys like that are cute. xD It's fun to be with these shy, simple, direct people.

Anyways, Ayase Haruka's Nao looks a little older than Kame's Hiroto.

And Nao was said to have had leukemia when she was younger and had been cured since then but was left with a disability to reproduce. May I ask... why is it always leukemia?!

Ratings: 2.5/5 (Good thing Koki is in...)

[Movie] Boku wa Imoto ni Koi wo Suru

[Moved from my old blog.]

Starring: Matsumoto Jun, Eikura Nana, Hiraoka Yuta

Adapted from the manga of the same name, this story is about Yori, a high-school boy who has always been in love with his twin sister, Iku. Obviously this spells disaster, in capital letters --> DISASTER.

I think the direct translation of the title is "I am in love with my little sister".

I watched this movie thinking that oh, it must be something like that crappy Korean drama about step siblings or mistaken identity. And then it was mentioned that they are "futabo", so I was like... I think I know that word... futabo... OMG It is twins! I went... "Ooookay" their mom must have grabbed the wrong baby. It must be. Nothing that gross should be put on screen.

And then... it dawned on me that it IS about incestuous siblings. T_T

I am disturbed. I was like, "Watch it, watch it, MatsuJun, it is MatsuJun!!!"...

But they slept together in the most disturbing way. OMFG IT IS INCEST. THAT MOVIE IS TRYING TO CORRUPT YOUNG KIDS WHO ARE TWINS OF DIFFERENT GENDER.

But its MatsuJun. So I watched it.

This movie is not going to be watched again because "Tsk tsk tsk tsk, MatsuJun you corrupted school boy,"

But I don't think MatsuJun passes as a schoolboy anymore... he is 24. His group members Nino and Sho are also playing schoolboys in Yamada Tarou Monogatari (Have yet to watch) and Sho is a year older than MatsuJun.

Yeah but oh well... I would watch anything these boys spit out... (Not literally, heavens... even I have some sanity intact at times.)

So... yeah. This story reminds me a little bit of "Angel's Sanctuary" I forgot the characters' name but yeah... there is a hell lot of incest going on... Japanese fictional works can be really bizarre. But we will swallow it if it stars MatsuJun.

I would make screencaps but I am lazy and no one wants to watch scenes of people committing incest now do they?

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[Drama] First Kiss

Starring: Inoue Mao, Ito Hideaki, Hiraoka Yuta.

2007

Episode: 11

A girl with a heart disease postpones her operation that has only a 50% chance of success to return to Japan from Los Angeles to meet with the brother that she hasn't seen for 10 years. After she arrives in Japan, she realizes that her brother is a total loser with no job and lives with his two best friends.

After learning of his sister, Mio's situation, Kazu is bent on helping her find her first love. After several attempts, Kazu learned that Mio fell for a newbie doctor that is taking care of Mio. Will their relationship prevail? Will Mio survive the operation?

*****

Ufuufuu~♥... okay, I sound like a perverted old man. BUT, Hiraoka Yuta is so cute. I disliked him in NANA... but in "Tatta Hitotsu no Koi" he was okay, then in "ProDai" he was so cute, then in "Boku wa Imoto ni Koi wo Suru" he was... so-so, then in "First Kiss" he is... Ufuufuu.

He reminds me a bit of Kato Kazuki, but cuter. And his smile reminds me of Kato Kazuki's as well! A boyish cuteness to it.

You know when people smile with the sides of their eyes wrinkling up? I'm very weak with that. ^^ Just sayin'... Right, okay.

No matter what I see her in, Inoue Mao or we shall start calling her InoMa just reminds me of Tsukushi. I totally fixed her as that role in HanaDan that I can't see her as anything else. So... yes, throughout the drama, I went "How about Tsukasa? How could you?" Or something like that.

InoMa is not a very versatile actress. For me, that is. Versatile... like, say... hmm... SawaEri? I mean... yeah, she is versatile alright. In addition to that, to act as a girl for L.A. is just... wrong for InoMa. She tried to speak English and seriously, I couldn't understand her if its not for the subtitles. Her English almost killed me. Almost... since I am still typing.

Anyways, its a predictable drama, a little boring, but there's Hiraoka Yuta. ^^ His character is totally ♥! OMFG like seriously, why do characters in dramas or mangas (Yes, yet another manga adaptation, this is.) have to be so... wow? See, I almost used the word 'moe' but I refrained from it. I am not sure if 'wow' can properly convey what I feel. But it will have to do. ^^

Oh and Ito Hideaki is really hairy its disturbing.

The theme song is great. It is "Kokoro" by Oda Kazumasa. ^^ ♥

Rating:
6/10