Never Let Me Go (Watashi wo Hanasanaide)

When I first heard the title of the new Ayase Haruka/Mizukawa Asami/Miura Haruma drama “Never Let Me Go”, my first thought was, “Hey, that’s the title of that Kazuo Ishiguro Sci-Fi movie starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield!” Then when I read the synopsis, I was stunned to realize that it was in fact the SAME story!

 I own the Carey Mulligan movie and have watched it a few times over the years (the film came out in 2010) but luckily for the sake of this Japanese drama, it had been a while since I’d last seen it, so the details were vague enough that I could enjoy the drama with a clear mind. 

As a proper chaptered episode series, I knew that there were going to be a few if not many differences anyway, but one thing I always remembered was how sad and melancholy the film was…and watching just the first episode of the j-drama, it’s already one thing that they’ve captured perfectly.

Ayase Haruka as Kyoko

Miura Haruma as Tomohiko

Mizukawa Asami as Miwa

 Never Let me Go (Watashi Wo Hanasanaide) tells the story of a strange orphanage where the children are kept in an enclosed environment and taught only to paint pretty pictures and keep their health up. What they don’t know is that they are “Special” beings created in labs to one day supplement “real” humans with their organs and bodies, and this story follows the paths of three of the children who seek to get out and make real lives for themselves.

The Mysterious School

Blissfully Unaware Children: Tamayo, Miwa, Hana, Kyoko

Tomohiko and Kyoko

Anyone who’s seen the Scarlett Johansson/Ewan McGregor movie “The Island” is already acquainted with the “Clones as Creatures for Organ Transplants”, heck, even the recent “Ouroboros” dealt with a similar theme, but Never Let Me Go seemed to be much more heartbreaking . Naturally, such bleak destinies don’t give much room for optimism, (as I recall, the Mulligan movie ended on a somber tone indeed) but Japanese dramas, even the ones based on already established films, tend to give their endings a more happy conclusion, so perhaps this drama will go in a brighter direction. 

Friendly New Teacher Horie Tatsuko (Ito Ayumi)

Icy Headmistress Kamikawa Emiko (Aso Yumi)

Slowly Learning how Sinister the School Is.

Given a Stern Lecture by the Faculty

Teacher Cannot Help but Help the Kids

 Already the drama’s story is slightly veering off of the movie version (things like the use of paintings as their key to humanity is changed), nonetheless, so far, this drama is really doing it right, oh my god, the FEEL of the show is so overwhelming with sadness and desperation, and the atmosphere, the scenery and direction are magnificent, for most of the show I felt like I was watching a cinematic movie, it is done so well. 

 I am loving this drama so far, and am so glad I’m able to enjoy it- for a few weeks, no one had picked up the show to translate, and I was afraid I was going to have to watch it without any subtitles! But suddenly the clouds parted as Subbers Menimienaimono picked it up (These guys are great for Asami Mizukawa dramas as they're the ones who subbed Ghost Writer, Kamoshirenai Jyotachi AND Tokyo Scarlet, all GREAT Asami shows). But even if I hadn't found anyone to sub it, a drama starring both Ayase Haruka AND Asami Mizukawa? I would definitely have watched it anyway, I love those two actresses TOO much!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Kurokouchi Meets Zero No Shinjitsu in New Medical Drama “Fragile”

Sweet Emi Meets Nagase The Big Bad Wolf in Fragile

Take Emi Takei’s surgeon character Matsumoto Mao in “Zero No Shinjitsu” and team her up with Nagase Tomoya’s Keita Kurokouchi from “Kurokouchi”, shake it all together and let simmer, and the end result would look an awful lot like the awesome new medical drama “Fragile”, the show focusing on the true heroes of the hospitals: the pathologists who examine all the tissue and data so that the doctors can make the correct decisions regarding their patients' maladies and their well being!

Emi Takei as Chihiro Miyazaki

Tomoya Nagase as Keiichiro Kishi

  In THIS hospital, however, the doctors are more interested in cutting costs and saving time and space than following what the pathologists’ diagnoses suggest, and it’s here that genius pathologist Kishi Keiichiro (Tomoya) and sweet natured doctor Miyazaki Chihiro (Takei) step in, using every means at their disposal to guide the doctors back on the right track, even if it calls for drastic, underhanded, and in some cases outright fireable offenses!

  Awww, this show rocks! I love both Emi and Nagase, and they’re here doing what they do best: Nagase as a gruff, loud-mouthed figure and Emi as the gentle and caring nurturer. Add in their crackerjack team (including Nomura Shuhei as Morii, Kinya Kitaoji as Nakaguma Kaoru(Kishi’s mentor), and a sexy-as-usual Koyuki as a fellow doctor Hosoki Madoka who, though not on the pathological staff, is definitely on their side!) and you've got the making of a seriously kick-butt drama!

Emi Takei, Nagase Tomoya and Nomura Shuhei

Koyuki as Madoka Hosoki

Shuhei Nomura as Morii and Emi Takei as Chihiro

Another thing that I really love about this show is the DIALOG, and I’m not just taking about the doctor-patient-diagnosis stuff, but also the everyday patter between the four, so fun, quick and witty, with Nagase and Koyuki assaulting Emi with a barrage of comments and poor Emi’s stuttering and befuddled replies, meanwhile Mori sittin back and bemusedly remarking on the situation…too good!

Hahaha, just looking at these screencaps and I'm cracking up! I love this show!!!!

PS: Man, I am falling more and more in love with Emi Takei, this gal is GOLDEN!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

More J-Drama Deja-Vu: That Courthouse

As you all know, Seigi no Mikata is one of my very, very, favorite shows of all time and since I've watched each episode numerous times, I know each and every scene like the back of my hand!  
  As the titular "savior of justice", Yu Yamada's character Makiko works as a clerk in a courthouse and so much of the show is spent their, either in the rooms, in the hallways, outside on the stairs or even across the street looking over! Over the course to the drama, I got to know that building very well!

The Courthouse, Seigi No Mikata

Makiko running out of the Courthouse

   When the courthouse and its familiar turquoise colored diamond overhang appeared in the background of an episode of Ayase Haruka's drama "Kyo wa Kaisha Yasumimasu" as  her co-workers left for lunch, I recognized it immediately and laughed to myself, "Huh! Those guys work right down the street from Yu!" LOLOL!

Kyo wa Kaisha Yasumimasu

Now that I knew that the building was part of the studio's lots, I made a point of looking out for it , and I didn't have to wait long when i began watching the second "HERO" series starring Kimura Takuya and Kitagawa Keiko, as the affable lawyer and his able aide worked right out of the VERY SAME building...well, they didn't show the outside, but the lobby of the courthouse sure was the same!

Kimura Takuya and Keiko Kitagawa in HERO2

Yep, these steps that Kimutaku and Keitan are running up from into the lobby are definitely the same steps and lobby that Yoko (Shida Mirai) followed Yoshikawa (Osamu Mukai) into, in an episode where she is told by her sister to spy on him!

 

The Seigi No Mikata Courthouse...Where will it appear NEXT?!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Reiko Takashima Lookin' GOOD!

I began watching the slighty science-fictiony and comic-bookish drama “Angel Heart” because of Aibu Saki, but was happily stunned to discover the return of a cool actress from my golden age of jdrama watching, the sultry n sexy  Reiko Takashima!

Kamikawa Takaya and Aibu Saki as Ryo and Kaori

Aibu is private investigator named Kaori with her fiancé Ryo (Takaya Kamikawa) who is struck down and killed when she is rescuing a child playing in the street. Her heart gets placed in the body of a mysterious girl named Xiang (Ayaka Miyoshi) who discovers upon waking up out of her coma, that she has sparks of Aibu’s memory flashing  through her mind. 

Miyoshi Ayaka and Miura Shohei

She is on the run from her former associates who label her as a traitor. Her implanted memories of Kaori's leads her back to Ryo, who helps Xiang get away from her pursuers.
 They get the help of a Police chief, and here’s where Reiko comes in…the first time we see her, she is introduced in a grand scene: heels and stockings emerging from a sleek car, swivelly hips striding up towards the crime scene..and then the awesome reveal: Chief Saeko Nogami is none other than FETCHING Miss Reiko Takashima! OMG, can you get more KAKKOI?

WHOA! I hadn’t seen her for quite some and here she was, looking more pretty and COUGARIFFICALLY gorgeous than EVER! Seems a million years since I first saw her in early 90's dramas like Imouto Yo (pictured below) ...

Always kind of threw off a real femme-fatale vibe even back then, and what I remember her playing is mostly policewomen roles and the like...seems she's continued with that tradition as she make s VERY convincing police chief here!!!

Come to find out she is friends with Kamikawa and Aibu and has been working  alongside them for some time now. But with Ryo's new case of hiding and protecting this mysterious Xiang, she must use her police connections to help fight against the underground ganglands! Yeah, it's as over-the-top as it sounds.

 I’d always thought Reiko was a pretty actress, though admittedly she never stood out for anything more than that attractive face and cool demeanor.... NOW, she is so lusciously curvy and smouldering that each and every scene she's in is driving me to heaven! Oooh, Reiko is DEFINITELY rocking the Kimiko Yo look here, at this point she could give Kimiko’s “Aunty Michi” role a run for the money (except, as you see below, she's bit more on the violent side, heh heh)...

Well, time to get back to the show...good thing Reiko's looking so FINE in this show, because this drama is so exaggeratedly ZANY it's hard to take sometimes!

Ah, with Reiko Takashima in Angel Heart and Mieko Harada in Kekkonshiki Zenjitsu Ni, it seems it's banner time for those more mature ladies I love so much!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com