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fenlings1. Change last week was so dramatic! Really completing the martyr qualities of the Kimutaku Drama Ur-Character. Also the black-and-white morals of the Ur-Character are really coming out in this role. (But dude, Kimutaku, fix that black front tooth. Use some white paint or something at least--you know, the opposite of the black paint actors use when they want to pretend they have a knocked out tooth.) OMG what will happen in the finale! I don't even care how self-righteous he is, how cheesy "Team Asakura" is, how poorly he'd survive in politics with such alienatingly rigid moral standards--I WANT HIM TO BE PM FOREVER AND EVER. And Kanbayashi can go DIAF.
2. How awesome is Yasuko to Kenji? So awesome!! Even the main girl's lack of believable acting and Ohkura's "I look pretty so I don't have to act" can't bring down the INCREDIBLE AWESOME QUOTIENT.
Mabo and Ryoko playing against type incredibly well and hilariously. (I love Mabo forever, no matter what he does. And is it wrong that I kind of want to marry Ryoko's character?) A good set-up and good dialogue and interesting characters. I'm not so worried about a "plot" per se--just get these characters in a room together in various combinations, and I'll watch them have tea for hours. The formulaic, Gokusen-like ending, with the transformation and everything--I feel like I should think it's cheesy, but I don't. I love it, I adore it, I can't wait for it to happen at the end of every episode. Also I kind of want some kind of Bousouzoku vs. Yankee vs. Chiima vs. Yakuza thing at the end of the series. Like, as old-skool as they can make it. Oh, yes. Especially if most of them have to transform from their now-normal-job clothes. And Mabo's plastic faces are hilarious, but I do kind of want some more serious emotional scenes from him. (I guess I should go watch Love + Peace for that.)
3. Maou is not as good as Mawang in any sense. But I love Toma and Ohno and they're doing well. (I suspect Librarian girl is being badly written, and Kuma is miscast.) Mawang's only problem is that it needed to skip the first seven or so episodes where nothing happened and we weren't invested in the characters because they wouldn't reveal their secrets to us. Also I wish the plot relied less on the Detective's stupidity and more on the Lawyer's ambivalence or craftiness. But Mawang is beautiful, and a beautiful tragedy. (I haven't *quite* finished watching it now, so I'm curious to see how it will end, though I think it's pretty clear. Of course, my vote is for angsty threesome.)
4. I'm happy to hear the news about 33pun Tantei but what I really want Tsuyoshi to act in? Is a period drama. Having this man, with that regular samurai character he randomly slips into, not in a jidai geki, is a crime against art.
5. Drama dump! I haven't done one of these in a really long time, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but here goes:
Hissatsu Shigotonin
Mabo in eyeliner being seriously badass. That's really all you need to know. Higashiyama is his usual amazing self, and Ohkura is there too.
Silence
Vic Zhou is hot. There is lots of angst. Also there are lots of contrivances to keep the main characters from having their True Identities revealed to one another, a lot of the contrivances making me shout at the screen. But it's really almost kdrama-like in its fake brother-sister incest and fatal illness plot, so if you like those, you'll like this. There is death of a major character though, so beware. Also, watching this and "Aishiteru to Itte Kure," I learned that Chinese and Japanese sign language is similar! Neat!
Hero movie
So goooood. Mmmm, like tasty chocolate after a long day of craving. Everyone is back and totally themselves and it's just--great to see them again. The ending is kind of wtf, but also squee. And also HOW COULD YOU END IT THERE.
Yo, Sushi Ouji!
I'm sorry, but I think kanji misreading jokes are hilarious! The running jokes were also great. And how it poked fun at itself and the genre.
Funny and fun. I like Nakamaru better now. Narimiya Hiroki was as usual awesome. The end made me cry. OMG movie in New York. Comedy gold! Tokyo was funny enough!
Also the sushi techniques. LOL. HE CAN MAKE SHRIMP MOONWALK ONTO YOUR SUSHI.
Koichi's performance was really great! I was very impressed, especially as I was simultaneously watching him FAIL at acting in Wakaba no Koro. Well, he didn't fail all the time, just at some important places!
Wakaba no Koro
I love this drama. Kinki are so *close* to versions of themselves here.
But this was fairly painful to watch like Ningen Shikkaku, especially after the Tragic Event. (Like Ningen, before the Tragic Event, the boylove kind of balanced out the pain.)
It's like someone sat down to write a Kinki drama and said, "We'll just change the ending of Ningen, and make it less gay... I know, add a girl in there! And make Tsuyoshi not die. But if he didn't die, then the two boys would be gay together--Oh wait, let's make them secret brothers! Then it's all right for them to be in love because they're brothers!" (OH JAPAN.) Seriously that was my joking mantra as I watched the beautiful, almost *painfully* beautiful Kinki love in this drama. IT'S OKAY BECAUSE THEY'RE BROTHERS. (I lost count of how many times I shouted that at the screen.) And I knew that they were supposed to be brothers from the first episode, even though THEY didn't know, inviting speculation into the state of normal "manly friendships" in Japan.
For the record, I do adore that best friend girl. (I wish Okina Megumi would come back to acting. I was so excited when I saw her guest on Iryu.) And I kind of want her to marry both brothers! Just like on that lovely threesome date they had right before the Tragic Event. She likes both of them canonically! The brothers love her! And love each other! WHO LOSES HERE?
Komatsu Eriko wrote this drama, she who would turn out to be practically Tsuyoshi's personal drama writer, and I think she showcases his acting abilities very well. Too bad his life sucks and he loses the girl.
Coffee Prince
I love this drama. Everyone loves this drama. The cast is awesome. The characters are hilarious and loveable. I want to marry waffle man, but I also really wanted him to end up with his first love, and the fact that she gave no reason for leaving him pissed me off. His new love is all well and good, but I feel like his first love randomly leaving let down his character plot arc with no resolution.
I was chatting with my friend while watching the Japanese waffle man:
me: haha japanese dude is fucking with the korean dude
me: two guys liking each other
me: "it's not considered weird in japan"
me: OH JAPAN
Haha, even the Koreans can tell.
Iryu
Teppei is adorable. I want to squish him. The plot was fun to watch play out, but I wish there had been more *character* and relationship development. As it was, it was enjoyable on a comic book, over-the-top level. Hee. Abe Sadawo, as usual, is my favorite. ::licks him::
Lovely Complex
I loved the Osaka-ben. I felt so at home! Teppei was great. The lead girl was mostly good, even if I felt like she couldn't pull off the Osaka-ben sometimes, or maybe that was just her lack of firm line delivery at times.
The plot was typical teen romance, but played out so well. It made me cry, and it was hilarious, and I just loved it. I highly recommend.
Maiko Haaan
Oh, Kudo Kankuro. Oh, Abe Sadawo. Oh--Tsutsumi?? Haha, anyway, Tsutsumi did a great comedic job, and Shibasaki Kou pouted cutely. The whole revelation of parentage thing was a little creepy, but on the whole this was typical Kudo Kankuro fun. Prepare for crack and musical numbers. Abe Sadawo's put-on Kyoto-ben was so amazingly annoying, I was impressed. Is there anything this man cannot do as an actor? I want to see him in a straight dramatic role sometimes. Like a nimaime romantic lead role or a police procedural or something. I bet he would be batsugun.
Hakusen Nagashi
So I finished the drama and I have all the specials sitting on my hd, waiting to be watched, but I just cannot bring myself to do it. There's just no *progress* in the relationship development, it's just so BORING. GOD. Um. Nagase is pretty? But everyone else is FREAKING BORING. Yes, yes, becoming an adult is a beautiful thing, but just--I don't need to see every moment of that. I don't feel these people and their relationships and their problems are really worthy of filming. Also, I want Nagase and that girl to get together already, so we can have some REAL DRAMA.
Bara no nai Hanaya
Beautiful. Loved it to death. I must watch all of Nojima Shinji's dramas STAT.
Shingo impressed me. Takeuchi Yuko delivered as usual. (She's my favorite!) Shizuku was marvellous. And the supporting characters were wonderful as well.
But um, Shizuku should totally live with her dad at the end of the series HELLO.
Legend
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darkeyedwolf convinced everyone with her pimp posts, and for a few days, I could do nothing but mainline this drama. And in many ways, it was very very good. (I could have done with a little less detail in the politicking and battle maneuvers.) Beautiful cast and sets as well.
I am kind of horrified to find myself in the ranks of Yon-sama fans, but I can't deny he got me. I'm a fan. That doesn't mean I'm an obasan! ...Right? (That also doesn't mean I'm going to watch Winter Sonata if I can help it.)
The main thing that bothered me about this drama was the unresolved dramatic irony that kept apart the main couple of Damduk and Kiha. Sujini/Damduk shippers can argue all they want, but until the last 3 episodes, the writer was *clearly* wanting the audience to ship Damduk/Kiha. I could list the evidence, but it's too numerous. (Let's just say that dreams and psychic long-distance reactions are a Writerly Hint of OTP.) In the last 3 episodes, the writer changed heavily to Damduk/Sujini shipping without ever resolving the Kiha thing. I just kept waiting for the moment of revelation where Damduk would find out he misjudged Kiha and would be sorry, but the payoff just never came.
That's one of the reasons that I like the original unfilmed ending so much better than the real ending. Besides, WTF even happened in the real ending? What kind of ending is it when we don't even know if our main characters survived, much less how they're living the rest of their lives, their relationships to each other, what happened to the divine powers, etc. In a story like this, after all that build-up, it's just *bad storytelling* to not tell us. We shouldn't have to speculate and fanwank so much. But seeing as how everyone was injured, and filming was hard, I forgive them.
Sa Ryang is my favorite! I want a Sa Ryang spin off/backstory!
Love & Eros
I'm almost done with this drama, and it's a compelling study of a younger man breaking up an engagement. I feel *really bad* for the older brother fiance.
Nagase is a GIANT WOOBIE. OMG. And there are some scandalous sex scenes for jdrama. Many of them initiated by Nagase's character, who seems to have been socialized that he's supposed to say thank you to strangers with his body. Or else, that his body is all he feels he has to offer. I think Nagase already has his tattoo at this point, so it's kind of amazing that he's naked so much without revealing it.
I really liked Hosho Mai in Miman Toshi, so it makes me sad that she's playing this kind of needy stalker girl here and in Virgin Road.
Virgin Road
I think I mainlined this drama in one day. I love Sorimachi SO MUCH. I want to have his babies too, Christ. This drama actually made me *want* to have those little parasites. Good job, encouraging Japanese women to up the birthrate. It even got me! Damn those insidious drama messages...
Anyway this is a straight romance drama, but I really enjoyed it. It's angsty, but the cast delivers well. And just. SORIMACHIIII.
If you can get past the theme song (which is incredibly head-sticky but also incredibly lame ick Amuro) definitely give it a try some afternoon.
Security Police
Okada and Tsutsumi are good. When the writers give them a chance to shine, the rest of the cast is also good. The plot however, is bad. Hard to follow and many times pointless and holey. The whole arc of the show was just buildup with no payoff. Hopefully they'll resolve things in the movie, since the SP SP was a giant waste of my time.
Dare yori mo Mama wo Aisu
Ondarkeyedwolf's recommendation again. This is a solid, enjoyable family series. I like all the characters. The writing is good.
Papa was awesome. I want a husband like that. And since this role wasn't too stressful, Tamura-san didn't do his usual Serious Role eyebrow acrobatics. Thank God.
All the characters were wonderful, and the cast as well. I like the way the series challenges gender norms. Abe Sadawo is an okama who gets married to the family's older son. Yays.
The very last episode's main plotline with the youngest son is kind of a letdown, but realistic, and it's good to see people dealing with that positively.
Yume no California
This is one depressing series. But it's also cute at times. My baby Tsuyoshi keeps getting beat up by life and his own averageness. But it was nice sometimes how amenable he was.
I was really hoping for a threesome when he runs away with his two girlfriends to live at the beach. Because like, it *almost* went there. But, giant tease, instead of angsty beach threesomes, we get maturity and growth and going back to face their problems. Blah. And then growing apart! Nuuu. I liked the secret life of their friendship.
This drama also features Kudo Kankuro as Tsuyoshi's super cool older brother.
Gakko no Sensei
Tsuyoshi as a teacher! Of elementary school students!
This was an appealing drama. The comedy with him and Takeuchi Yuko was good. The children's plots were relatively well done. I really felt the bond with him and the kids. I just wish there had been a LITTLE more fulfillment of the romantic storyline at the end. Sigh.
Ao no Jidai
Tsuyoshi as a delinquent! I love this drama lots. Again by Komatsu Eriko, and again with Okina Megumi. Tsuyoshi is a giant woobie, as usual. The first half of the series, to do with Tsuyoshi and Megumi's twuu wuv, was more compelling to me than the second half, with Kamikawa-san's Jekyll/Hyde antics. Although Ando Masanobu in the second half was some quality stuff.
Remote
Oh, Koichi. He was not so much with the acting here. But there wasn't a lot of opportunity. This was an enjoyable series in that you did not have to think at all. And more importantly, there was minimal emotional involvement with the characters. After the emotional rollercoasters of other dramas, it's nice to just watch a procedural where you can emotionally relax. Fukakyon plays her usual character here, and she's maybe SLIGHTLY less annoying when she's being cute with her fiance. But then I feel bad for the fiance, because she's always ditching him for Koichi and her work. She should be able to have a fulfilling job and get married and have free time. I wish they had developed Koichi's angst more, but I don't know if he could have pulled off the acting of it... He probably could. I should watch more Koichi dramas.
Gekiranger
xxlithiumflower is to blame for this one. It's a sentai series, but it's super awesome crack. And there are pairing and threesome possibilities galore. I watch this whenever I need a pick me up.
2. How awesome is Yasuko to Kenji? So awesome!! Even the main girl's lack of believable acting and Ohkura's "I look pretty so I don't have to act" can't bring down the INCREDIBLE AWESOME QUOTIENT.
Mabo and Ryoko playing against type incredibly well and hilariously. (I love Mabo forever, no matter what he does. And is it wrong that I kind of want to marry Ryoko's character?) A good set-up and good dialogue and interesting characters. I'm not so worried about a "plot" per se--just get these characters in a room together in various combinations, and I'll watch them have tea for hours. The formulaic, Gokusen-like ending, with the transformation and everything--I feel like I should think it's cheesy, but I don't. I love it, I adore it, I can't wait for it to happen at the end of every episode. Also I kind of want some kind of Bousouzoku vs. Yankee vs. Chiima vs. Yakuza thing at the end of the series. Like, as old-skool as they can make it. Oh, yes. Especially if most of them have to transform from their now-normal-job clothes. And Mabo's plastic faces are hilarious, but I do kind of want some more serious emotional scenes from him. (I guess I should go watch Love + Peace for that.)
3. Maou is not as good as Mawang in any sense. But I love Toma and Ohno and they're doing well. (I suspect Librarian girl is being badly written, and Kuma is miscast.) Mawang's only problem is that it needed to skip the first seven or so episodes where nothing happened and we weren't invested in the characters because they wouldn't reveal their secrets to us. Also I wish the plot relied less on the Detective's stupidity and more on the Lawyer's ambivalence or craftiness. But Mawang is beautiful, and a beautiful tragedy. (I haven't *quite* finished watching it now, so I'm curious to see how it will end, though I think it's pretty clear. Of course, my vote is for angsty threesome.)
4. I'm happy to hear the news about 33pun Tantei but what I really want Tsuyoshi to act in? Is a period drama. Having this man, with that regular samurai character he randomly slips into, not in a jidai geki, is a crime against art.
5. Drama dump! I haven't done one of these in a really long time, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but here goes:
Hissatsu Shigotonin
Mabo in eyeliner being seriously badass. That's really all you need to know. Higashiyama is his usual amazing self, and Ohkura is there too.
Silence
Vic Zhou is hot. There is lots of angst. Also there are lots of contrivances to keep the main characters from having their True Identities revealed to one another, a lot of the contrivances making me shout at the screen. But it's really almost kdrama-like in its fake brother-sister incest and fatal illness plot, so if you like those, you'll like this. There is death of a major character though, so beware. Also, watching this and "Aishiteru to Itte Kure," I learned that Chinese and Japanese sign language is similar! Neat!
Hero movie
So goooood. Mmmm, like tasty chocolate after a long day of craving. Everyone is back and totally themselves and it's just--great to see them again. The ending is kind of wtf, but also squee. And also HOW COULD YOU END IT THERE.
Yo, Sushi Ouji!
I'm sorry, but I think kanji misreading jokes are hilarious! The running jokes were also great. And how it poked fun at itself and the genre.
Funny and fun. I like Nakamaru better now. Narimiya Hiroki was as usual awesome. The end made me cry. OMG movie in New York. Comedy gold! Tokyo was funny enough!
Also the sushi techniques. LOL. HE CAN MAKE SHRIMP MOONWALK ONTO YOUR SUSHI.
Koichi's performance was really great! I was very impressed, especially as I was simultaneously watching him FAIL at acting in Wakaba no Koro. Well, he didn't fail all the time, just at some important places!
Wakaba no Koro
I love this drama. Kinki are so *close* to versions of themselves here.
But this was fairly painful to watch like Ningen Shikkaku, especially after the Tragic Event. (Like Ningen, before the Tragic Event, the boylove kind of balanced out the pain.)
It's like someone sat down to write a Kinki drama and said, "We'll just change the ending of Ningen, and make it less gay... I know, add a girl in there! And make Tsuyoshi not die. But if he didn't die, then the two boys would be gay together--Oh wait, let's make them secret brothers! Then it's all right for them to be in love because they're brothers!" (OH JAPAN.) Seriously that was my joking mantra as I watched the beautiful, almost *painfully* beautiful Kinki love in this drama. IT'S OKAY BECAUSE THEY'RE BROTHERS. (I lost count of how many times I shouted that at the screen.) And I knew that they were supposed to be brothers from the first episode, even though THEY didn't know, inviting speculation into the state of normal "manly friendships" in Japan.
For the record, I do adore that best friend girl. (I wish Okina Megumi would come back to acting. I was so excited when I saw her guest on Iryu.) And I kind of want her to marry both brothers! Just like on that lovely threesome date they had right before the Tragic Event. She likes both of them canonically! The brothers love her! And love each other! WHO LOSES HERE?
Komatsu Eriko wrote this drama, she who would turn out to be practically Tsuyoshi's personal drama writer, and I think she showcases his acting abilities very well. Too bad his life sucks and he loses the girl.
Coffee Prince
I love this drama. Everyone loves this drama. The cast is awesome. The characters are hilarious and loveable. I want to marry waffle man, but I also really wanted him to end up with his first love, and the fact that she gave no reason for leaving him pissed me off. His new love is all well and good, but I feel like his first love randomly leaving let down his character plot arc with no resolution.
I was chatting with my friend while watching the Japanese waffle man:
me: haha japanese dude is fucking with the korean dude
me: two guys liking each other
me: "it's not considered weird in japan"
me: OH JAPAN
Haha, even the Koreans can tell.
Iryu
Teppei is adorable. I want to squish him. The plot was fun to watch play out, but I wish there had been more *character* and relationship development. As it was, it was enjoyable on a comic book, over-the-top level. Hee. Abe Sadawo, as usual, is my favorite. ::licks him::
Lovely Complex
I loved the Osaka-ben. I felt so at home! Teppei was great. The lead girl was mostly good, even if I felt like she couldn't pull off the Osaka-ben sometimes, or maybe that was just her lack of firm line delivery at times.
The plot was typical teen romance, but played out so well. It made me cry, and it was hilarious, and I just loved it. I highly recommend.
Maiko Haaan
Oh, Kudo Kankuro. Oh, Abe Sadawo. Oh--Tsutsumi?? Haha, anyway, Tsutsumi did a great comedic job, and Shibasaki Kou pouted cutely. The whole revelation of parentage thing was a little creepy, but on the whole this was typical Kudo Kankuro fun. Prepare for crack and musical numbers. Abe Sadawo's put-on Kyoto-ben was so amazingly annoying, I was impressed. Is there anything this man cannot do as an actor? I want to see him in a straight dramatic role sometimes. Like a nimaime romantic lead role or a police procedural or something. I bet he would be batsugun.
Hakusen Nagashi
So I finished the drama and I have all the specials sitting on my hd, waiting to be watched, but I just cannot bring myself to do it. There's just no *progress* in the relationship development, it's just so BORING. GOD. Um. Nagase is pretty? But everyone else is FREAKING BORING. Yes, yes, becoming an adult is a beautiful thing, but just--I don't need to see every moment of that. I don't feel these people and their relationships and their problems are really worthy of filming. Also, I want Nagase and that girl to get together already, so we can have some REAL DRAMA.
Bara no nai Hanaya
Beautiful. Loved it to death. I must watch all of Nojima Shinji's dramas STAT.
Shingo impressed me. Takeuchi Yuko delivered as usual. (She's my favorite!) Shizuku was marvellous. And the supporting characters were wonderful as well.
But um, Shizuku should totally live with her dad at the end of the series HELLO.
Legend
darkeyedwolf convinced everyone with her pimp posts, and for a few days, I could do nothing but mainline this drama. And in many ways, it was very very good. (I could have done with a little less detail in the politicking and battle maneuvers.) Beautiful cast and sets as well.I am kind of horrified to find myself in the ranks of Yon-sama fans, but I can't deny he got me. I'm a fan. That doesn't mean I'm an obasan! ...Right? (That also doesn't mean I'm going to watch Winter Sonata if I can help it.)
The main thing that bothered me about this drama was the unresolved dramatic irony that kept apart the main couple of Damduk and Kiha. Sujini/Damduk shippers can argue all they want, but until the last 3 episodes, the writer was *clearly* wanting the audience to ship Damduk/Kiha. I could list the evidence, but it's too numerous. (Let's just say that dreams and psychic long-distance reactions are a Writerly Hint of OTP.) In the last 3 episodes, the writer changed heavily to Damduk/Sujini shipping without ever resolving the Kiha thing. I just kept waiting for the moment of revelation where Damduk would find out he misjudged Kiha and would be sorry, but the payoff just never came.
That's one of the reasons that I like the original unfilmed ending so much better than the real ending. Besides, WTF even happened in the real ending? What kind of ending is it when we don't even know if our main characters survived, much less how they're living the rest of their lives, their relationships to each other, what happened to the divine powers, etc. In a story like this, after all that build-up, it's just *bad storytelling* to not tell us. We shouldn't have to speculate and fanwank so much. But seeing as how everyone was injured, and filming was hard, I forgive them.
Sa Ryang is my favorite! I want a Sa Ryang spin off/backstory!
Love & Eros
I'm almost done with this drama, and it's a compelling study of a younger man breaking up an engagement. I feel *really bad* for the older brother fiance.
Nagase is a GIANT WOOBIE. OMG. And there are some scandalous sex scenes for jdrama. Many of them initiated by Nagase's character, who seems to have been socialized that he's supposed to say thank you to strangers with his body. Or else, that his body is all he feels he has to offer. I think Nagase already has his tattoo at this point, so it's kind of amazing that he's naked so much without revealing it.
I really liked Hosho Mai in Miman Toshi, so it makes me sad that she's playing this kind of needy stalker girl here and in Virgin Road.
Virgin Road
I think I mainlined this drama in one day. I love Sorimachi SO MUCH. I want to have his babies too, Christ. This drama actually made me *want* to have those little parasites. Good job, encouraging Japanese women to up the birthrate. It even got me! Damn those insidious drama messages...
Anyway this is a straight romance drama, but I really enjoyed it. It's angsty, but the cast delivers well. And just. SORIMACHIIII.
If you can get past the theme song (which is incredibly head-sticky but also incredibly lame ick Amuro) definitely give it a try some afternoon.
Security Police
Okada and Tsutsumi are good. When the writers give them a chance to shine, the rest of the cast is also good. The plot however, is bad. Hard to follow and many times pointless and holey. The whole arc of the show was just buildup with no payoff. Hopefully they'll resolve things in the movie, since the SP SP was a giant waste of my time.
Dare yori mo Mama wo Aisu
On
darkeyedwolf's recommendation again. This is a solid, enjoyable family series. I like all the characters. The writing is good.Papa was awesome. I want a husband like that. And since this role wasn't too stressful, Tamura-san didn't do his usual Serious Role eyebrow acrobatics. Thank God.
All the characters were wonderful, and the cast as well. I like the way the series challenges gender norms. Abe Sadawo is an okama who gets married to the family's older son. Yays.
The very last episode's main plotline with the youngest son is kind of a letdown, but realistic, and it's good to see people dealing with that positively.
Yume no California
This is one depressing series. But it's also cute at times. My baby Tsuyoshi keeps getting beat up by life and his own averageness. But it was nice sometimes how amenable he was.
I was really hoping for a threesome when he runs away with his two girlfriends to live at the beach. Because like, it *almost* went there. But, giant tease, instead of angsty beach threesomes, we get maturity and growth and going back to face their problems. Blah. And then growing apart! Nuuu. I liked the secret life of their friendship.
This drama also features Kudo Kankuro as Tsuyoshi's super cool older brother.
Gakko no Sensei
Tsuyoshi as a teacher! Of elementary school students!
This was an appealing drama. The comedy with him and Takeuchi Yuko was good. The children's plots were relatively well done. I really felt the bond with him and the kids. I just wish there had been a LITTLE more fulfillment of the romantic storyline at the end. Sigh.
Ao no Jidai
Tsuyoshi as a delinquent! I love this drama lots. Again by Komatsu Eriko, and again with Okina Megumi. Tsuyoshi is a giant woobie, as usual. The first half of the series, to do with Tsuyoshi and Megumi's twuu wuv, was more compelling to me than the second half, with Kamikawa-san's Jekyll/Hyde antics. Although Ando Masanobu in the second half was some quality stuff.
Remote
Oh, Koichi. He was not so much with the acting here. But there wasn't a lot of opportunity. This was an enjoyable series in that you did not have to think at all. And more importantly, there was minimal emotional involvement with the characters. After the emotional rollercoasters of other dramas, it's nice to just watch a procedural where you can emotionally relax. Fukakyon plays her usual character here, and she's maybe SLIGHTLY less annoying when she's being cute with her fiance. But then I feel bad for the fiance, because she's always ditching him for Koichi and her work. She should be able to have a fulfilling job and get married and have free time. I wish they had developed Koichi's angst more, but I don't know if he could have pulled off the acting of it... He probably could. I should watch more Koichi dramas.
Gekiranger
xxlithiumflower is to blame for this one. It's a sentai series, but it's super awesome crack. And there are pairing and threesome possibilities galore. I watch this whenever I need a pick me up.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-14 06:54 pm (UTC)Mabo's main weapon is *chopsticks*. Also the ninja girl he spars with is seriously cool. And Higashiyama's family problems as a mukodono are adorably entertaining.
I love SP simply because it feels epic.
That was my main problem with it, I guess, that I could see the potential, that sometimes it was so good, and it ALMOST got there, but didn't quite. Right up until the last scene, I was hoping for some big revelation on the part of the writers that would Make Sense of everything before, but what we got wasn't enough.
I thought the end was both too predictable and completely random.
Me too! Like you knew that certain things were going to happen, but the WAY they happened was kind of wtf.
Yay dramas.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-14 11:56 pm (UTC)