Just finished Tantei No Tantei. Will be on a two week break from dramas since I'll be working A LOT, but looking forward to watching Specialist & Higanbana. Still debating on whether I should give Kaito Yamaneko a try.
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Imoto-chan sighting!

Rinrin wrote:

Still debating on whether I should give Kaito Yamaneko a try.

Watched the first two episodes. It's actually pretty good. I guess that's what happens when you go in not expecting much. Kamenashi is sometimes a little too much over the top, but I really like Narimiya as the journalist that gets sucked into their plans. And the episodes I've watched so far, they've always thrown in a little plot twist so it hasn't been completely predictable.

Up to episode 13 of Sanada Maru.

The shifting alliance and political maneuvering are interesting but the way how everything worked out neatly at the end of each episode is a bit too perfect and not very realistic. The comedic elements are ok but not what keep me watching. Again it's the veteran actors who are most compelling, here it's the father, played by Kusakari Masao. He played Sanada Yukimura 30 years ago.

How's Rugged with Mana Ashida? Still in awe of her talent in Mother and Marumo.

maxcriden wrote:

How's Rugged with Mana Ashida? Still in awe of her talent in Mother and Marumo.

I don't think its been subbed anywhere. All I've seen out are the raws for the first two episodes.

Finished "Kaito Yamaneko". A lot better than I expected it to be. It got better towards the end, the last two episodes were the best. They left a lot of loose ends so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sequel or special somewhere down the road.

gaijinmark wrote:

I don't think its been subbed anywhere. All I've seen out are the raws for the first two episodes. Finished "Kaito Yamaneko". A lot better than I expected it to be. It got better towards the end, the last two episodes were the best. They left a lot of loose ends so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a sequel or special somewhere down the road.

Ah, that's too bad. Thanks for the info as always, Mark!

In the meantime, has anything noteworthy aired this year so far?

I'll check out Kaito Yamaneko.

I'm not sure if I've asked this previously, but did anyone watch Ghost Writer last year? Any good?

maxcriden wrote:

I'm not sure if I've asked this previously, but did anyone watch Ghost Writer last year? Any good?

I haven't watched it but it got very good review from what I saw. It was the best drama of the season according to some.

maxcriden wrote:

I'm not sure if I've asked this previously, but did anyone watch Ghost Writer last year?

Started watching it. Miki Nakatani is a writer with a severe case of writer's block and thru the course of events Asami Mizukawa gets hired as her assistant and eventually ends up doing all her writing for her. There's a twist with Tetsushi Tanaka as the publisher who is playing them off each other so he can get ahead in his career. Pretty good so far, should be interesting to see how it all works out.

I seem to recall that Geezer was a big Miki Nakatani fan. If he's still into J-dramas I think he'd really like this one.

only one Winter 2016 drama i caught up is Kaito Yameneko

but i am currently watch new Spring 2016 dramas-

99.9 -Keiji Senmon Bengoshi
Sekai Ichi Muzukashii Koi
Watashi Kekkon Dekinai Janakute, Shinain desu (Miki Nakatani FTW i love her since i saw her in Ghost Writer)
Juhan Shuttai!

Finally got around to watching Hanzawa Naoki. The villains and the way they built up the mood/climax were really good, but at the end of the day, it feels like only dramatized office politics. A lot of the acting was exaggerated, a lot of it was just about coming up with numbers, but that they made it work and kept the audience immersed is quite an achievement. I skipped a lot of the shouting matches after the first few episodes and going to stop watching after 7 episodes.

Started watching Love Song with Fukuyama. So far, so good...

I'm really interested in how Fujiwara Sakura's career is going to develop and if she'll take up other acting roles.
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Finished Okashi no Ie, a nice and slow drama.

Started Yami no Bansosha and really liking it. The first episode whizzed by and I was sorry to see the ending credits. Looking forward to the rest. Furuta Arata was excellent as usual.
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junny wrote:

Finished Okashi no Ie, a nice and slow drama.

Speaking of Odagiri Joe, started "Juhan Shuttai". Not really sure where they're going with this, Haru Kuroki is the lead playing an enthusiastic newcomer. Joe keeps up his tradition of having a bizarre hairstyle in every drama he's ever been in.

Also started "Our House". Mana Ashida is growing up. She's in middle school now wearing the sailor suit uniform. This drama looks pretty predictable. Mom passed away, Dad remarries, the kids hate the new mom, but most likely there will be some major disaster and the new mom will save the day and everybody lives happily ever after.

Sanada Maru, now up to episode 17. Nothing really special but Nobushige going to Osaka and meeting Hideyoshi and others has breathed new life into this and I am eager to continue watching. It's good to see Takeuchi Yuko smile again. She has aged a bit but still nobody smiles like she does. The veteran actors playing Ieyasu and Hideyoshi are doing a good job.

xploring wrote:

Sanada Maru, now up to episode 17. Nothing really special but Nobushige going to Osaka and meeting Hideyoshi and others has breathed new life into this and I am eager to continue watching.

A friend of mine in Kobe said the same thing. We're only up to episode 10 here and I've been thinking, "If this is supposed to be so much better than "Hana Moyu" they better get with it." It does hold the record for most scenes just showing a map with the narrator doing a voice over.

Watched "Yami no Bansosha":http://www.jdorama.com/drama.2175.htm

Usual good stuff from WOWOW. Arata Furuta was great as the manga otaku.

gaijinmark wrote:

A friend of mine in Kobe said the same thing. We're only up to episode 10 here and I've been thinking, "If this is supposed to be so much better than "Hana Moyu" they better get with it." It does hold the record for most scenes just showing a map with the narrator doing a voice over.

I feel Sakai Masato is starting to come into his own in the last few episodes, even though he hasn't had any new really significant challenge. The character development is lacking but there's room for improvement. I am looking forward to see Matsuoka Mayu and the battles later on. The maps they show are taken out of a computer game, Nobunaga's Ambition or something like that. They are ok, but some of the plot worked out a bit too easily/neatly. This is better than Hana Moyu I think. I only watched the first few episodes of that, it didn't centred around the main character Fumi.

gaijinmark wrote:

Also started "Our House". Mana Ashida is growing up. She's in middle school now wearing the sailor suit uniform. This drama looks pretty predictable. Mom passed away, Dad remarries, the kids hate the new mom, but most likely there will be some major disaster and the new mom will save the day and everybody lives happily ever after.

Now up to episode 3 on this one. It's okay but nothing great. Mana Ashida is doing her usual good job. I didn't see "Massan" which was the other drama Charlotte Kate Fox was in, but if her acting in that was anything like this the only time we'll see her on Japanese TV again will be as host of an NHK travel show.

Another sign that time marches on. Akiko Yada plays a mother with a son in middle school. When did Akiko Yada become old enough to have a son in middle school?!!?

Currently watching Sanada Maru (1-17):

I think that this drama started too early and is wasting way too much time on Nobushige's youth. The interesting stuff happened when he became older his youth was uneventful.

Most of the female actresses (with the exception of Matsuoka Mayu who will appear in near future) are too old for their roles though I like Takeuchi Yuko as Chacha (though I prefer Nikaido Fumi in Gunshi Kanbee, Nagasaku Hiromi in Komyo ga Tsuji and Takako Matsu in Hideyoshi in the role).

I am also looking forward to Matsuoka Mayu and I think that her role (Otani Yoshitsugu's daughter) should have been the main heroine and not Nagasawa Masami's Kiri role.
Speaking of Nagasawa: I think that her role Kiri/Naiki's daughter) is very annoying, self-centered and self-important despite not being the slightest of importance for the Sanada clan in the long run. She shouldn't be the heroine and her role is critisized on Japanese web sites a lot. She was already bad as the wonder ninja Hatsune in Tenchijin thus I don't understand it.

Sakai Masato is also miscast as Nobushige in my opinion.


I think that this drama has the wrong title. Why Sanada Maru when it centers on his youth so much? Characters who are actually important like Yoshida Yo's Komatsuhime, Matsuoka's character and whoever will play

Click on button to reveal/hide spoiler:

Sanada Daisuke

will get less screentime due to the wrong focus.

It is a very disappointing drama in my opinion. Definitely not my favorite Taiga and almost as bad as Hana Moyu.
My favorites still are: Fuurin Kazan, Gunshi Kanbee and Komyo ga Tsuji.

gaijinmark wrote:

started "Juhan Shuttai". Not really sure where they're going with this, Haru Kuroki is the lead playing an enthusiastic newcomer.

Started this one also. It's okay, nothing special so far. I notice Yoshiyoshi Arakawa is in this. He was also in the Juri Ueno/Shingo Katori drama. He seems to be getting a lot of work since he was in "Amachan". I guess that's how it goes in the J-Ent world. One popular drama, and everybody wants you. It seems like the last year or two every other drama has got either Kenichi Endo or Yutaka Matsushige in it. (Btw, Matsushige is also in "Juhan Shuttai")

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Speaking of Nagasawa: I think that her role Kiri/Naiki's daughter) is very annoying

I think there's only one drama I've seen where Nagawasa wasn't annoying. But it's been so long ago I can't remember it.
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