A Wild Showadoriginzahodo Bridge Appeared!

It was only a few months back that I learned the name of that ubiquitous 4-way overpass bridge ( identified by hamanosilence as the “Showadoriginzahodo Bridge”), and it's been popping up EVERYWHERE, like in a latter episode of the Toshiaki Karasawa drama "Private Banker"...

Karasawa, Anna Tsuchiya and Nankai Candies Shizu-chan visit the bridge

...as well as the latest episode of the riveting Keiko Kitagawa/Nao Omori child-abduction drama "Anata wo Ubatta Sono Hi Kara"!

Keiko Kitagawa and Nao Omori

Watching these scenes, I can really see the allure of shooting here- every angle has a terrific backdrop no matter WHICH direction! This is definitely a place I wanna visit if I EVER do get to Japan- who knows, I may even see them shooting yet another drama scene there!!

A Private Banker, Banker For Money….

Can always count on Toshiaki Karasawa for an enthusiastic performance, so I was looking forward to his new drama PRIVATE BANKER, and at 2 episodes in, is as engaging as hoped!

Karasawa is Koichi Anno a self-professed Private Banker who, for the right amount of money, will step in and protect clients from losing their money due to mismanagement, shady back dealings, and flat out swindlers!

We meet a woman named Kumiko Iida (Honami Suzuki) who has just lost a huge fortune on a bad investment and is on the verge of ending it all- until Anno shows up, and declares there may be more to this case than mere bad investing….

With his trusty assistant Mikoshiba (Shohei Uesugi), Anno researches the case history and the sinister motives behind the culprits, sifting slowly over the facts, getting to know the players involved, and then using the extensive banking knowledge he has to get the optimum results!

Finally, with all the facts before them, the true motives behind the conmen is revealed, and togetehr, they decide on a plan of attack that can bring her back her investment… But when she sees him seemingly working both sides, Iida has to wonder- is this Anno truly a knight in shining armor …or does he have his own personal agenda behind helping her? Only by going through with the case and standing up for herself will Kumiko get back what is rightfully hers!

For good or bad, wherever Anno goes, he produces results!

A fun and entertaining drama with lots of familiar faces from the classic era of J-Dramas, especially Honami Suzuki who is winning brand new fans due to the NETFLIX airing of the classic 1991 TOKYO LOVE STORY!

With classics like GOOD LUCK, ODORU DAISOUSASEN, LONG VACATION and Tokyo Love Story, we may be seeing a whole new renaissance of J-drama popularity- it would be wonderful, and HEY, isn't it TIME?!

Expo '70: A Girl's Dream

 Also caught a cute little period drama special "Banpaku No Taiyo~ Sun Expo", starring Kanna Hashimoto as a young girl obsessed with being part of the upcoming 1970 World Expo in the months leading up to the event. A very lightweight drama with very thin plot, nonetheless very interesting for someone like me who actually had no idea about this event at all or its cultural significance at the time!

Kanna stars as Kyoko Asano, the daughter of a tatami mat maker in Tokyo who  seems to have no real desire for things that girls her age want- to become a wife and homemaker to a good man. The only thing she seems to be excited about is the upcoming World Expo. After the thrill of the Olympics a few years back, she has seen what such events can do for peace and harmony among nations and believes this will be another such thing!

When relatives who run a factory  in Osaka are in need of extra hands, Kyoko goes to live with them, where, among other things, she is able to view the construction of the upcoming World Expo firsthand!! Besides Hashimoto, we have a whole bevy of stars, including Karasawa Toshiaki and Ando Sakura as Kyoko's Uncle and Aunt, and Iitoyo Marie as her pretty cousin Chinatsu.

At first content to work in her Uncle's struggling factory, when the opportunity presents itself to work AT the event, she makes it her mission to attain her goals!

the show features other actors like Kudo Taisei as a possible love interest for the girls and even squeaky Yuno Ohara as a rival of sorts! (and my does the 1970's fashion style really match her!!!)

I really loved the "feel" of this special, the warm autumn colors really give off a nostalgic 1970's vibe, and a lot of the time I felt like I was watching a new NHK Asadora! 

If I had one complaint, I only wish they could have had more information about the actual 1970 World Expo, most of it was mostly glossed over and what I learned I had to discover myself reading up on it after watching the show!

A fun little show to watch over the weekend....