Finished Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou, nice short drama that is quite relaxing. Also started Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai, and loving Takahashi Issei in this.

Edit: finished Kishibe Rohan, very good if you enjoy weird stuff, and Takahashi was awesome in this. Iitoyo Marie was adorable and the music was very good.
_________________

Finally finished My Daughter can't get a boyfriend starring Kanno Miho (Aoi) and Hamabe Minami (Sora), more than a month after it ended.

Overall it was enjoyable for me, even though it didn't seem well received from the comments I read. Most of the criticism were aimed at the writing, and maybe how Kanno Miho's character seemed a bit clownish at times. I thought the writing is good, I liked almost all the characters, they were all interesting in their own ways. The highlight for most viewers was the budding romance between Sora and Hikaru, even though Sora was unaware of it until almost the end. I really enjoyed their relationship too but central to the entire drama is the mother-daughter relationship between the two leads. How they are so open and honest, how they banter and understand each other, etc. I thought that was very heart-warming, as is the support network of friends around them. Toward the end, I thought maybe this would have been better if it's not a comedy. Even though the lighter moments were enjoyable, the best moments were the quiet ones I felt. For the majority of the drama, it centred around Sora more than Aoi but in the last episode Aoi took centre stage. Was Kitagawa Eriko talking through Aoi about herself at the end?... It didn't come together perfectly in the last episode but there were definitely some food for thoughts. p.s. Hamabe Minami is very cute in glasses. ^^

---

I tried a few first episodes of the new season of dramas. Nothing really stood out unlike last season. I was already a big fan of Hirose Suzu, so I really enjoyed watching her in Nemesis. Was looking forward to Renai Mangaka, but Suzuki Ryohei's role felt underweighted and the dynamics/nuances between the leads were underdeveloped. Hopefully that will improve with time.

Started viewing (and subbing...I apologize in advance for any horrible mistake I'll make due to my poor Japanese ) "Yonimo Kimyona Kimi Monogatari...the 1st episode was nothing special, but the 2nd one is a lil' masterpiece imho!

Kikazaru koi episode 1 was very easy to watch, unlike most other episode 1 this season. I think it's the most promising of the lot. But I haven't tried the one starring Matsu Takako yet, that one has a lot of good reviews.

Started "Miyako ga Kyoto ni Yattekita!", very interesting!

pash wrote:

Started "Miyako ga Kyoto ni Yattekita!", very interesting!

Just grabbed a few eps today - seems like a keeper.
_________________

^

Watched first 2 weeks of the new asadora, Okaeri Mone.

Very quiet start to the series, but interesting nonetheless. Why did Mone leave home, and how did she and her family feel about it, that's intriguing for me. The series is quite slice of life, it felt like not much happened at all but engaging throughout. So far the story revolves almost entirely around Mone, wish we can learn more about the other characters. There seems to be a lack of colourful local community members, unlike some previous asadoras, hopefully they will show up in future. I really like Makita Aju too, who plays Mone's sister.

Riko High is the spin-off drama of Rikokatsu and it's nearing the conclusion.

It's about failed relationship or betrayal of two couples. Sakurai Yuki is great here, I have never heard of her before but it would be a waste of talent if she doesn't get a proper lead role soon. Her feelings and emotions were believable and relatable. What stands out about this short series is how interesting and funny it is while being authentic and poignant at times. It's short and sweet, I don't remember there being any filler scene, definitely recommended.

Renai Mangaka was really good in episode 7, if you can manage to get through the early episodes which had many problems.

Kikazaru Koi has been good from the first episode. Kawaguchi Haruna is likeable but I was impressed by Yokohama Ryosei. Their relationship is sweet and heartwarming.

xploring wrote:

Riko High is the spin-off drama of Rikokatsu and it's nearing the conclusion. It's about failed relationship or betrayal of two couples. Sakurai Yuki is great here, I have never heard of her before but it would be a waste of talent if she doesn't get a proper lead role soon. Her feelings and emotions were believable and relatable. What stands out about this short series is how interesting and funny it is while being authentic and poignant at times. It's short and sweet, I don't remember there being any filler scene, definitely recommended. Renai Mangaka was really good in episode 7, if you can manage to get through the early episodes which had many problems. Kikazaru Koi has been good from the first episode. Kawaguchi Haruna is likeable but I was impressed by Yokohama Ryosei. Their relationship is sweet and heartwarming.

Sakurai Yuki is underrated. She's been good in most things I've seen her in - she particularly impressed me in Monte Cristo Haku. For this season, she's also in Ichikei no Karasu as a supporting character.

I am enjoying Renai Mangaka despite how problematic it is, cuz the leads are fun together and have good chemistry.

Kikazaru Koi has that vibe that I really like, even though it's early eps for me yet. I am really liking Yokohama Ryusei's character, and have one of the instrumentals on loop. Kawaguchi Haruna is inoffensive in this one, and it's always nice seeing Natsukawa Yui.

Also enjoying Ichikei no Karasu even though the premise is unrealistic. And Coffee Ikaga deshou is nice and mellow.

Koi wa Deep ni's wasted potential is sad.
_________________

玉木宏、藤木直人、佐藤健

blog

I only watched the first episode of Ichikei no Karasu. Kuroki Haru was really good, but this series felt too much like Hero for me.

Third week of Okaeri Mone did not disappoint. The storytelling felt seamless, acting top notch. I really enjoyed it when everyone got together at Mone's home, laughing, drinking and talking together. Many characters were intriguing with their own story to tell even with limited screen time, looking forward to learning more about them. Next week is about Michi, I like her a lot.

I am really enjoying Kikazaru Koi, which is unexpected (considering this is from the scriptwriter who did Koi Tsuzu, which was shit). The drama is hitting all the right notes for me, especially Yokohama Ryusei's character Shun, whom I love. I am only up to ep 6, so fingers crossed the rest of the drama does his character justice. Yokohama is doing a fine job and has some nice chemistry with Kawaguchi Haruna, who is actually doing pretty decently (she's generally mediocre for me). The second leads are also lovely, as is the dog.

The instrumental "Your Story" is gorgeous, I love it and have it on loop. I hope they release the full version soon. Hoshino Gen's theme song "Fushigi" is growing on me too.

Outside of the spring dramas, I'm about halfway through Junjo Kirari, and have reached the expected separation point between the leads. Still pretty engaging though, so looking forward to the second half.
_________________

Restarted watching Uchi no Otto wa Shigoto ga Dekinai out of the blue. This is the one where Nishikido Ryo and Matsuoka Mayu played a married couple. Completely unexpected, the rap part in episode 4 hit it out of the park. Just wanted to share it with someone.

I stopped watching this years ago after the first episode but now I am enjoying it. Matsuoka Mayu is not on the small screen a lot so I kind of forgot how much I like watching her. It's encouraging to see Nishikido Ryo's character improving at work and see his effort being rewarded too.

Just started koi wa deep ni today. Curious about Satomi’s character and wonder why it’s cut short.

Finished Kikazaru Koi. What a lovely, heartwarming drama. I really enjoyed it throughout and thought the cast did very well overall. Kawaguchi Haruna did better than I expected, though there were still some emotional beats where I thought she lacked subtlety. Yokohama Ryusei was enjoyable to watch and I adore his character, Shun, and looked forward to his scenes. I think of all the younger actors these days, he's surprisingly become the one I sort of look forward to watching. The supporting cast was solid as usual and I enjoyed all their arcs. There were perhaps a couple of rushed points, but overall, I liked it. Very spring-like and fun, and the theme song by Hoshino Gen is lovely.
_________________

Yeah I was really impressed with Yokohama Ryusei too. He brought a lot of the nuances in his character to life. As for Kikazaru Koi, I enjoyed the first few episodes a lot but by the end my interest waned. Although I like Kawaguchi Haruna, I felt her character was rather forgettable at times, maybe it's partly due to the script not sure.

Watching Dear Sister now, this one is from a few years ago. Ishihara Satomi was great, her acting reflected her character so well, this has got to be one of her best performances I think. In contrast, Matsushita Nao's character was rather self-centred and unlikeable. The story itself is nice but not really special. It reminds viewers to value the people and opportunities they have, and also showed me how much people resent being told the unpleasant truth.

Enjoying Okaeri Mone too, but feels like it's meandering by 6th week. Wish we can learn more about island life and the main characters apart from Mone.

Hakozume episode 1 was so much fun. I didn't know police can be so funny lol. The ending was poignant as well, very much looking forward to the rest of this series now, and I wasn't really interested to begin with. Nagano Mei is so cute. The drama has a very good balance between the comedic and serious elements of police work/realities.

Kazoku Boshu Shimasu episode 1

Wow that went by in a flash, even though it was one hour. Reminds me a lot of Home Drama, which is special imho. I am not sure they got the emotions perfectly right but it was a great effort and moving nonetheless. Kimura Fumino was especially good in her role. Definitely a must watch for me.

I watched the batting cage drama too (Hachigatsu wa Yoru no Batting Center de). It was short, 23 minutes. Pretty good, but it's episodic in nature so I am not sure if there will be enough development for the main characters. The theme song and opening credit are great though.

Started watching Medaka again. Her speech at the end of episode 1 was like a thunderbolt that made my stomach clench, they don't make dramas like this anymore.

Waiting for new episodes with ongoing dramas now, Hakozume is clearly the best of this season. Episodes 2, 3 and 4 were all really good. I started watching Boku no Satsui ga Koi wo Shita too, the comedy about male lead trying to kill the female lead but kept failing. Those parts are really funny but the rest are not very interesting. Still, I am enjoying the drama and will continue watching.

Watched Okaeri Mone up to week 8. It's enjoyable but I feel it lacked character development, and the story focuses far too much around Mone (while not saying very much) and too little around her family and friends and life on the island. I really like Makita Aju despite her limited screen time. There is no hook or anything really compelling to keep audience watching like some asadoras in the past, but overall I like it and will continue watching.

I finished Ichikei no Karasu and it was overall enjoyable. Perhaps a mellower version of HERO, with characters upgraded to the judiciary. I wonder if a season 2 might be possible, given how the last episode ended?

Also really enjoyed Renai Mangaka, Suzuki Ryohei and Yoshioka Riho were so cute together!

Four episodes into Sakura no Tou, fairly typical police infighting drama, but will persevere for Tamaki Hiroshi.

I'm almost done with Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and am enjoying it, but I think it doesn't quite have the zing of the first season. I like Yoshida Yo, but I still feel Abe Hiroshi and Natsukawa Yui had that special chemistry that just can't be replaced.
_________________

Watching Saiai and enjoying it, really liking Matsushita Kouhei's performance. Might hunt for his other dramas - and if Scarlet is fully subbed, I will probably watch it.

Also watching Kansatsui Asagao season 2, liking Ueno Juri in the role, but don't think she and Kazama Shunsuke have any chemistry.
_________________