[Drama] Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi

Spring 2002

Episodes: 11

Starring: Akashiya Sanma, Kimura Takuya, Fukatsu Eri, Igawa Haruka, Shibasaki Kou...

Dojima Kanzo is a detective investigating a case of a university student who was made to appear as if she committed suicide by jumping off the balcony of her apartment. It was later found that the young woman was stabbed beforehand. The police came out with a conclusion that the murderer cleaned up her place to avoid suspicion. After inspecting the crime scene, Kanzo went off in a hurry to attend the birthday party of Nishihara Miwa, the daughter of a rich man. It was revealed at the party that Kanzo's sister - Yuko was Miwa's good friend as she helped Miwa prepare for her big party.

Also heading for the boat on which the party was held was Katase Ryo, a young chef who was delivering ingredients for the dinner party. (Can I add the hot in front of the word chef? It is becoming a habit, really.) Ryo is a mysterious young man who ended up hooking up with the birthday girl after repairing her charmbracelet which was ruined during a fight between Ryo's friend and a man who is after Miwa's money. Miwa was immediately charmed by Ryo and the two started dating.

Miwa later found that her broken charm bracelet had its beads replaced exactly the same way as before it was broken. At the same time, Kanzo compared the crime scene photos with a photo taken of the apartment before the incident and noticed that the DVDs were arranged exactly the same way as before the incident happened. If the murderer had rearranged the crime scene after a struggle which messed up the crime scene, how could be manage to get such details correct?


From the time of the party, the siblings kept running into Ryo. Kanzo cannot shake the eerie feeling of having met Ryo before in the past. His suspicions increase with everytime he met Ryo who gives him an unsettling feeling. As Kanzo tries to protect all the people around Ryo, he neglected his sister who was beginning to form a strange bond with Ryo.


*****

I love it from the beginning. Ah another good one by KimuTaku. He never disappoints, does he? I like these type of thrilling dramas. It makes you more willing to sit through more than ten hours of it without having the urge to skip anything at all. Up to episode 3, I really didn't know what to expect. The more you don't know, the more you want to know. They have a murder case that is not progressing an inch and a man who acts fishy no matter how you look at him.

This drama makes me think a lot about who is this Katase Ryo and why is he so fishy. And I am having a fever. It is NOT good to make sick people think! It is a bit tiring, watching such a drama. You are still finding its direction as half of the drama is over, you still don't exactly know what is the theme or main plot. You feel that the first few episodes are building up to a climax which WILL be big. There is not much character introduction. The characters are not served to you on a platter, you have to explore it slowly. I like that a lot.

Kimura wowed me again with his intense and convincing performance as Ryo, a man who is mentally fucked up. It is in his eyes. They have this... almost maniacal look to them when he turns the crazy on. This is a rather dark suspense drama. No gore, but a lot of guessing and doubting. Something that you know you have to watch until the end to truly appreciate it. I have heard and read a lot about how great the drama is and how amazing the ending will be. So I was very much anticipating it from the beginning. Though the drama seems to be progressing at a slow pace, it did not bore me but made me even more curious as to how this drama will climax. I also hoped very much for it to not disappoint, which I have very little doubt that it will.

It was very time consuming for me to watch this drama. It was quite tiring because... I always skip boring parts but there are few to skip. But so many questions are raised in my mind from the beginning to the end and I cannot skip it for fear of missing a hint for the answer. Unlike "Nemureru Mori", there are NO answers given as the story progressed. So I thought that they will all be answered in the end. But still, I couldn't take chances. xD

Akashiya Sanma's Kanzo was a bit annoying for me. Even if he turned out to be NOT a useless cop but rather a determined, persistant and detailed detective, he just gets on my nerve at times. Never liked cops though. xD But he'll grow on me, I am sure. A self-sacrificing 'brother' who puts his 'sister' before himself at all times. The fact that he's so adamant on protecting them all... pisses me off a bit. But I guess the person who bears all the truth has a great burden placed upon him.

It is a drama about a devil who would hurt everyone on earth save one. But when the truth is revealed, I guess the connection is not that transparent. Fukatsu Eri was adorable. Her voice was... childlike. LOL. But she was playing the good ol' lively leading woman until the very end.

FAT SPOILERS... in sorta hidden text.

HAH! I knew it! The moment Kanzo and that annoying cop woman was discussing how Yuko and Kanzo were not related and when Yuko was the only one who was able to be truly important to Ryo, I knew that an incestuous relationship was forthcoming. The moment revelation came upon was testament to my extremely great totally rockin' predicting skills. xD But my theory was confirmed and it was confirmed with a BAM! Itt wasn't apparent right from the start though. But you slowly piece it together because hints were thrown at you. In a way, it is similar to Nemureru Mori yet... it has a different... flavour to it. xD

It was tragic, what befell the main characters of the drama. And Kanzo caused it. He tried to repent his deeds but... indirectly causing more damage to those involved. Overall a great watch. I was growing impatient in the end and quickly skipped the boring parts. It had a shock effect at the end, but it is not like you didn't anticipate it. But there should be doubt... the confirmation came and then BAM, you get everything. The last scene was heartbreaking. A man who regrets deeply his deeds but could no longer be able to do anything to improve the situation.

Reitings: 4.5/5

[Drama] Nemureru Mori

Autumn 1998

Episodes: 12

Starring: Nakayama Miho, Kimura Takuya, Nakamura Tooru, Santa Maria Yusuke, Honjo Manami, Jinnai Takanori...

Oba Minako experienced a traumatic incident as a child - her parents and elder sister were killed on a rainy night. She was the only survivor and 15 years has passed since then. As a 17-year-old woman, she was engaged to Hamazaki Kiichiro - an all-around perfect and professionally successful man. One day, as Minako was sorting out her belongings, she came across a stack of letters written to her by a boy who had observed her actions from afar. In the letters, it was also stated that he would be waiting for her in 'their' forest on a date that is two days from the day the letters were rediscovered.

Out of curiousity about her past which she has few recollections of and about the boy who wrote those letters, Minako went on a nostalgic trip to her hometown and into the forest known as Sleeping Forest. There, she waited for him.

Ito Naoki is a young man with an air of mystery about him. He has a girlfriend whom he appears to not care about. He also keeps a scrapbook of news regarding a murder case that happened 15 years ago and even in the present he tries to collect information about the convicted murderer of the case who was released not long ago. He broke up with his current girlfriend, Yuri, with whom he set a limit on their relationship even as they started dating. Four years ago, Naoki told Yuri that they will break up 4 years later, at the end of the summer of 1998 and so, he held true to his words while Yuri took those words jokingly back then. When Yuri pressed on for the reason for their breakup, Naoki said that there was a woman whom he must meet.

The two met in the Sleeping Forest and Naoki seemed to know everything there is to know about Minako over the past 15 years down to the smallest details. In addition to revealing his stalker-like knowledge of Minako's life, he also revealed that cruel happenings will take place in Minako's life in the future. Confused and intimidated, Minako walked away from the forest and tried to go on in her life. Various happenings took place from that day and changed Minako's life as Naoki appeared constantly in Minako's path. Minako began to doubt the few memories she had of her childhood where her family died in a traffic accident - which we were told early in the drama that that might not be case.

*****


I have a love-hate relationship with stories like these. The suspenseful stories that hints at you the truth but slowly. Painfully slow is the progress of the drama, it makes me want to just watch the last episode but I can't, because it would be a half-assed story as I lose interest in all that happened in between.

In episode 3, I got the feeling that the hidden theme of the whole drama might have something to do with hypnosis and the replacement of memories through hypnosis. xD Then in the last few minutes of the episode... it certainly is what I thought it is. But as the drama progressed, it moves away from the replacement of memories plot to a more suspenseful one. The drama pulled me in like almost every KimuTaku drama that I have watched. Even as I thought that I got it figured out, it still pulls me in. I wonder if it is the KimuTaku effect, I wonder if Kimura made the dramas good or were the dramas written great to begin with. Does KimuTaku really have the Midas Touch? xD

This drama is enjoyable in the sense that it invokes many questions in your head upon its commencement. You will continue to pursue it in hopes of having these questions answered. I dared not fast forward a minute of it for fear of missing a vital scene.

I do find it a bit far-fetched when Naoki's father explained the reasons for Naoki to be so fixated on Minako. It just does not make sense that he wants so desperately to protect her from the murderer that he became a stalker for 15 years. Geez, like when I was ten, I don't think about things like that. I'd probably fight my brother for the bar of chocolates or get hit in the face by a football my brother kicked. Yes, me, when I was ten, being forced into the role of a goalkeeper and got hit numerous times on the head because of slow reflexes. xD So it is a bit unbelieveable for me that a kid at that age would decide on a life-changing matter as such. You don't fall in love at ten. xD You have crushes. Boys will pull your hair... that would be their expression of affection. How juvenile. xDD

It just struck me... how natural KimuTaku makes his characters out to be. It all seem so effortless and natural, his roles. Or is it the KimuTaku reputation that is affecting my opinion? I am not sure, but it is a joy to watch all the small expressions and reactions he makes. They are so natural, like the ones you would see when you look at Darwin, your geek neighbour. xD After episode 5, when the entire situation is explained and the mystery of Naoki was... demystified, you can see him change. From a rather threatening existence to a more protective and fragile young man. His hair here is very... Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall. xD And so... bouncy and flowy. xD I wonder what kind of products he used. xD

Kiichiro. When they said he was too good to be true, you knew something was fishy there. He was suspicious throughout the drama. But you are distracted from the suspicion by various other happenings. Yoshiharu mentioned that he wanted to make 'someone' know what hell feels like... he used the word 'aitsu'. I was wondering, what a vague statement he made. The Japanese should start eliminating non-gender-specific third person references because it is NOT helpful. xD Especially for drama-watching. xD I was thinking earlier in the drama that that 'aitsu' might not refer to Minako because she didn't even testify against Yoshiharu. But then halfway through, I thought, maybe he WAS aiming at Minako. It was a rollercoaster ride, this drama.

The background music is a bit too... 90s. I don't like the tune they used to elevate suspense. I find it ridiculous that these two men were willing to do so much for one woman. I know it is a drama, but I am trying to realistically discuss it. xD That is what I do. And if MY memory is used on some dude, I'd point and go "You fake!" xDDD Nasty, I know. xD

15 years after that fateful night that changed Minako's life, her wedding was set. xD Yeah, statute of limitation runs out on her wedding day. Savvy, yet another crime drama with references to the statute of limitations. Like... seriously, is it that popular a law that all dramas with crimes involved should touch on it? But it was a great drama. I loved it. Keeps you at the edge of your seat and curious about various things. The way the mysteries unfold onscreen is brilliant. Your questions will not be answered all at once but slowly and as one question is answered, another is asked. So many mysteries balled into 11 episodes. Definitely not a waste of time to watch. The big one will fall on you on the last episode. The ending left little to your imagination, though the final bit was a bit... WTF?! Oh well.

Reitings: 4/5 (xD Yes... Reitings. Not how good it is, but how much I like it. xDDD xD ratings made by me. Reitings. xD)

[Drama] Beautiful Life

Winter 2000

Episodes: 11

Starring: Kimura Takuya, Tokiwa Takako, Watabe Atsuro, Mizuno Miki, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Hara Chiaki, Nishikawa Takanori, Koyuki...

Okishima Shuji, a young and hot hairstylist (VERY HOT, I might add), was riding on his bike to the library one day when a young woman in a car stuck her hand out of the car window suddenly while speaking on her cellphone. This caused Shuji some annoyance and the two began arguing all the way to the library. Shuji later found out that the woman, Machida Kyoko, was wheelchair-bound due to an illness she had when she was 17.

Despite a rocky start, the two began to warm up to each other when Shuji asked Kyoko to be his model for a magazine. The two later began an inevitable relationship which is filled with obstacles (like every other relationship, really) as Kyoko's insecurities and Shuji's world - a world different from what Kyoko was used to - got in the way.

And we all know that she will be gone as the narration by the two hinted earlier in the drama.

*****

KimuTaku. OMG~ This is it. This is the drama. I forgot. How could I? This was the drama that was showing late at night on national TV years and years ago. So, right, my brother would watch it. But at times, I would only be able to catch the end of it for reasons I don't remember. I would only be able to catch the credits where B'z song was played.

And Shuji... what can I say about Shuji? He is great. And only human. Though he has his own problems, he tried his best to support Kyoko and ensure that she is fine. And... the pair of shoes. The damn red shoes. I haven't been so affected by a drama since quite a while ago.

T_T Oh it is dramas like these that remind me that I am such a romantic at heart. (YES I AM. I mean... there is more to me that lusting over pretty bois you know?) Tokiwa Takako. She was in the first Japanese drama that I ever watched. I know she was. "Meguriai" with Fukuyama Masaharu. But I don't quite remember the storyline. She's pretty. And, I like her character in here. She was extremely bubbly and cheerful and likable. At times funny too when she quoted Shakespeare about the lark and the nightingale. xD I am glad that I recognize it before she had to clarify it to her parents. xD Don't you think it is a well written script that a librarian should quote from Shakespeare? xD

Then again, I did notice something else. When Kyoko said that when she was with Shuji that she wanted to walk and be normal the most, did Aya not say something similar to Haruto in "A Litre of Tears" yet again it is a very common thought, is it not? That when you have a taste of happiness, you want more and more. Greed. It is human nature. Though this is what I always proclaimed to hate - a drama centred around a love story, I find it difficult to not LOVE it. Perhaps it is the fact that the leading male is not all mushy, saying things you read from a romance novel (this is why I hate Korean dramas to no end. You know how the men say all that crap like "Oh I love you and I'll die for you" that kinda crap? It pisses me off because you know when men watch them and then when they pursue you, they think that you can easily be deceived by it? The fact that I just get disgusted by it automatically repels me from the dramas. Being subtle about it is fine. Shuji was subtle. Nothing mushy. Tsukasa was mushy in Hanadan. Couldn't stand those parts) , perhaps it is the manliness of KimuTaku *OH MANLY*, perhaps it is just the theme song (Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni) I am not sure. But it is a good drama. A good one.

Oh, and perhaps it is how extremely human the characters are. They get pissed too, Kyoko is NOT the typical physically challenged but extremely kind and angelic girl. Shuji is not the great, caring, self-sacrificing boyfriend who would make her his whole world. They behaved like anyone would in the situations that they were confronted with, reacted with emotions that normal people would. They doubt, they fear, they get tired.

When he was planning for their future in episode 9, it was almost heartbreaking to watch. Heartbreaking. When he said that the fact that she was in her future is... common sense. And how he made nothing big out of it and said it like it is... fixed. How he is so embarrassed when he had to said things that are minorly mushy. Oh... just perfect. So natural. Chemistry. This is what makes dramas good, chemistry. OMG, I get KimuTaku and all the craziness surrounding that name. I so get it now.

There was also T.M. Revolution or Nishikawa Takanori in here eh? His character was annoying at first, but then... xD it was a small but good character. Long silky straight hair. xDDD I like him. xD

It was a good watch. It has been a while since I am so eager to finish a drama. The ending was very predictable yet... beautifully sad. A very understated sadness. Death is harder on those left behind than the person who died. And to go on living and NOT forget the dead is even more depressing. When I watch dramas like these, I would think... what if it were me. I'd move on majorly (like... I don't know... find someone else?), because I think people are incapable of loving like those in the dramas. That is why they are called dramas.

Ratings: 4.9 (What? So what if it is not a nice round-ish number?)

[Drama] Long Vacation

Summer 1996

Episode: 11

Starring: Kimura Takuya, Yamaguchi Tomoko, Takenouchi Yutaka, Matsu Takako, Ryo, Hirosue Ryoko, Morimoto Leo...

Sena Hidetoshi reluctantly got out of bed to answer the door one morning and as he opened the door, he saw a woman dressed in traditional Japanese wedding outfit standing there asking for his roommate. It turns out that the woman, Hayama Minami was jilted on her wedding day by Asakura, who lives in the same apartment as Sena.

Minami, a loser model found herself out of money and without a husband, decided to move into the apartment her ex-fiance lived. Thus making Sena, a piano teacher who aims to be a world-class pianist one day, her roommate. This marks the beginning of the blossomming relationship between the two in that apartment as they talked and bonded and developed feelings for each other. While their age gap is evident (Minami being 7 years older than Sena) their inevitable relationship was also like so as this is a Fuji TV Getsuku drama.

So... yeah, you know. I am just in the mood for young, hot, dashing KimuTaku and Takenouchi Yutaka, so... I'll just skip all this crap.

*****

I so rock at summaries, really. MatsuJun, Yamapi, Kame... all these current leading men are NO MATCH for KimuTaku. KimuTaku has charisma and... he is... KimuTaku. Do you know how many Getsuku dramas KimuTaku acted in? That is eight. And his viewership ratings ALWAYS exceed 20%, and half the time, they exceed 30%. Now I don't mean to be one of the elitist, but back in the day, KimuTaku almost singlehandedly raised SMAP to a legendary spot. KimuTaku was the MAN.

And I do wish that one day, Jun or a Johnny's boi that I like will be able to rise to the level of KimuTaku, but I don't think there is a fat chance at that happening. Not that these other bois are not good enough or as good. But people would only see them as wannabes somehow. Being the star is hard, but trying to be as good as the star is way harder.

That is KimuTaku. And this is why, even if today, SMAP is not selling more than 200k copies of their singles when they once used to sell 2 million copies, SMAP is still... big.

Takenouchi Yutaka is... another thing. He was in 5 Getsuku dramas. xD Pretty great too. And very hot, in a manly, dirrrty, sexy kinda way.

These men were leading Getsuku dramas when Getsuku dramas were supposed to mean something. When being a Getsuku drama would probably guarantee ratings of 15% and above. And in the past only two of the Getsuku dramas passed the 30% mark, and both of them starred KimuTaku. This is why he is that cocky. It is because he freakin' can. And the third highest rated was 29.2% - a small step away from thirty. And it is Long Vacation. Who does it star again?

And these are NOT the only KimuTaku dramas that raked in viewership ratings exceeding 30%. Remember "Beautiful Life"? Well go into that later when I re-watch it. "Good Luck!!" as well. KimuTaku = viewership ratings gold.

This drama isn't much, really. Pretty cliched and predictable too. But very sweet and romantic. Unlike the usual JE-boy-starring dramas, this drama features a lot of smoking. We know they all smoke though. Its almost mandatory for Japanese man to show how macho they are.

And if it is not apparent enough, this is my "let us all worship KimuTaku for making being a Johnny's mean something" entry. And... Tachibana Keita looks like him. And... I have to be frank and say he cannot dance and cannot sing. END.

P.S. I am watching "Asunaro Hakusho". It should be good.

Ratings: I do not dare to even try to rate this supposed masterpiece for who am I but a lowly J-entertainment addict? xD

[Drama] Spring 2008

FROM: http://dramanews.net/raiki45.html

Nishikido is said to be starring in a drama this spring... (Some time in April.) with Mizukawa Asami! xD I cannot wait. Oh... charisma will be overflowing from the drama... xD

Yamashita Tomohisa will reunite with Aragaki Yui for a drama, the last time I saw them together was "Dragonzakura" along with Nagasawa Masami.

Both dramas have yet to be named. ^^ Ryo, in a starring role. Ufuufuu. Can RyoPi like, appear in Nakai's bowling thingy together? Can Nakai like, call Ryo "Sole of the foot" again? xD Can someone cast Ohno in a drama so that Nakai can chase him around the set with weapons?

Gokusen 3 is also scheduled for airing this coming spring. AND, rumour has it that Yaotome Hikaru will be in it. I was thinking, since they put Yaotome, why don't they just throw in the whole Hey! Say! JUMP? Chinen can be a stunted high schooler. Oh Chinen is cute.

But no actors for the students have been listed. As we all are so aware of, Matsumoto Jun was in Gokusen. Akame (Or Kamenashi and Akanishi) were in Gokusen 2. This means that there WILL be a Johnny's in the third one right? This is going to be ALMOST like another 3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei. xD

But I think I am going to skip Gokusen 3. Because its repetitive. But I like Kame in the second season. From Gokusen 2, Akame was spawned. I read that Kame's new drama "1 Pound no Fukuin" will be subbed slower than "Yukan Club"... Brr... but the story sounds weird, since I haven't read the comics.

Oh and Yamada Ryosuke for HSJ is being casted alongside Kame.

Look at how amazing the engines of Johnny's Jimusho is working. Before the 1 batch of KimuTaku and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi expires, they have 3 batches waiting to replace each other. (Oh the second batch being Nino, Jun and KinKi Kids + Tackey. Third being Jin, Kame, Pi, Ryo, Toma. Lastly the HSJ people. Oh... soon kids 15 years younger than me will bounce about. Just watch.)