notpoetenough | Entries tagged with jdramas

I love this so much!!

3 dramas, best to worst.

1. N no Tame Ni
I read that it wasn't quite faithful to the book,
and we could have done without the central whodunit (it was more of a 'whydunit' anyway)
and all the banging away at 'N',
but. MINOR QUIBBLES.
Almost everything else was gorgeous:
How good was the acting. HOW GOOD WAS THE ACTING.
Kubota Masataka, Koide Keisuke... forever criminally underrated.
And, how do we love?
(And, more superficially, for us viewers/Nozomi:
Which is the person you love - the one you protect, or the one you're willing to be protected by?)
Asks the big questions, and (rightfully) doesn't leave us with easy answers.
The happier, more palatable Byakuyakou.
Beautifully shot too(!).

2. Nigehaji
Loved it all the way up to ep8,
when the pacing went haywire and it became a tick-box exercise in politically-correct opinions
(though it still had its moments).
Nevertheless, Hiromasa and Mikuri - and their adorable love story - are the heart of this.
Ordinary, awkward, fallible, with the weirdest of internal dialogues...
in other words, us.
Just a whole lot cuter (which is what romcoms are for, aren't they?).
My favourite bits remain Mikuri's underwear haiku and capybara comparison :'D
Yuri and Kazama were also great for the occasional sprinkling of introspective dialogue/chemistry
(THOSE SPARKS IN THE MUSEUM!!).

3. The latest season of Sherlock
Some redeeming moments (few and far between),
but plagued by the same problems as the past few seasons -
basically, that Moffat thinks he's way smarter than he actually is.
Painfully apparent, whether in the tired jokes about Sherlock and Mycroft and Mary,
the overused writing-in-the-air device,
or in the crimes (logic-defying, not Sherlock-esque at all -
hilariously, the last episode didn't even require that much deduction).
I don't know why I keep watching this.

Two recent dramas,
vastly disparate in tone but equally excellent
(well, I say "equally", but how do you compare, really?).

The Long Goodbye:
Two words: Tadanobu. Asano.
Being an amazing actor (and showing up Ayano Go in the process, lolol. Poor dude).
Banji the character is never all on the surface,
but this just proves that that is no excuse to be wooden.
Even quirks of an eyebrow hold meaning
(I actually remember thinking this during one of the eps, hahaha),
and every action and expression of his embodies the persona.
ON-POINT

Then the cinematography.
The noir trappings were taken a bit too literally... but that's a pretty minor quibble.
Breathtaking shots (that image of fireworks exploding behind Banji needs to be immortalised),
gorgeous settings and imagery and sounds. *O*

And this is purely a personal thing,
but I enjoyed watching a femme fatale (in the most out-and-out, unambiguous sense of the word)
in action.
Haven't encountered the trope in a while.
(Though it did make me wonder - yet again - what Koyuki in a properly non-ice queen role would be like.)

Oyaji no Senaka:
I'm actually only 3 eps in, l-lol,
but the quality of writing and acting on this series is so rock-solid
(I guess that's the benefit of being able to draw on different writers/actors each time,
though this could easily have turned out the opposite way),
I needed to at least write this down SOMEWHERE.
Lovely, lovely drama with a huge heart.
Cannot recommend it enough.
I actually thought the Sakamoto Yuuji/Yakusho Koji/Mitsushima Hikari arc
was the weakest of the three stories I've watched so far -
and that's not an observation you'd get to make very often.

In keeping with bad-J-drama tradition,
the last ep singlehandedly redeemed the series from its steady downhill slide.
I loved how everything was set up such that 413's sympathy for humans
was diametrically opposed to his survival.
Ack such great dramatic effect
(I admit, I'm a sucker for self-sacrifice and hard choices).

Pity about the rest of the show though.
At its best (cf. first three eps, finale), the series' heart and occasional insight made up for its flaws.
At its worst -
logical inconsistency after logical inconsistency, thinly-drawn characters, weak scripting.

Sigh. The things I watch for you, Ohno.

Lol the Shitsuren OST is the best release I've heard all week. Month.
LONG LIVE KEN ARAI

Shitsuren, ep3:
Yay for less insufferable characters this ep! (Small victories!! Lmao.)
I liked the glimpse into Saeko's lonely-taitai existence;
now I can kind of understand where she's coming from
even if I don't necessarily agree with her coping mechanisms.
Elena continues to be the best thing about this drama,
sweet and idealistic and just all-round qt. ;;

Several bright spots in this show (besides Elena):
1. Humour that approaches parody (such moments are few and far between, unfortunately).
2. The awareness it has re: its own structure -
e.g. loose parallels across different characters' scenes within the same ep.
3. The colouring!! So so pretty :3
4. Sometimes it throws out unexpectedly deep musings?
(Well... I can't think of any offhand, so they can't have been very impactful.
But I swear they're there, lol.)

Finishing Amachan is like saying goodbye to an old friend, sigh.
I will miss you, drama ;;;
You sustained your running length so unbelievably well -
snappy pacing, full-bodied plotlines that never outstayed their welcome,
characters unfolding organically...
and all with honesty, heart and unfailing optimism to spare. <3

1. INFECTIOUS CATCHPHRASES
(I confess I have caught myself spouting the occasional 'jejejeh'.
Also 'nda nda' is criminally underrated.)
SORRY FOR INFLICTING MY WEABOO LAPSES ON YOU, EVERYONE ><

2. COHERENT, COHESIVE PLOT
Links and overarching themes bring me such joy :>
Like the dualism of Aki&Yui, or Suzuka Hiromi&Haruko.
And, extended: Natsu-bappa&Haruko&Aki.
The exodus out of Kitasanriku and the exodus out of Tokyo back to Kitasanriku.
I can't detail everything here because there was just so much and I've probably already forgotten bits
but it suffices to say I loved both arcs and most of the storylines.
Not unwieldy in the least.

3. Excellent threading-through of Shiosai no Memory
(songs as major plotpoints - yet another thing I'm a sucker for, l-lol. cf. Fish Story),
and excellent use of Suzuka Hiromi's charity concert rendition to tie the plot up.

4. Spadeloads of Kudokan's self-aware humour,
(when something is a non sequitur, the writer makes sure you know /he/ knows)
and recurring jokes which ACTUALLY GET FUNNIER THE MORE THEY'RE REPEATED -
the whole ochimusha VS kagemusha gag, Daikichi's 'GHOSTBUSTERS!', etc.
On that note, it's wonderful how repetitions in Amachan always have a point?
Each situation in which a phrase is said (e.g. 'those who leave will not be pursued')
imbues it with an additional layer of meaning.

5. Depth that catches you unawares -
in frivolous conversations between characters,
in characters' reactions to things and the nature of relationships.
E.g. I find the Natsu-bappa X Chubee-san dynamic v interesting?

6. I adore the characters, every single one
(Natsu-bappa in particular, and Haruko,
and Suzuka Hiromi AND YAYOI-SAN AND MIZUGUCHI OFC
AND MASAMUNE IS QT AND HOW COULD I FORGET ISSON...
you get the picture lolol).
Even Taneichi eventually grew on me, though it took a while and I was still rooting for Hiroki to the end.
Aki's flightiness annoyed me somewhat but that's a personal peeve.

7. Great cast and acting.
I especially liked the way Suzuka Hiromi was portrayed.
Would say uniformly great if not for Hashimoto Ai,
who lurched from so-so to bad to ohhh-this-might-actually-work depending on the phase Yui was in.
I'm not sure she had a handle on the character?

FINALLY WATCHED ITTTT
(I actually need to get to Season 2 at some point, lol - maybe after Amachan...)
AND KOMIKADO IS SERIOUSLY THE MOST ENDEARINGLY ODIOUS CHARACTER???
This was everything I liked about Season 1 distilled into 1.5hrs.
So. Great. ;~;

Ender's Game was a near-religious experience, lol.
Doubtless (sadly so), nowhere as rich as the source material
(ugh they cut out most of the backstory [I WANT MORE PETER/VALENTINE :((]
and skimmed Battle School life,
and quite a few lines sound disappointingly cheesy/overwrought out of context),
but it was absolutely magical to see the (gorgeous) imaginings of
the Battle Room and space battle scenes and Formic worlds and the Giant game,
and to be able to put faces to names.
It felt as if I'd see the book with new clarity/cohesiveness if I went back and read it now.
Sigh <3

Amachan is so cute :3

Had me worried up to ep4
since it seemed to be recycling S1's tricks
(by now less of tricks, more of perfunctory plot points) -
the same fantastically-miraculous surgeries, flagrant(!!) disregard of patient ethics, etc.
Not to mention NO character growth whatsoever on Team Moriyama's parts.

Got more interesting from ep5 onwards, though,
with the kicking in of the succession plotline and its accompanying ally-hunting
(didn't come a moment too soon),
the most well-written case I've seen across both seasons in eps 6-7,
and Sachi's crush finally coming to a head.
Even if the aforementioned surgeries/flagrant disregard were still, well,
very much more glaring the second time round.
But yeah. Not bad, overall.

...and Sawamura Ikki's dimples are really frustrating?? /sigh

ETA: Hello there, SnR ep10 ♥

-It pays to have a protagonist people actually root for.
It doesn’t even matter if the setup is rather calculatedly maudlin
(Widowed mom who adores her children! Victim of the system! Works herself to the bone!
And… just wait for it… she's sick to boot!).
Not to be shallow,
but I'd have to like someone very much
for me to sit through 10+ episodes of her dealing with Serious Issues
(we already encounter far more lousy mothers irl than we would prefer to, after all).
Mother!Koharu is idealised, yes,
but her version of parenthood is so incredibly beautiful I can't bring myself to mind -
she’s strong, and tender,
and just – tries so hard and so seriously, and has clearly done an terrific job. <3
(There is so much we can learn here,
particularly in terms of listening to, and valuing, what children have to say.)
The best part is, there is a genuineness to it all –
these could be real relationships,
this could be you or me (if we were better people, hahaha).

Nao was impenetrably dour,
her conflicts (adoptive identity, reconciliation with her birth mother) far more specific than Koharu’s struggles.
Woman is a foray into similar themes –
what it means to be a mother/child/family member, the righting of past wrongs –
but tackles them in a relatable way and with more life
(if Mother was all dreary greys, Woman is earthy browns),
and sans Mother’s illogical+horribly repetitive take-kid-and-zao4 setup.

-Two kids are always better than one.
Nozomi and Riku are adorable (NOZOMIIII LET ME HUG YOU),
the acting artless (no Mana-esque self-awareness to be had here).
Also they are surprisingly comfortable with Mitsushima Hikari? :D

-It really does help to have more prominent male characters,
if only to switch things up a bit on a tonal/visual level.
...yes, despite the fact that they're all supporting roles
and one is confined to glowingly-sentimental [literally] flashbacks, lolol.

Other things of note:
-Ugikuku ;~;
-Shiori/Nikaido Fumi (though the resolution of the bullying issue was way too rounded, imo)
-This isn't unique to Woman,
but I love the fact that, for Sakamoto,
those undefinable, gauche emotions we tend to brush aside
are instead given their own space to breathe and RELISHED in all their glorious discomfort.
-I do wish he weren't so pointedly agenda-driven, though.

~~Lmao, apparently I have a lot to say about a drama that - while good - doesn't even touch Soredemo.~~

Toned-down Mitchell?! BEHOLD, IT EXISTETH
Haha but seriously.
There /is/ a sort of veneer of strangeness to some events,
but this fits with the boy-narrator
and Taylor - his struggles, his weaknesses, his choices - are vastly relatable. <3
Rings a lot truer than Mitchell's typical outlandish scenarios
(there's clearly emotional attachment here),
and it's nice to get away a little from his pet themes (apart from the indulgent self-references).

Characteristic diction and humour are still present
(where else would you find such scraps of literary genius as
'an awkward cow of a pause mooed' and 'as blotchy as a dying banana' lolol),
just age-appropriate and far more down-to-earth.

Woman, ep4:
This sprung some pleasant surprises.
The whole 'is Shin a molester' question was resolved in a hugely satisfying way,
and ohh the beauty of that juxtaposition of the Ugikuku story (ALL THE TEARS) -
even if I could have done without the sickness cliche itself, sigh
(Mitsushima Hikari is so frightfully thin here ;;).

Double Tone, ep5:
Lmao A++ for the most awkward kiss ever but drama remains fantastic;
I can't wait for the next ep.
IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE SOME CRIME OF PASSION I AM GOING TO SCREAM (AT IKUKO)

Starman, ep3:
I take back what I said earlier - this ep was really cute. /OTL
I think I've gotten more used to Sawa.

OT but I wish someone were subbing DOCTORS 2,
it's getting solid ratings and S1 was really fun(ny). :((
EDIT: EHHH was just saying this and ep1 has been subbed, this is great

Double Tone, ep3:
Asdfljw *O**O*
I HAVE QUESTIONS AND SHOW YOU HAD BETTER ANSWER THEM ;;

OTOH - Starman, ep2:
This setup makes me uncomfortable,
both logically (girl you're not even going to put together a less holey story beforehand?)
and in terms of the views espoused.
'Women aren't interested in what's "right"'? REALLY, baa-chan?
Hammer in that stereotype of women being emotional, flighty creatures, won't you.
And a single mother takes a random man she knows ZILCH about
into a home with three kids and an elderly lady?
I get the whole lonely/tired thing, but - quite frankly - that's utterly irresponsible.
(Dai is the sole sane voice in this shebang.)
Plus, did you not consider how unfair it would be to the dude
to force him into a life that isn't his/that he might not be suited for,
and to lie to him pretty much every other sentence?
The kids are qts but. Eurgh D:

Lmao these Strawberry Night shorts -
this franchise is so fab I can't.

Watched (IS THERE A SYNONYM FOR THIS lol I feel like I've used this word way too many times for comfort) Gohatto,
which turned out far more arresting than the plot synopsis/filming style would suggest.
Shozaburo's inscrutability (and thus, ambiguity) as a main character made pm every event intriguing
(a tumblr [? I think] user - 'I still don't know if he was the victim or a little shit' hahaha).
BUT BUT BUT.
That very last ending scene (with the Beat Takeshi monologue) should have been cut.
Lmao I'm trying to banish it from memory as I type this -
it did absolutely nothing besides cheapen the rest of the film. >:(

Hanzawa Naoki, ep1:
Sakai Masato infuses every move with so much steely (ponderous?) gravitas
I feel like I'm in a period drama hahaha (Ooku, maybe? Lol).
Idk how the plot's going to hold up over ten/however many episodes they're planning,
but this was a pretty promising start, imo?
The message seems fairly standard,
but Hanzawa is so awfully rootable-for -
I was legit chanting 'YES GIVE IT TO THEMMM' throughout that inquiry scene -
and Aya is hilarious and generally adorable
(a bit too bubbly at points? But still. Adorable. *O* ).
I like how down-and-dirty the financial stuff gets (even if it's just for laughs),
and how the hero ISN'T BATTLING THE SYSTEM ALL ALONE bc that would be so tiring to watch.
(I also kind of want to find out what he planned to do when he reached the top of Tokyo Chuo asdlifjw)

I DIDN'T RECOGNISE YUTO AT FIRST.
HE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A TWENTY-SOMETHING-YEAR-OLD?
WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?

Woman, ep2:
Cancer?? SHOW I TRUSTED YOU :(((
The tone so far is - sadly enough - similar to that of Mother
(though I wasn't expecting anything different),
and the subs seem to be missing important nuances of the dialogue,
but I love the dimension Shiori adds to the enterprise
(it's interesting because without her the show really could just be titled 'Mother' as well,
but I suppose a redefining of the relationship between Koharu and Shin is on the cards)
and Nozomi is lovely.

Watched Tantei wa Bar ni Iru and Fune o Amu on the plane;
have yet to see Ryuhei play a character that rouses him beyond languor lol.

Caught Platina Data too,
but was too distracted by the scientific implausibility of the premise to appreciate it. ><
Though it did confirm that Nino makes a much better Sad Person than Angry lmao.
Bought the Ryu scenes more than the Kagura ones.

I really liked the Strawberry Night movie. :D
The whodunit plotline lived up to my expectations.
Yeah the ~doomed love interest~ angle was sort of gratuitous
but the chemistry was fab so it wasn't even close to disappointing (apparently I am easy to please).
They didn't milk the splitting of the Himekawa team as much as they could have though.
I WANTED YOU TO MAKE ME CRY, SIGH.
(Though I for one would not want Himekawa as my leader lol.)
~~And ofc one obligatory screech - just one! - of KIKUTA-SAMA COME TO MEEE~~

Listening to D.M. rn and it's pretty good?
I mean, there's no urge to skip songs like there was for his other two albums.
And it's cute how Daichi is all happy kid while performing and 'yo brotha' attempts at ~swag~ offstage
(and sometimes onstage too haha).
Gaps are the best thing. :')

NEW LEO SONG ON THE 24TH YESSS BB IS BACK~~
BEG ON THE 29TH;
SPYAIR ON 7 AUG (PLEASE BE AS GOOD AS IKE IS HOT).

Okay. Hurricane.
It's actually funny because this is so far removed from what I typically listen to
that I couldn't even tell if it was good or bad
(I have yet to be able to get through a full listen of Fantastic Baby /orz).
Omona (mostly) says it's basic;
me - it has its catchy moments, and I like the use of Dae's voice
(e.g. the pretty 'oh's, the slight staccato on 'star')
and, upon further listen, Zelo's rap -
but otherwise... D:
+ TOO MUCH DAE, TOO MUCH
coupled with the unintentional hilarity of the MV
(some caper film-esque storyline would have saved it but NOPE
they decide to have random shots of members jamming in place/in party cars lol)
and the disappointment stemming from the fact that these producers are the No Mercy ones...
I'm assuming they're saving the big guns for the final song/MV so TS DON'T DISAPPOINT PLZ.
Not to mention all three title songs are different
so the last will probably be as far removed from this as this is from Coffee Shop.

Soratobu, final ep:
A blatant JASDF public education exercise!
(Much like the rest of the episodes, just in far greater quantities here haha.)
Interesting info, of course, and Tohoku rebuilding efforts are always moving to hear about,
but there's only so much characters can say before they become mere mouthpieces
and the audience feels like they're being conked on the head repeatedly.
Also: lmao @ the overload of character cameos and that dumbed-down, cheesy ending. ><

Remarkable (and nicely ironic), then,
that the SoraiXInaba relationship was beautiful precisely because it was understated.
Adorable, yes (:'D squeeee), but with a quiet heft/maturity
that light romances in dramas rarely possess. <333
The JASDF setting should never have taken centrestage at the expense of better-written material
(though I guess there's no way of knowing if the romance would have become less likable
if more screentime had been devoted to it).

Tumbling, AKA superficial thoughts on a substandard drama:
1. Seto Koji is not nearly as cute as I had thought he was. :'(((
2. Yamamoto Yusuke's bone structure is out of this world.
3. Kiyama is vv hot! (obvs I like 'em tall, dark and extremely serious)
4. Had Tomiura Satoshi's voice truly not broken at nineteen?
5. Can you really perform gymnastics while wearing glasses? O.o
6. I hated the way the show dealt with Mizusawa's involuntary outing.
7. Best parts of the drama (by far, lmao) were the performances by the real gymnasts. STUNNING ;A;

Sennyu Tantei Tokage, ep9:
COLOUR ME IMPRESSED.
This plot managed to go from insipid to pretty fantastic between eps 6 and 7?
I actually care what happens to the characters now.
(And managed to watch 3 eps in a row. O.O)

- Kai is the definition of bleeding heart lol.
OT but I really liked how his chosen profession matched his personality perfectly?
It made his decision to drop the cushy job so much more understandable.
- KaiXSae = OTP4EVA
GOODNESS COULD YOU TWO GET ANY SWEETER ;;
Perfect romance tbh (the parts before+when they're actually together, that is).
So much honesty, sincere support and excellent advice.
When the-gf-no-one-gives-a-hoot-about broke up with Kai
I emitted a squeak - alright, several - of delirious joy.
- The characters' scraps of monologue were written beautifully
(cf. Sae's lines about birdsong in ep1, Kai's 'better than a frog but not as good as Chemistry' xD).
- Kou played Sae amazingly.
And l-lol I'm actually mourning - v retrospectively - the Tsumabuki Satoshi X Kou breakup. :(
- Eita is adorable. :')
- The working of the signing into the dialogue/plot was surprisingly well done?
What with the switching amongst subtitles, characters translating for other characters,
and internal speech (where even the choice of narrator was significant).
And it was a great demonstration of how signing
can often be much more expressive than spoken words.

- The last two or so eps devolved into the mass of misunderstandings/bad decisions
I detest seeing in dramas. :(
- I feel like I've watched Nari Hiroki play the same character multiple times.
Likewise, the ShoheiXAkane plotline was qt but seemed a little played-out.

Lmao the new After School song would be so. much. better
without those horrendous background sound effects
(e.g. the squeaks of 'baby' - ummm what - and the random 'hey's).
Brave Bros have mastered the art of destroying songs.
The $2 bargain-bin MV didn't help, of course -
the only good things about the whole enterprise were pm the pole dancing and AS themselves.

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let's go where this dawn ends

Entries tagged with jdramas

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shinigami-kun, finale

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amachan

LEGAL HIGH SP - funnier than ever

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doctors 2, final ep:

why Woman is Mother: The Upgrade

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