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| Welcome To Our Home |
Just got through watching the final episodes of both the Aiba Masaki drama “Yokoso, Wagaya E (Welcome To Our Home)” and the Kimura Takuya show “I’m Home”, both of which I’m happy to say, ended on pretty good notes!
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| I'm Home |
I'm Home
Of the two, the one that I liked the most and was the most intriguing to me has to be I’m Home- this drama of a Cutthroat Power Broker (who gets amnesia due to a fire explosion and has to relearn his memories based on a set of 10 keys in his possession) kept me captivated and interested from the FIRST episode all the way to the LAST!
Each episode dealt with the mystery of what each key on his chain unlocked, both literally AND figuratively, as each door shed the light on another aspect of what he was doing in his former life. And as each memory came back to him, Ieji Hisashi (Kimura) learned that the man he was before the accident was actually not such a nice guy. So in a way, this drama is really more about a man attempting to redeem his life through new eyes- both at work, with friends, and, as the title of the dramas suggests, the most important thing- his home and family.
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| Kimura Takuya (with Sawamura Ikki behind) |
I was entirely satisfied with this show and the way it wrapped up, and I’ve mentioned this before, but I have to say that I think Aya Ueto really knocked it out of the ballpark with this one- the role of Megumi, Ieji’s wife, was a character with so many layers, and she played it with such sadness and fragility…I loved her so much in this show!
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| Aya Ueto as Megumi |
Aw, such a great show... And if that wasn't enough, why, look who decided to show up in a cute cameo in the last episode as the able assistant to the company's president:
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| (Not) Just Another Assistant! |
Yokoso, Wagaya E (Welcome To Our Home)
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| Masaki Aiba as Kenta Kurata |
The other “home” show, Yokoso Wagaya E, which dealt with the story of a young man named Kenta, who, because of altercationat the train station, inadvertently makes his home and family the target of a stalker (or stalkers) who go about disputing the family’s property, social standing and physical safety. This was the “main” storyline of the drama, but I have to say that though it ended OK, I wasn’t too overwhelmed by it, and the way they concluded the show in its last few minutes was a real groaner for me.
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| Jiro Sato, Aiba, Erika Sawajiri |
The secondary story, on the other hand, where Kenta’s Father (Akira Terao) and his assistant Nishizawa(Sayaka Yamaguchi) take on corporate embezzler Mase (a wonderfully evil Naoto Takenaka) was an interesting and gripping tale worthy of Hanzawa Naoki writer Ikeido Jun’s namesake! This part of the drama saved the show for me- done so well, and of course, Sayaka Yamaguchi as the capable Ms. Nishizawa just DAZZLED me!!
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| Sayaka Yamaguchi |
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| Yamaguchi with Akira Terao |
Speaking of it, it’s interesting to note that the bad guy in Hanzawa Naoki was Kagawa Teruyuki, while the bad guy in Yokoso Wagaya E was Naoto Takenaka, BOTH actors whom have played Hideyoshi in NHK Taiga dramas: Takenaka in Hideyoshi, and Kagawa in Toshie and Matsu!! Hideyoshi, of course, that historical underhanded manipulator- a real "embezzler" for the ages! LOL, Too good!
OKAY...time to look for some NEW dramas to watch!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
