Showing posts with label jun miho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jun miho. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

“Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta”

Yumi Kawai with Aoi Yoshida
WONDERFULLY Sweet, Witty, and Touching drama with characters you immediately love and want to spend time with, “Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute, Aishita no ga Kazoku Datta” (The Only Ones I Love Are My Family) HAS to be the “feel Good” drama of the past season!!!
I had no IDEA what I was in for when I dove into this, but I was instantly captivated not only by the characters but the AMAZING, colorful dialog that filled every scene- the writing style made me think of the genius writer/director Satoshi Miki  (he of such terrific stories like “Instant Numa” Adrift In Tokyo” and the excellent  2013 series “Henshin Interviewer no Yuutsu”)!
Half expecting it to be Miki, I was to see it was screenwritten and directed by Akiko Ohku, she of the wonderful “Ano ko no Yume wo Mitan Desu” series (which I also really, really loved), and the Alice Hirose “Shitsuren Meshi” foodie drama!!! And now you can add this drama to her list of terrific little stories!
A “Work of Fiction but based on A True Story”, Kazoku Dakara Aishitan Janakute is based on the autobiography of a girl named Nanami Kishimoto (Yuumi Kawai), a girl with a LOT on her plate for a teenage high-schooler: Her father (played in spirit by Ryo Nishikido) passed away when Nanami was a youngster, leaving her eccentric Mother Hitomi (Maki Sakai) to raise both her and her little brother Sota, who is suffering from Downs Syndrome. Add in an eccentric Grandma Yoshiko (Miho Jun) dropping in, they have a lot on her hands! 

The family's early days are spent mostly worrying about Sota's interaction with the "real world", though big Sis is skeptical that he can do things alone just yet...but Mom is optimistic!
I love these scenes, you can tell how loving this family is just through their actions.
At school, Nanami is caught between hanging with the “cool” kids...
 ...or following her own quirky path, of which her equally awkward friend Tamaki (Momoko Fukuchi) wholeheartedly encourages. 
As two people from poorer families with broken homes that have a strange camaraderie with each other, making for some sweet moments and HILARIOUS scenarios! Whenever it's the two of them, it's  like "Square Pegs" for the new generation!!!


In the romance department, Nanami has been seeing a boy named Asahi (Ryunosuke Shimamura) and things have been going swimmingly...
...that is until he happens to see her at the convenience store with her little brother!
He is taken aback by the fact that Sota is mentally handicapped, and is soon thereafter ignoring Nanami's calls.
Confronting him one evening at his home, he says that he had planned to marry her one day but can not confidently say he is prepared to take care of her brother and has reconsidered their relationship. This confuses Nanami, who isn't even thinking about something like marriage. But she agrees to distance herself.

And just when things can't get any MORE overwhelming, Mom Hitomi suffers an attack, leaving her lower body paralyzed. She must be confined to a wheelchair, and this development will also take its toll on the little family.
But never fear, our Nanami is a trooper, a concise and thoughtful girl with a great head on her shoulders and all the attitude and SASS one can muster! We are confident she will see these things through and are cheering her on!
REALLY loving this little show- funny because when I has originally seen it listed among the new dramas for the past season I didn’t think much of it- seemed like too much of a serious drama for me...
But the subbing team was diligent in posting up little excerpts from the show as they worked on it on facebook, and it was those clips that piqued my interest and made me want to give it a chance- a chance that I’m SO GLAD I took!

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Dropping By The Midnight Diner

 After much prodding from my friend Jas, I finally decided to check out some seasons of the highly popular series "Shinya Shokudo~Midnight Diner" following a humble chef (Kaoru Kobayashi) and his little hole-in-the-wall eatery MEISHI where people come to meet, socialize. air their woes and exclaim their triumphs.
 One of the great draws for the show is the heavy rotation of guest stars in each episode, and in the very first one I saw, who should be the guest but pretty Miho Jun, whom I just gushed about not so long ago!
 Kei Ishibashi, Toru Nakamura, Mitsuki Tanimura, Kimiko Yo, you just never know who'll step in next!
 I've got about three different seasons of the show and watch whichever one in random order, since they're all sort of self-contained stories. Jas originally watched the second series Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories BEFORE he watched the original series, and so we'd talk about the episodes in no strict order.
A nice little eatery-based drama I can unwind watching while I wait for Konya wa Konoji De to EVER resume  getting subtitled!
Posted by zdorama  @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Sexy 80's Cinema: "Pink Curtain"

PINK CURTAIN [1982]
 Came across this old classic Japanese movie from the early 80’s called PINK CURTAIN (1982), and I was surprised by how ‘modern” it looked despite it obviously being shot in the 80’s- it’s the magic of bluray remastering! Pink Curtain tells the VERY sexy story of a pretty young gal named Noriko who arrives Tokyo and moves in with her nerdy older brother Okuyama...where he develops the HOTS for her!! A Taboo but very intriguing story!
Miho Jun as Noriko
Okuyama (Masahiko Abe) is your typical nerdy, frustrated virgin who has no luck with the girls, and the last thing he expects is his sexy sister arriving at his door!
 "N-Noriko? What are you doing here?"
 "I'm back in town for while, Oniichan!"
The two have always been unnaturally close even as children, so Noriko has 
no problem stripping off her clothes right in front of him no matter how
uncomfortable it makes him....
 ...in fact, the TRUTH of the matter is, she LOVES teasing him!
 But what she doesn’t realize is that he’s ALWAYS been physically attracted to her, and with his teenage hormones raging, he can barely contain himself when she shows herself off!
He tries to chide her, scolding to be more modest, but she laughs, saying, “We’re siblings, what’s the big deal!” If only she knew!
Okuyama knows that the reason Noriko is back in town is to hook up with her former lover Mitamura. He has never liked the guy- he’s a married womanizer and Okuyama knows he’s only using Noriko, but she’s infatuated with him and wastes no time reserving a date!
Arriving home in a pleasant state of mind after her date, she takes in the sight of her cute dork brother.
"Whoo, what a night!"
 "Hehe, it's Okuyama! Wonder if he's awake...."
 Lying on the floor Okuyama pretends to be asleep, but he is secretly waiting to get another peek at Noriko.
 He doesn't have long to wait, as Noriko, who clearly knows she is being spied upon, slowly and dramatically drops her skirt to show off her underwear...
 ...and then takes the time to slowly and SEDUCTIVELY suck on a banana!!! How much teasing can Okuyama handle! Sis is TOO HOT!
Okuyama, who is normally frustrated anyway, is now at fever pitch because of his teasing sister, and his co-worker, seeing how unlucky the guy is, decides to hook him up with his former girlfriend Naoko (Naomi Hagio).
 Naoko  is offended at being used as a sexual object, but after talking to him, she sees how pitiful Okuyama is, and, feeling sorry for him, gives him his first awkward sexual experience!
In the meantime Noriko is continuing her affair with Mitamura, with an angry Okuyama  waiting for her to come home each night! He just can't stand to see his sister involved with that married womanizing guy.

Next morning Noriko offers Okuyama a handful of cash to cover her living expenses, but when he realizes it’s from Mitamura, he refuses it. He tries to scold her for being so loose with a married guy, and though she seems to take his criticism to heart, she then bursts into laughter at him. She’s having much too much fun to stop, and Okuyama woundedly skulks away back to Naoko.
After having sex with Naoko, the two get to talking. She seems to know she is only a substitute for his real desire of wanting his sister, and tells him, "You know....I had sex with my brother." "Eh?" this is news to Okuyama.
 "Well, he raped me, but, you know...I liked it." Okuyama doesn't know what to make of this confession, and asks, "Wh-where is your brother now?" "He's a Yakuza now and I haven't seen him in years," she says, and that seems to be the end of that.
The next day Noriko apologizes to Okuyama as she cuts his hair, and with all her doting on him he is quick to forgive her. He brightens up by suggesting the two go out shopping  together since they really hadn’t spent much time with each other, and Noriko readily agrees!
The day is a dream. They see the sights, have good food and Okuyama even buys Noriko a pretty white dress, one which she proudly models for him. As mentioned before, she loves showing off to him and she can feel how attractive she is to him!!!
The two go the the market to buy ingredients for a fine dinner, but once they arrive home, the phone is already ringing off the hook. It’s Mitamura, who tells Noriko he’s booked a room at a hotel and wants to see her.
 Without a moment’s hesitation, Noriko hurriedly tells Okuyama that she has to cancel dinner with him and leaves at once.
 Okuyama is devastated. Mitamura has won again!
The next day Noriko tries to make up for her desertion with a nice lunch at an expensive restaurant with Okuyama. The food is good and the company better, and they are in high spirits.
 But THEN, who should come in to the establishment, but Mitamura…and his WIFE.
 She is introduced to Mitamura’s wife simply as a former hairstylist he employed and they go to their table.
Noriko’s happy attitude is deflated as she watches Mitamura with his wife. She  now knows for sure that she can never be his true lover and will always only be a plaything for him.
 With that, she gets rip-roaringly drunk and can barely walk as the two make their way home.
 As soon as she stumbles in, Noriko is quick to strip off all her clothes and slinks into bed!
 This time she is the needy one, and when he brings her a glass of water, she whines, “Oniichan, sleep in the bed with me! I’m so lonely!”
 Well, he doesn’t pass up THAT offer, and nervously crawls into bed with her. But that isn't  enough and before you know it, she pulls him closer. Is this Okuyama's big chance with his sister? With his face above her, he  whispers. “Noriko, I-I’m going to make love to you. Are you okay with this?"
 When her only reply is a dreamy, “Oniichan…”, he excitedly asks one more time for confirmation, "I’m going to make love to you, you’re okay with this, right?"
 A delirious Okuyama is really about to do it with his sister…when the phone rings!!
 Breaking out of his trance, he stumbles to the floor, and upon answering the
phone, hears the pitiful sound of Naoko.“O-Okuyama?” she softly
whispers. “I’m so sick. Could you come take care of me? I’m so sick and
I’m all alone. W-will you come?”
 Of all people, why did she have to call now? He was so close to getting his wish of having sex with his sister! He should just forget about Naoko. But in his heart, he knows he cannot.
And so in the end, he leaves his sister to care for Naoko, staying with her til the early light.
The next morning a dazed Noriko wakes up without a single clue of the previous night’s shenanigans.
After having some time to think, Okuyama makes up his mind. He will give up on pursuing his sister and try to make a go with Naoko. Noriko shows up to meet him at work, with a bit of news.  "Oniichan, I just want you to know, I've decided to give up on Mitamura."
This is wonderful news, and with steady resolve, Okuyama says, “Noriko, there’s a girl I want to introduce you to.”  "REALLY?" Noriko says, excited. Could it be that brother has got a girlfriend?
After work, he takes Noriko to Naoko’s place so she can meet the girl he intends to date, but is shocked when he gets there…and Naoko’s Yakuza BROTHER is there, both of them in a state of undress and clearly just having had sex!
Grabbing her clothes Naoko apologizes in tears, but Okuyama hurries out, pulling his sister in tow. A thoroughly addled Noriko asks,  “Who was that, Oniichan?” Why did you want me to meet her?” to which he growls, "She was nobody! Just forget I said anything!”
 “What? Come on, Oniichan, you can talk to me about anything”, to which Okuyama finally turns to her and blurts out, “Look, don't you remember anything about last night?”
“What about last night? Did I do something?” Noriko asks, confused.
“If you don’t remember, better forget it.” Okuyama mumbles.
 ???
 Suddenly concerned, Noriko presses Okuyama as he sits down. “Come on, tell me what happened,” then, in a panic, gasps, “Oh my God, We didn’t DO IT last night, did we?”
 “O-of course not”, Okuyama mumbles, but he doesn’t sound convincing. “Oh, Please tell me we didn’t!” Noriko cries, near tears. “I would DIE if we did it!”
 Okuyama yells at her, “I’m telling you we DIDN’T!” And only then does Noriko believe him.
Letting out a breath of relief, Noriko relaxes and smiles. Okay…I’m relieved.”
 Sitting next to Okuyama, Noriko finally sums up their situation.
Acknowledging the sexual tension between them, she says, “It’s true that you and me…we’re playing with fire.”
 Wrapping her arm through his, she says, “We have to be careful not to go too far. We’re both at difficult times in our lives.”
 She snuggles up to him and with love in her eyes, says,“it’s been just you and me since we were kids. We’re all we have.”
 It’s true. And with that, Okuyama gets up and says, “Let’s go home.”
 And locking arms, the two head back home.
Man, Miho Jun was so damn pretty and sexy here and she really stole the show. Curious about her, I looked up her acting credits, and found that, thanks to the popularity (or, rather, notoriety) of her Pink Curtain series (there were three of them), she became actually a pretty well established actress, even going on to appearing in the famous “Tora-San” movies!
Miho with Kiyoshi Atsushi in Tora San the Go-Between

And even further I was to find that I had seen her in a more relatively recent capacity in dramas  like Hiroshi Abe’s “Dragon Zakura” and Misako Renbutsu’s 2015 drama  37.5°C no Namida!
Here she is alongside actors like Miki Mizuno, Misako Renbutsu, Hiroki Narimiya, Naohito Fujiki, etc!
Nice to know she is still acting and looking as lovely as ever!!