14 sai no Haha [14歳の母] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Watched it from beginning `til end every week on TV and was always looking forward to the next week.
This turned out to be a very nice adaptation of the manga itself and also very well brought by it`s cast.
A story that is bound to make you think about life itself but also your relation with your own parents or with your children. | 2nd Hausu [2nd ハウス] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) This is an adult drama, dealing with the life of a pathetic salaryman. It`s probably going to get underrated but it`s fairly entertaining so far. Although this is a 20 years old+ drama.
It was actually quite entertaining. Would not say it`s a must see, but nevertheless was entertaining while it was airing. | 33pun Tantei [33分探偵] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) One of those you either like or don't! I loved it! |
Ai no Uta [あいのうた] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) Being that I really like Kanno Miho, of course I couldn`t resist watching this. So far.. not too bad. I love her character (which is ver unlike her) bt the story itself can get boring at times.
After completeing this, I must say while I cried at parts, it was not worth my time watching all that much. It wasn`t something I was lookig forward to see everyweek. But, the cast of actors makes up for the story.. | Aikurushii [あいくるしい] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) A nice family drama. Nothing too big, nothing too small. Just ok!
Doesn`t figure in my favorites but if you feel like a nice family drama, I recommend it. | Akimahende! [あきまへんで!] Rating: 8/10 (Bought) Nice cast of actors worth mentionning, light hearted story worth watching when you have time. |
Antique [アンティーク〜西洋骨董洋菓子店] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Was a bit taken aback by it's format at first but was very surprised by the ending reuslt of the way the cuts were and the way it was acted. Overall very sweet drama with great cast! | Atashinchi no Danshi [アタシんちの男子] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out better than expected, I already knew all the cast members from other works and they *huggles Okada* brought a lot of fun moments. It was nice to look forward to everyweek. | Bambino! [バンビーノ!] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Bambino was ok. I wouldn`t say it was a great drama though.
The cast was interesting with a mix of veterans and new comers, and the topic (food) was also interesting to start with but the way the drama unfolded was cliche and too predictable. It would have been 100x better if we could have at least tasted the food I think.
Not bad, but not my favorite either. |
Bara no nai Hanaya [薔薇のない花屋] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Well as much as I love Shingo, this wasn't his best drama. It is however a nice tear jerker for sure.
There are just some plots element that are... well too complicated for what they should be really. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a must, but if you feel like a drama that'll make you cry (especially if you are a sucker for family relationships) than I recommend it. | Beautiful life [ビューティフルライフ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Simply beautiful! Very touching! Although I did think at parts that the acting lacked a bit... but it's one of those classics you can't miss! 9.5 | Bloody Monday [ブラッディ・マンデイ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Didn't expect much out of it yet still found myself waiting in front of my TV every week to see the rest. It was quite depressing to some extent but very realistic to another and also quite actual.
Nice cast of both new and veteran actors! |
Bokura no yuuki ~miman toushi~ [ぼくらの勇氣 ~未滿都市~] Rating: 9/10 (Bought) Everything you need:action, contreversy, a side love story never developped (thank you!!! would have been too much) and lots and lots of cute young actors! ^^ Very touching story, makes you wonder about a lot of things in life. Matsujun was very convincing in his first role, Domoto Kyoudai were simply brilliant, I miss Kohara Yuki! ^^; | BOSS Rating: 9/10 (Watched) My favorite of the Spring season this year. Turned out to be a very fun yet suspenseful drama. The cast was brilliant, the cases were intriguing, the guests were excellent (Yamada Takayuki for 2 whole episodes?! Weehee!) and seriously overall the making of it is also very well rounded. 2 thumbs up! | Buzzer Beat ~ Gakeppuchi no Hero [ブザー・ビート] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) watching this just to �_������ them on their non-existent basketball skills. The cast seriously lacks a strong presence...
After watching: Gotta love how camera angles can make it "look like" you can play basketball when you obviously can't. For once it wasn't a high school drama, but I still thought the main plot lacked a lot! Who the hell goes to practice violin in the middle of a park? Oh well...
The characters didn't draw me in, nor did the story.. too bad.. |
Byakkotai [白虎隊] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Byakkotai, a Taiga style drama during the Bakumatsu in 2x2 hours Specials.
A short yet interesting drama showing the lives of two young boys` ancesstors fighting for Aizu back during the Bakumatsu, the end of the Shogun era.
Nothing of great interest yet again nothing that was a total waste. If you watch it, you will enjoy it however if you don`t watch it, you are not missing anything important.
Great cast of supporting actors | Byakuyakou [白夜行] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Turned out to be a greater deception than expected. I love Yamada Takayuki`s acting but the story was way too farfetched, as in some things were simply not logic law wise, even in Japan.
That turned me down greatly... | CA to Oyobi [CA(シーI−)とお呼び] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out to be quite an interesting series. No major plot or anything but really likeable characters. The story itsefl was not boring nor�@great, just entertaining, which is what I wanted.
On thos nights were you have a little bit of free time and feel for a light comedy, I recommend this. |
Celeb to Binbo Taro [セレブと貧乏太郎] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Turned out to be more entertaining than expected. I just truly despised all the cameo appearances by some of the latest popular comedians... most of whom I really don't like because their skits are not that funny..
Other than that, this was an easy to watch light comedy | Challenged [チャレンジド] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) A nice simple drama. The whole ���ꂵ�� teacher thing has been done before but this brought it into a new light. Being a short series of only 5 episodes, it's easy to watch over a weekend when you want to watch something different than mainstream idol dramas. | Churasan [ちゅらさん] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) This drama figures amongst my favorites. The story itself, although extremely far-fetched at points, is very cute and the characters are endearing.
The actors gave such life and personality to their respective characters that it makes it extremely enjoyable to watch despite it`s length (156 x15minutes episodes). This is one drama I thought was even too short up to an extent. I always wanted to see more (and there has been 3 sequel so far).
A Big thumbs up for the cast though! Highly recommended |
Churasan Season 2 [ちゅらさん2] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) A very cute sequel to the first season. It`s a very nice progression to the story even though it was short! Definitely worth the watch! | Churasan Season 3 [ちゅらさん3] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Yet another great sequel to this wonderful family drama. Highly recommended! ^^ | Churasan Season 4 [ちゅらさん4] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Yet another great sequel, wonder if there will be more! ^^ |
Chuushingura 1/47 [忠臣蔵 1/47] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Not the best adaptation of this story I have seen but still was worth the watch. It`s a nice 2 hours movie to watch if you like historic dramas and movies. The cast was nicely balanced! | Code Blue: Doctor Heli Kinkyu Kyumei [コード・ブルー] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Nothing great but nothing bad either. It was entertaining to watch each week but did not keep me on the edge either. | D&D (dangerous angel x death hunter) Rating: 7/10 (Watched) The effects are bad (or good for the time), the story is cheezy, but you gotta love it anyway! XD |
Dekichatta Kekkon [できちゃった結婚] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) I was... not really impressed with this piece of work really. Only to be watched if you have nothing else to do. ^^; | Delicious Gakuin [美味學院] Rating: 10/10 (Bought) Completely crazy and wonderful!!! ^^ | Densha Otoko [電車男] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) This is one of those that appaers once in awhile and that just nmakes everything else look so dull. This was really an interesting drama from beginning to end. While having seen the movie beforehand, I have to admit that this topped it by far. Welcome to Akiba world! ^^ |
Dragon Head [ドラゴン ヘッド] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Not a drama but a movie, but it was .. hmm.. not sure if it was worth the watch or not. Not bad but not good. Yamada Takayuki playing a crazy guy though was worth the watch. | Engine [エンジン] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Well worth watching!
While the driving and racing is more metaphorical than anything in the story, it is a very good drama about human relationships and families, life struggles, etc.
Kimutaku fans will of course love this, but even without being a fan, the cast will most likely charm you, especially all the children who are each very cute in their own way.
Recommended! | Fire Boys [ファイアーボーイズ 〜め組の大吾〜] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) The first few episodes are a bummer... main character tends to get annoying ^^; It starts picking up a little about halfway through.
Not one of those 'must-see' but enjoyable to some extent. I reallt thoguht the beginning dragged too much and the main character really can get annoying (as much as I love Yamada Takayuki). A very interesting and good supporting cast, good acting.. but the story really only gets better about halfway through. I salute the appearances of Oguri Shun and Matoba Koji! ^^ |
First Kiss [ファースト・キス] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) I was extremely eager to watch this series due to it`s incredible cast of actors but it became a bore very soon unfortunately.
Nothing to do with the acting or actors themselves actually, just the whole story and the characters didn`t get to me at all. It just felt like a remake of many other dramas before it. Nothing special.
And the "love story" was really bad..... | Five [ファイブ] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) While the story tends to get slightly repetitive and inconsitent in some parts (even if they try to say otherwise), the good cast of Shinohara Tomoe, Suzuki Sarina, Tomosaka Rie, Endo Kumiko and Chinen Rina kept it slightly interesting to watch. The charaxcters didn't have much dept or anything, nor was it awesome acting, but it was 'interesting'. Worth the watch if you have time on your hands. | Food fight [フードファイト] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) While in all good intentions I truly wanted to finish this, I failed tro see the point in getting to the end, even though I've heard so many things about he ending. Good up until a point. Notable appearance by Yokohama Yu (Johnny's Junior/Kanjani8). Other than that, just gets so repetitive it gets irritating.. ^^; |
Fuyu no Undoukai [冬の運動会] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) From what I remember of this, this was a nice special drama. Nothing extremely special at all but still it was worth my time watching it when it aired. | Ganbatte Ikimasshoi [がんばっていきまっしょい] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) A Nice little teen drama that had very nice moments. Suzuki An is as brilliant as always. Also a special mention for Junnosuke Taguchi for interpretting a role that was not destined to be his to start with. Came in halfway and still delivered a great job.
Makes me want to start rowing! XD | Ghost Friends [ゴーストフレンズ] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Hmm.. I thought there was a lot more that could have been exploited out of this drama. The fresh cast of actors was nice, the idea not bad at all... just.. I think it could have been brought a different way to be more entertaining... quite frankly.. the only thing that kept me watching this at the end was Nissy... |
Ginrou kaiki file [銀狼怪奇ファイル] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) If you have any intention of watching this nowadays, you most likely will be repelled by the very old style of it (It is over 10 years old now).
However, the actual cases themselves are interesting, although sureal.
Recommended for Johnny`s fans (Domoto Koichi, Inohara Yoshihiko, Miyake Ken, Akiyama Jun) who love to see how they looked like when they were younger. Put aside though the fact that they all acted badly back then. XD | Gokusen [ごくせん] Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) Better than GTO. Very good drama! The main cast is really impressive. Well worth watching again! | Gokusen Season 2 [ごくせん2] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Deja-vu.. except this time they liked Yankumi after the 3rd episode already. The only upside I noticed is that this time it had to deal with more personnal issues than the first series... but Sawada Shin will always remain 3-D gumi's leader.
Salute to Kum's appearance and to Nakama Yukie for her once again nice performance. Namase Katsuhisa was as hilarious as ever as the infamous Kyoto sensei... and I have to admit.. the ending was fitting!
But... long live Noda, Sawada, Kuma, Uchi and Minami |
Gokusen Season 3 [ごくせん 3] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) Giving it a try... mainly for the shits and giggles because I really still think Shin, Noda, Kuma, etc.. were the best! (And also what the manga is all about)
** After watching it, aside from a few cameo appearances from some actors that I like, this was again a big let down. Just move on to another series please... this is getting way too far from the original Gokusen manga... | Good Luck !! [グッドラック!!] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) I liked it! It was a cute drama, nothing very special but still nice to watch. The characters were interesting and the story not bad itself.
Not a must watch, but nice to see if you have time! ^^ | GTO [麻辣教師] Rating: 9/10 First to many other dramas in it's genre, GTO is a classic that no one can miss. Wasn't really impressed by the acting but still very well played in most parts. Nice cast of young actors |
Guren Onna [紅蓮女]
Currently watching, will review when series ends | H2~Kimi to itahibi [2〜君といた日々] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Fresh Cast of actors, all recently shot up to fame for either Sekachu or Water Boys I or II. Salute to te once again great acting from Yamada Takayuki, also a side note for Tanaka Koutarou for a nice performance in his supporting role.
The story itself was quite shortened from the manga/anime but overall well brought. The ending to me was kind of a deception, as much as I love romance, that wasn't quite it. I'm a sucker for unrequited love, but that,s aside the point here.
Good soundtrack, good cast, good story. All you need left is a bag of popcorn and your set for a good drama watching. | Hachi-One Diver [ハチワンダイバー] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) Gave it a try... at first it looked like it would be decent... it just ended up being a deception as expected. If you like Shogi.. you may enjoy this. |
Hachimitsu to Kuroba [ハチミツとクローバー]
Currently watching, will review when series ends | Haikei, Chichiue-sama [拝啓、父上様] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out to be an enjoyable slow-paced drama this season. With a cast of excellent supporting actors (Takashima Reiko, Umemiya Tatsuo, Takahashi Katsumi, Yachigusa Kaoru) and even the guest appearance of Mori Mitsuko, you can expect a great drama.
Not a must-see, but enjoyable! ^^ | Hana Yori Dango [花より男子] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) while it was not astonishing, this was definetely something for me to look forward to every Friday night. Great cast of actors, main actress wa simply brilliant. Oguri Shun IS Hanazawa Rui (couldn`t have picked better).
Seriously a nice little gem that stayed fairly close to the manga although they could have done so much more. Too short.. only 9 episodes.
And Domyoji is for once lovable `cause no where in the manga can I say that he was this sweet. And I am not talking about the main actor here but really about the character. |
Hana Yori Dango Season 2 [花より男子] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Okay, now that the series finally ended last Friday, I will review this.
I am personally half frustrated about this series, half happy. And lord knows that everyone that praises this one so high really do it only for the cast of actors and not even for the story. Fandom... a scary thing!
Having read Hana Yori Dango for the first time almost 10 years ago now, this is still one of my favorite manga of all times, and not just me. It`s not exagerate to say that I had been looking very much forward to this series.
Now I thought in the first season that the directors had shot themselves in the foot by making it too short, and also leaving out key scenes. They left out so much that they had to "rewrite" a lot of scenes. For example, Sakurako abducting Tsukushi instead of Junpei doing it.
Now that left me very sour in the first season, and then in the second season, they come back with Junpei! O.O Why?? I mean Junpei had a fairly big role in the manga but they had already used his scenes with Sakurako. What now? Of course they had to rewrite that too.
In my opinion, they did too much rewriting and they lost the main idea along with it. Trust me, I am not the only one in Japan thinking this way. Yes it`s a nice series if it`s on it`s on! But you`re talking about Hana Yori Dango!
When did Tsukasa become.... lovable? Tsukasa was always an idiot in the manga... yet they managed to make him... endearing to an extent in the drama. That`s something I will never understand. -_-
Don`t get me wrong, it`s was a good drama in the making (and expensive) but it just wasn`t up to my expectations. I do salute the cast however for a great performances through both seasons! | Hanayome to Papa [花嫁とパパ] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Simple yet lovely. While the main character (Uzaki both father and daughter) can get annoying at times, that silliness is what in the end brought me in. Surreal but sweet, a family drama with a touch of comedy all tied up by veteran actors and a young cast of promising ones! ^^ | Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [花ざかりの君たちへ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) The dramas just finished airing a couple minutes ago but that`s the time I needed to gather my thoughts after this extremely moving 2H SP ending.
I started (and finished) reading this manga many years ago and was quite happy to see it would be adapted into a drama (especially with Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma who have been somke of my favorites actors for years.. especially both in stage plays).
I was a bit dissapointed about the major changes of the story (why Mizuki went to Japan, how Sano finds out, how Nakatsu finds out and others, the lack of the sexual tension between Sano-Mizuki that is ever so present in the manga...) but in the overall balance, this still proved to be the one drama I was eagerly waiting for every week. The cast of actors were all interesting and it truly turned out to be a gem!
This is one that I will watch again and I highly recommend it. The ending had me crying too! ^^ |
HAPPY Rating: 4/10 (Watched) Very boring, there as nothing else on TV at that time and it was a waste of time.. tlk about bad acting too.... -_- | Hataraki Man [働きマン] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Even though I did not like the manga, the cast made me fall in love with this series. Well worth the watch! | Hero Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Not a real gem but still nice to watch nevetheless. Kouhei's addiction to tv shopping is kind of nice.. ads a tad of humor. Also Abe Hiroshi's as brilliant as ever. Definetely fun to watch. |
Hito ni Yasashiku [人にやさしく / 3ピース] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) To watch with moderate volume since about 89% of the dialogue of this drama is spent screaming and shouting.
A Heart-warming story about human relationships and family. The cast of actors were also well chosen for their respective roles making this drama very enjoyable.
Highly recommended! ^^ | Home Drama [ホームドラマ] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) It was.. interesting, a very slow paced drama, neither great, neither bad. Just nice. | Ichi Ritoru no Namida [1リットルの涙] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) A tear jerker for sure. All of the entries are from the real person who`s life is what made this story happen. Good cast of actors, defenetely do not watch this if you are feeling down as it will make it worst. Very sad.. |
Ikebukuro West Gate Park [池袋ウエストゲートパーク] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) IWGP was at first a fairly interesting drama. With it`s cast of young and refreshing actors (Nagase Tomoya, Kato Ai, Kobukuza Yosuke, Yamashita Tomohisa, Sato Ryuta, Tsumabuki Satoshi, and more) and of veterans (Watanabe Ken, Morishita Aiko, Haga Kenji, etc..) this was bound to have very interesting moments.
A very interesting look into street gangs although a little bit cliche at parts. The ending was unexpected but a little bit of a downer at other parts. Therefore 7/10.
Recommended! | Innocent Love [イノセント・ラヴ] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Inoccent love was actually worst than expected. The storyline was way too farfetched at times, way too predictable at others.. and quite frankly not really well tied in together. The good cast of actors is pretty much all this drama had...
6.5 | Itazura na Kiss [イタズラなKiss] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Cute drama. It`s the shame that the manga was never finished due to an unfortunate accident.
The actors are well chosen. Despite the poor acting skills, it's still enjoyable! ^^ |
JIN [JIN-仁-] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) In all sincerity, I give this a 9.5... wanting to give it a 10 but just can't.
This drama proved out to be THE gem of this season. No one was expecting much out of it, yet it kept everyone watching it every week. I know it did for me and all my friends here.
A very good cast, a great story development, charming characters. Aside from that creepy baby in a jar, this was just truly a beautiful drama to watch. The soundtrack is also excellent.
2 thumbs up! I TOTALLY and COMPLETELY recommend this drama. | Jodan Janai! [冗談じゃない!] Rating: 4/10 (Watched) After 7-8 episodes, I have finally thrown down the towel. I give up.
Yes there are some comical situations but overall, the characters are not worth it and nor is the story. Despite the cast of great actors this series has, they couldn't captivate me enough to want to watch more every week and so, I give up.
Deception.. | Kaette Kosaserareta 33pun Tantei Season 2 [帰ってさこせられた33分探偵] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Very happy for these four little special episodes! ^_^ Loved the Kansai ones! ^_^ |
Kaibutsu-kun [怪物くん] (Watched) Very interesting so far! ^_^ | Karei naru Ichizoku [華麗なる一族] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Very nice performance from the cast of actors. Kimutaku fans will like it, other people like me will still enjoy it. The only thing is I hope you are interest into economics and political issues as it is the main theme of the story.
Based on the book by Yamasaki Toyoko, the drama rendered the story much better than the movie did. I would not call it a must-see... but it is however worth watching. | Karei naru Spy [華麗なるスパイ]
You say Nagase Tomoya? I say hell yeah I'm watching this! Now what's left is to see if this is gonna be worth it... and so far after two episodes, this is soooo much fun!
Will review after series ends. |
Keishicho Sosa Ikka 9 Gakari Season 1 [警視庁捜査一課9係] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) This turned out to be quite an interesting drama, it`s a shame that very few people have had a chance to watch it since no one ever posted it up on the net. -_- | Keishicho Sosa Ikka 9 Gakari Season 2 [警視庁捜査一課9係 2] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Such a shame very few people got to see this! It was a very nice follow-up to the first season from last year! ^^ The cast was well chosen and the stories were very interesting again! ^^
Good! ^^ | Keitai Sosakan Season 7 [ケータイ捜査官7] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Just ended airing last week and I have to say I actually enjoyed most of this show�@enough to give it a 8.5 for the totally crazy idea and awesome cellphones!! (My current cell phone since this started airing IS Zero-one! And it comes with attachable legs too! I love this country sometimes!) |
Kiken na Aneki [危険なアネキ] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) Bored me towards the last episodes, same thing over and over again gets tiring. I watched the end with pain because I needed to finish it but qite frankly, I could have lived without seeing it. | Kimi wa Petto [きみはペット] Rating: 9/10 (Bought) Once again, Matsumoto Jun has proved his acting ability but also his super dancing ability. A light hearted story that is definetely worth the watch. | Kindaichi shonen no Jikenbo (2005) [金田一少年の事件簿] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Well, Kindaichi is Kindaichi! It`s always interesting to watc, no matter who is doing it. There were better times but it was still a nice little special! ^^ |
Kindaichi shonen no jikenbo 1 [金田一少年の事件簿 1] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Always fun to watch kindaichi! | Kisarazu Cat's Eye [木更津キャッツアイ] Rating: 10/10 (Bought) 10... probably one of the first time I've ever given a perfect score.. and not because the actors are cute (cause they are!). I had very few expectations before watching this drama, or actually expected something completely different I guess. Already 5 minutes into the first episode, you'll be crying your eyes out from laughing too much. The characters are really endearing, unreal and yet somehow it makes perfect sense when you watch it. Keep in mind though that this is very Japanese and exaggerated in the way an anime usually is.
Okada Junichi also puts up a wonderful performances from A to Z. Talk about a natural, it didn't feel like an act at all. And I have to say all of the actors felt very natural toghether, like a bunch of friends that really grew up toghether.
Very touching story, will make you cry and laugh for sure. Must see! | Koishite Akuma [恋して悪魔]
The cast seriously lacks and so does the story.... and god what is it with Matchy's perm?! |
Koishite Shinitai [恋して死にたい] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) At first.. I was strongly annoyed by Fukada's character.. I really kept watching it because Tsuyoshi's acting skills are really good. I still didn't really like her towards the end (too.. perfect!! even for a stalker!) but I did like that it wasn't the 'perfect' story all the way. Wouldn't watch it again but still worth the look if you have time. | Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003 [高校教師 2003] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) The story in itself I thought lacked. Fujiki Naohito did put up a great performance.. his acting has been getting better. It's one of those you either like or don't. Very dark and really deals with playing with human emotions... it's all a game afterall. I do salute Narimiya Hiroki's acting... truly breathtaking.. not to say flawless. An actor to look out for. I do wonder though why some people say they still liked him despite him being the bad guy. The character is meant to be hated! If you like that type of guy (not the actor.. the character) then you truly should consult a psychaetrist! Brilliant performance! | Kuitan [喰いタン] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) The first episode had me crying of laughter after 10 minutes into it. Higashiyama-san is just that awesome! ^^
Not a huge story developement, but a nice series to watch and relax! Don`t miss it if you feel for light drama. ^^
Lots of very funny parts.. references to Kindaichi shounen (laughs). Lots of very yummy looking food! ^^ The characters are quite fun!
Glad there is going to be a second season of this too! The cast were well chosen for this drama and it turned out to be the gem of last winter. |
Kuitan Season 2 [喰いタン 2] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out to be a TV diner compared to the banquet the first season was. The stories and cases wren`t as interesting as the craze was last year but, the character development however did make up for that gap!
And who can complain, hot guys, kindaichi, mysteries, food and one hell of a good cast of actors! | Kurosagi [クロサギ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Actually quite interesting, a good render of the manga.
The cast was well chosen, even if I doubted the choice of yamashita Tomohisa, he has proven that his acting skills have seriously gone up in the past few years.
The supporting cast was simply brilliant in every way possible. The ending leaves you a little bit dissapointed but then, just read the manga to know the rest! ^^ | Last Friends [ラスト・フレンズ]
Will have a look, will review when series ends |
Long Love Letter [ロング・ラブレター〜漂流教室] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Very unexpected drama for it's title, it still held some very good moments. This alternate-reality based drama is bound to make you think about a lot of different things but mainly about human relationships and survival situations.
Interesting and recommended! (Nice cast!) | Love Shuffle [ラブシャッフル] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) An adult drama that turned out much better than expected. I truly am giving this a 8.5 because I really enjoyed it but it would not go into my all time classics to watch. It a very nice comedy though and very easy to watch and get absorbed in. | Lunch no Joou [ランチの女王] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) This was a very nice little gem to watch! Seriously one of those cute, funny and nice drama to watch once in awhile! ^^ well worth every episode of it and gotta love the actors! Very nice bunch! ^^ |
Majo Saiban [魔女裁判] Rating: 4/10 (Watched) After 3 episodes, I can already say I'm not going to enjoy this. Something lacking in the making of it.. the plot is not that interesting either... I call quits on this one. | Maou [魔王] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) Fantastic remake! I am always very skeptical about remakes but this one surely proved well done. It had my friend and I glomping each other on our couch every week as it finished airing just because we knew we had to wait for the next Friday at 10. This was very addicting and my favorite drama of the year so far. | Marusa!! [マルサ!!] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Hmm.. this wasn`t what I expected at all. It had great parts, bad parts but overall a good cast of actors. It`s not a must see, but it is enjoyable to watc when you have time. |
Meguri ai [めぐり逢い] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) An adult drama that deals with romance. A strong relationship never dies and you never forget someone you really love.
I love the very human and realistic aspect of this drama (up to a certain point). Predictable but still very nice to watch! (Fukuyama Masaharu... kakkoi!!) | Mei-chan no Shitsuji [メイちゃんの執事] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Decent.. but totally predictable.. even without reading the manga | Moto Kare [元カレ] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) This is one of those that after I finish it.. I still don't know where I stand in my opinion of it. It doesn't have a very deep story, a quite frankly way too annoying/possessive girlfriend, and a developpement of the story that sort of drags. A do salute the great cast of Domoto Tsuyoshi, Uchiyama Rina and Hiroko Hirosue.. but.. for some reason this won't go into my favorites.. |
Mukodono! [ムコ殿/女婿大人] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) At first I couldn't stand the silliness of Yuichiro (Nagase's character) but I've grown to like him thoughout the series. Some parts are very touching and I was also surprised to see Aiba in this drama about superstars dating since he himself, had a similar story come out in 2002. (although without the happy end). Very nice drama! Just a tad over-acted maybe.. ^^; Still worth the watch.. don't expect anything too serious.. | Musashi [武蔵] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) A very good Taiga drama with a cast of incredible actors.
Ichikawa Shinnosuke (Ichikawa Ebizo since 2004), well known Kabuki acotr in Japan, has proved that he could perform just as well in front of a camera than he can in a theatre. As a kabuki actor, he can show his emotions very well in his face making his performance breathtaking.
Supporting actors like Tsutsumi Shinichi, Abe Hiroshi, Yonekura Ryoko, Matsuoka Masahiro, Miyazawa Rie, Nakai Kiichi, Takashima Masanobu, Uchiyama Rina, Nakayama Yukie, Fujita Makoto and so on, made this a real pleasure to watch.
While the pace of this drama is very slow, it will make you think about different things in life. It was a very enjoyable drama and I recommend it to anyone who likes Taiga dramas. | My Boss, My Hero [マイボスマイヒロ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Took me awhile to decide to review this but it was because I was a little sour about the ending of the series last week.
To start: Excellent drama, had hilarious, stupid, unpredictable, touching moments all over it. The characters are very endearing not to mention the style fitting the story very well.
The story may sound very ridiculous to start with but does convey a good message within it. It is�@however a comedy so keep that in mind.
Nagase Tomoya proves that he is a very versatile actor yet again (and damn is it me or is he getting hotter and hotter when he doesn`t have the Rambo hairstyle (which he just got back again)) along with a fresh cast of young actors that, well, made it interesting. XD
The ending left me sour, but that is me, I just wished the series would have never ended is more like it. ^^ Maybe next year we will get to witness a Special drama? ^^ |
Mystery Minzoku Gakusha Yakumo Itsuki [ミステリー民俗学者八雲樹] (Watched) Will review when finished watching | Never Land Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched) I am quite amazingly giving this a nine. Why? I'm still wondering myself. I guess I mainly give this nine towards Miyake Ken for his perfomance which I thought was outstanding.. especially compared to the others and that also includes Imai Tsubasa which I didn't really feel was convincing. The story in itself was by far really surprising with scenes that make you go through a lot of different emotions at once. Also I'd like to mention that Shingo looks adorable in a French maid outfit! XD | Ningen shikkaku [人間・失格] (Watched) |
Nobuta wo Produce [野ブタ。をプロデュース] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Half of this score goes to the main actress herself for her very cute performance, the other half to the charaters of the series (and not YamaP or Kame because I couldn`t care less about them.)
It was a very funny, touching drama to watch this season and I really enjoyed it very much. recommended if you feel like light stuff! ^^ | Nodame Cantabile [のだめ カンタビ−レ] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) The gem of the season!
Having read of course the manga first (and still reading), I was more than overjoyed hearing there would be a drama, especially starring Tamaki Hiroshi whom I`ve been following since WaterBoys the movie.
While the manga is excellent, it is hard to write a�@manga about music... without music. The drama gave me exactly what I wanted. Excellent music, the goofiness of the manga and a very well balanced cast!
Laughter from beginning `til end, this series is bound to become one of your favorites! ^^ | Orange Days [オレンジデイズ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Easy to watch, very touching at times and funny at others. Great acting from the actors that also learned a bit of sign language to get by! ^^ |
Orthros no Inu [オルトロスの犬] Rating: 7/10 A frat boy like Ryo playing a good guy?! hahaha I had to see this! Seriously after one episode it looks like it might be quite interesting.. it's a matter of how the cast will be able to deliver it..
[after watching] It was decent. Nothing that kept me on the edge each week yet it still had me watch it anyway.
A lot of the situations will make you think about human nature too.. which I thought was an interesting perspective on the matter. | Otousan [おとうさん] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Not bad at all, I really lked it, of course it does influence that they have good actors in it, except for Fukakyon.... | Oyaji~ [オヤジぃ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Short and sweet. Worth the watch when you have the time. ^^ |
Pride [プライド] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Not too bad.
The love story plot was interesting, the characters were also well built. The plot developed smoothly overall.
The hockey scenes were ok but not great though. Since there weren`t that many to start with, I just thought there could have been more effort into them I guess, but what can you expect? XD
Thumbs up for the cast of actors! | Proposal Daisakusen [プロポーズ大作戦] Rating: 9/10 Turned out to be my favorite this season! Quite surprisingly since I couldn't care less about YamaP.
The story was quite interesting and it was fun to look forward to the next episode each week. The main character (Ken) though lacked serious deepness but Masami (Rei) filled up that gap quite nicely! ^^
Fresh young cast, interesting story! ^^ | Psychometrer eiji 1 (Watched) Will review when finished watching |
Puzzle [パズル] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Turned out to be very interesting!
Was not expecting anything out of it really but really liked it. It's a good mystery show with some funny moments.
I recommend it for people who like mysteries, especially since every episode is a stand alone. | Regatta [レガッタ] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) Ended up watching it with no interest to start with.. and it proved to be right. I never could get into the story at all. A waste of time.. for me anyway. Doesn`t mean others won`t enjoy it but I didn`t | Remote [リモート] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Ironically impressed.
I`ve never really liked Fukakyon, probably never will because she only seems to be able to play that type of character. However, the incredible supporting cast aside this (the whole police crew actors are just awesome!) and quite frankly, a not too bad performance from Domoto Koichi.
I`ve had more chances to see him in stage plays than on tv, even without being a fan, the guy shines on a stage. I was actually surprised to see that his acting skills have improved. Maybe all the work in stage plays and musical as paid off?
Anyways, this is a quite enjoyable series to watch when you have time! ^^ |
ROOKIES [ルーキーズ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Since I love Sato Ryuta, I was bound to be watching this.
A Nice story about hardships and friendships through high school. Lots of it is over exaggerated (trust me there are no problems like THAT in Japanese schools) but it was still something to look forward to each week, especially since they were taping it 5 minutes away from my house! ^_^ | ROOM OF KING Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Light hearted comedy, the characters are what make the show! It's a nice time killer for those who are looking for a no brainer to watch! | Sailor Fuku to Kikanju [セーラー服と機関銃] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) I personally prefered the original movie despite the good cast of actors in this drama. It had a great start but ended up going below my expectations of it I guess. |
Saiyuuki [西遊記 ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) AWESOME! from beginning to end, it had me laughing and crying! ^^ It was truly entertaining and you gotta love Shingo! ^^ The cast of actors were simply brilliant put together, no amtter how silly it was. It`s not a masterpiece in the making, nor the acting, but talk about fun! ^^ | Samurai High School [サムライ・ハイスクール] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Watching... the line "You want to have my children?" said in old japanese was priceless!
Turned out to be more interesting than expected but mainly based on the fact that I was blown away by Miura Haruma's acting skills again. He just portrays both role very well and it was a lot of fun to watch the family scenes.
I especially liked the fact that most of the problems they were facing are very actual in Japan, even though exagerated. | Sapuri [サプリ] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) My roomate enjoyed it (just because she likes Kamenashi Kazuya), I personally wasn`t all that captivated by it (and I don`t like him).
Link? I don`t know! XD
All I know is that some parts of the story were really well though, like the plannings for CMs and all, but the whole love "hexagon?" (not even a triangle anymore.. I don`t know) Was a little bit of a drag.
The supporting cast however were very interesting! ^^ |
Satomi Hakenden [里見八犬伝] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Well worth the watch, respected the manga fairly well! Very glad about the cast of actors. ^^ | Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu [世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ] Rating: 10/10 (Bought) The best tear-jerker I've had a chance to see in a long time. Truly an amazingly well brought story that will get your heart aching throughout the entire series. Truly deserves all the awards it won! Amazing acting from all of the cast, really. | Shukumei [宿命] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Not bad at all! Great actors! ^_^ |
Slow Dance [スローダンス] Rating: 4/10 (Watched) Could not bring myself to finish it... it bored me after awhile.. | Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi [空から降る一億の星] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) IOne of the few dramas I will ever give a perfect score to. I'm not much of a Kimura Takuya fan.. but I have to admit this was good. The story itself is amazingly intriguing and very captivating. Now figures amongst my top 3 dramas I've ever seen. | SP [エスピー] Rating: 10/10 (Watched) Can`t wait to watch. Okada Junichi and Tsutsumi Shinichi together again! ^^ Awesome!
It had been quite awhile since I saw a good Japanese action drama that didn't involve romance! This was blessed with a cast of incredible actors, a good storyline and a good concept and making. Completely worth the watch and looking really forward to seeing the movie finale! ^_^ |
Stand UP!! Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched) Could have been better but still worth mentionning. Good cast although I've seen better. Still worth watching | Strawberry on the shortcake [ストロベリー・オンザ・ショートケーキ] Rating: 5/10 (Watched) I guess I was expecting something more when I watched this drama. Takizawa's acting skills are way over-rated and I was expecting something better. Kubozuka is pretty much the only one worth mentionning in this drama. The base of the story was good but it just kept going in circles. Still good but could be better. | Suekko chounan ane san nin [末っ子長男姉三人] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Nothing really new. I thought it looked a bit like 'Mukodono' without the over-acting from the main characters. It does have a great cast to support it.. but I thought they lacked a bit. Koyuki's character (sorry been a few days already..) had probably the most interesting parts and role. Other than that, it was a bit too predictable. It does really only get interesting halfway through.. ^^; Still... it's one of those that you can watch and enjoy.. not really a must-see.. but enjoyable nevertheless. |
Summer snow Rating: 9/10 (Watched) One of the first dramas I have seen, looking back on it now.. it's a good drama just not as great as I thought back then. I'll still give it a 8.5 for a good story and a somewhat unpredictable ending, also for Oguri Shun's brilliant performance as a half-deaf kid.. that was some brilliant work. | Sushi Oji! [スシ王子!] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) So hilarious!!! ^^
I was quite surprised to see Domoto Koichi in a drama to start with (had been over 5 years now) but in the adaptation of Sushi Oji! AWESOME!!! ^^ The characters were awesome, the acting was so-so but that`s how it should be for this kind of drama anyway. The effect were pretty cool! ^^
I still prefer seeing Domoto Koichi in stage plays because I think that`s where he shines the most, but thumbs up! ^^ He gave a really interesting light to Maizu Tsukasa! ^^ | Taiyou no uta [タイヨのうた] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) I cannot believe I hadn`t added this to my list yet. I guess I was sleeping last year.
Taiyou no Uta turned out to be better than I expected. Yamada Takayuki once again proved good acting skills even though he seems to always be put in the same type of characters lately.
The story was light hearted, a little twisted at some points and hard to understand at others but overall, it was enjoyable. Not a must see, but nevertheless fun to watch. |
Teppan Shoujo Akane [鉄板少女アカネ] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Not the best I`ve seen but not at all horrible either. You can`t expect much from this drama to start with epsecially when you have read the manga. It`s been done before..
BUT, still this managed to make me want to watch it sometimes and I eventually ended up seeing the whole thing. Don`t expect something serious, take this with a grain of salt and you`ll enjoy it! ^^ | The Quiz Show Season 2 [ザ・クイズショウ 2] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) While very similar to the first season so far, I have to give two thumbs up for Sakurai Sho for improving his acting skills a lot in the past years. The characters are much more well developped than in the first season, looking forward to see its ending! ^_^
**After watching: This was very entertaining and kept me at the edge of my seat everyweek. It created a lot of speculations between my friends and I and it was very fun. Good astory development, good pace and damn the boys' acting skills have become much much better.. and well.. the crying scenes are kinda gross but more realistic.. | Tiger & Dragon [タイガー&ドラゴン] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) So far, this deserves a 9 fully! Sort of a reminder of KCE in the style that it doesn't look like anything before it (except the movie Tiger & Dragon on which this series is based... duh!)
Rakugo in a rakugo in a rakugo. The plot developps nicely with hilarious parts and more emotionnal ones helped with the brilliant and great performances of Johnny's boys Nagase Tomoya and Okada Junichi also helped with an awesome supporting cast. Truly an interesting series to watch if you want to laugh hysterically for awhile. Not my favorite, but deserves a mention! |
Tokyo DOGS ~ Saiaku de Saiko no Partner [東京DOGS]
currently watching | Top Caster [トップキャスタ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Loved it this season! Cute, funny and ligth. The type of dramas that are really good once in awhile.
Good cast of actors too! If you get the chance, watch this drama. ^^ | Trick [トリック] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) One of those you cannot miss Just a simply great drama all over! Not to mention that the two sequels were just as great! ^^ |
Trick Season 2 [トリック2] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Just excellent! A Must watch! The Hiroshi x Yukie combi is just that good! ^^ | Trick Season 3 [トリック3] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) How can you not like Trick? It has everything you need! A truly great series! ^^ | Tsuhan-Man Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Will review further when done watching.For some reason I expected nothing out of this series and yet I completely fell in love with it, even if it was a bit 'too much' at times. Mostly good to watch if you want to laugh slightly and enjoy a slow paced drama. |
Voice [ヴォイス] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Better than expected, found myself crying a lot in this. Good cast of actors, nice characters and well brought story. Recommended | Watashitachi no kyokasho [わたしたちの教科書] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out better than expected! Thumbs up to Kanno Miho for a great job! ^^
The story revolves around the death of a young girl which is presumed to have been cause by bullying in school. Her former step mother (Miho) and also lawyer decides to take on the case and drag the school down.
Unexpected ending! Great cast of young actors mixed with excellent actors. Brought me to tears a few times! | Water Boys [ウォーターボーイズ] Rating: 9/10 (Watched) Why a 9? .. hmm.. although the idea is not completely original since the movie existed before it, I have to salute the work of the boys still for putting up a great show. Parts of it really cracked me up.. quite hilarious. Overall it gave me a nice feeling once I got done with it and I strongly recommend it to anyone who were either fond of the movie, or even don't know what this is yet.
A lot of stuff is always happening without it being the main focus, people should really opay attention to the Flying Fish Trio XD They are hilarious. ^^ |
Water Boys Season 2 [ウォーターボーイズ2] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Sort of a let down. While I truly enjoyed the movie and the first series, this became slightly redundant. Notable acting from some young actors but nothing to get me hooked. The performance wasn't anything much more extraordinary either than the first two, except the 5 stories pyramid. | Yakusha Damashii [役者魂] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) At first, I thought this sounded like a fun drama, and I have to admit I enjoyed it up to a certain point... but it was a very predictable one too and seriously lacked in a lot of aspects. Even Matsu Takako cannot make up for that gap. | Yamada Taro Monogatari [山田太郎ものがたり] Rating: 7/10 (Watched) Not bad, not great... just ok!
I liked the manga better quite frankly but this had it`s cute moments. Gotta love the cast though! The kids are adorable! ^^ |
Yamato Nadeshiko [やまとなでしこ【大和撫子】]
Will review when finished watching | Yan Papa [やんパパ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) A very cute drama, did bring me to tears at least once.
While a fairly cliche story in a way, it still had an interesting twist to it. The characters were well developed and endearing.
Worth watching if you have the time, a nice family story! | Yankee-kun to Megane-chan [ヤンキー君とメガネちゃん] (Watched) Watching.. they film loads of scenes where I work which makes it even more worth it! ^_^ |
Yaoh [夜王〜YAOH〜] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Turned out to be truly interesting starting about halfway in the drama. I wouldn`t say ti was great, but it was sure fun to watch every week when it aired. Very nice adaptation of the manga! ^^ | Yoiko no Mikata [よい子の味方] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Same old story kind of a bit. Well, not really because this one is familiar, but the whole guy in a girl job or girl in a guys job is old to me I guess. Besides, even with the nice idea, I still thought it was a bit too much. No real depth or anything that hooked me truly. It still desrves watching for the eye candy of Sakurai Sho . | Yome wa mitsuboshi [嫁はミツボシ] Rating: 8/10 (Watched) Truly a fun drama to watch. While the story isn't really intriguing, it does have it's sweet moments. The characters are endearing, the main actress is really pretty (Kimura Yoshino) and the story overall well brought. It one of those that's fun to watch when you have time.. with some hilarious moments. ^^ |
Yoshitsune [義経] Rating: 6/10 (Watched) Hmm.. why such a low score. I`m not sure myself.. it`s nt that it wasn`t interesting, but with the tremendous cast of actors (still not talking about the main actor here), I was expecting much more from this I guess.
It`s good history wise if you didn`t know about that time. the supporting cast is good, Watari Tetsuya (kiyomori) put up a brilliant performance.
Other than that, it is a very long drama, lots of lenghts that I didn`t like. So here`s a 6/10 | Zettai Kareshi [絶対彼氏] Rating: 6/10 Wouldn't put it in my favorite list but turned out better than expected...
Even then.. it's not a must watch.. | |