Dr. Asura おわり

Wakana Matsumoto in "Dr. Asura"

 The “Medical Drama with the Genius Surgeon” is surely one of Japan’s most enduring and popular tropes and follow such an unwavering formula that many episodes could be interchanges between shows with nary a hitch!

Despite their similarities, there are some medical dramas which strike me as mundane-and others which dazzle me and keep me on the edge of my seat, and I’ve concluded that it all comes down to the charisma and passion of the actor/actress/team who are are playing the lead role(s). It’s THEY who are responsible for my interest and involvement with the stories, and so it was with Wakana Matsumoto as the titular character and the terrific ensemble cast in the highly entertaining DR. ASURA, which kept the show as a “must see” for me this season!

From its first episode all the way to its very intriguing last, this drama kept me thoroughly entertained, holding my breath through its intense operating sequences and wiping away the tears during some of its more touching and inspiring passages!! 

Wakana Matsumoto has moved WAY up on my list of favorite actresses, and I'll definitely be keeping a lookout for what projects she decides to do next!!

Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko: Kuyashii!

When I first heard the synopsis for Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and found out they'd written out Yui Natsukawa's character and basically voided the ending for the series that had made it one of my top faves, I was extremely irked and irritated. They'd taken one of the most touching and wonderful conclusions to any drama and basically did a Thor/Jane Foster (where an aloof Thor tells Loki "it was a mutual dumping" to explain why Natalie Portman had been written out of the series, despite the fact of their love being the main point of the first movie)...

They'd basically wiped all three main characters out of the series and replaced them with three all-new women to once again go on the merry-go-round of dealing with Abe's eccentricities, and I was inclined to pass on the new show until I read that Yoshida Yo was going to be one of the three new ladies. Yo Yoshida!

In my heart, I KNEW that Yoshida Yo going up against Abe was going to be an amazing drama to watch and so I HAD to check it out!
Well, there was a reason I loved the first one so much, and even in this sequel, the three things that “made” the show for me as still here: the warm characters, engaging dialog and zany plots. In many ways this drama feels more like a soft reboot than a sequel proper. I mean, there ARE things that have advanced, but for the most of it, it’s like it’s totally re-creating the same set-up as before:
There’s the older professional woman with Yo Yoshida as a lawyer (replacing Yui Natsukawa’s Doctor role) and just like Natsukawa’s character, he is constantly bothering and annoying her while at the same time intriguing her.

 

We have another young wide eyed and innocent girl living next door to Kuwano, the adorable Saki Tonami (Mai Fukagawa), and though she ’s spooked by the odd Kuwano, JUST like the first series, she starts becoming more and more dependent on him...and perhaps even becoming attracted to him?

Then there’s the Izumi Inamori character of Yuki Okano, who, though not really much like Reiko Takashima’s character, still takes the place as the middle character who is aggravated and yet sympathetic to Kuwano’s antics...She's the one whom seems most attracted to Kuwano (and him to her, so there's that...).

with able assistant Rumi (Mion) in the background....

I think the thing that made me feel most like this was a remake was when they shoved the three ladies together as best friends. It seemed organic in the first series, but in this one I felt like they would not have much in common and were put together “just because”. Don’t get me wrong, the scenes are still funny, but I couldn’t help but remember all the similar scenes with Natsukawa, Takashima and Kuninaka spying on Kuwano and making fun of his nuttiness...

Aside from the three main ladies, the rest of the cast from the first season has returned, and the scenes showing the gang at the workplace are always fun to see, such as Eiji (Takashi Tsukamoto), who was once Kuwano’s underling, now a full partner in the company, and new employees such as Yuta(Atsushi Arai), Sakurako (Miyu Sahiki) Eiko (Atsuko Anami), and the incomparable Nao as Shiori!

 Haha, trust me, these scenes are as funny as they look!

Kuwano’s family is back too, and once again it is nice to see former CoCo princess Reiko Miura again in her role as Kuwano’s ever-suffering younger sister Keiko.

  Mitsuko Kusabue is back as Kuwano’s Mom and we have cute Yuna Taira as Yumi, Keiko’s daughter, who finds her eccentric uncle entertaining to say the least!

As I said before, the main reason I watched this was for Yo Yoshida, and oh boy, she’s so good in this drama. Really like an extension on her smart and savvy lawyer character Reiko Baba  form HERO2, in my opinion she’s the show’s main character (if there can be such a thing) because almost everything is an action or reaction to Kuwano’s interference!

And I mentioned how happy I was to see actress NAO here.  She stole my heart in the drama Anata No Ban Desu with her adorable shenanigans, and she is JUST as cute here!
The show is so slapstick that she is given many opportunities to show off her spazzy facial reactions, some of which I’ve captured here.

Just looking at them has got me cracking up again!

So YEAH, as VEXING as it is to say, the show continues to be one of the most well-written and hilarious dramas out there, and I HAVE to admit that it's easily one of the BEST shows on right now!

DAMMIT how I HATE to admit that! I felt like Linus in the old PEANUTS strip when his favorite teacher Miss Othmar leaves, and out of principle he tries to hate the new teacher, but she's so nice that he sadly thinks “My memories of Miss Othmar are going up in chalk dust!” as she selects him to pound erasers, LOL

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com