More Signs of How Time Flies….

 Somehow it just doesn’t seem that long ago that I watched the Masahiro Matsuoka/Aiko Sato drama “Love and Peace”, but when I happened to come across a promotional picture of the show online, I was taken aback to realize that the eldest daughter was played by Maho Nonami, and the middle son by Ikuta Toma, BOTH having successful careers as grown-up parents of their OWN nowadays!

Maho Nonami in "Oi Handsome!"

Ikuta Toma in "Kakenai?"

Funny, I see them so often that it’s sometimes unbelievable that I’ve been seeing them since they were literally kids!

Mikkoku wa Utau

 
About halfway through the Police drama “Mikkoku wa Utau”, starring TOKIO’s Masahiro Matsuoka as Masaki Sara, a former police detective living with the burden of his partner Saito (Shota Totsuka) being brutally killed during one of their investigations.

The bungled job leaves Sara demoted to the Internal Investigation department, where he is ordered by his superior Noma (Toru Nakamura) to investigate another former Police Investigator, Nako Minaguchi (Rika Izumi) for an alleged data breach.

Minaguchi was not only part of Sara’s original team, but was romantically involved with the slain Saito. Sara has always had his suspicions about Minaguchi’s involvement with the botched case, but as he begins spying on her and tailing her to her secret meetings, he finds that there is a bigger picture to the case and that he and all those involved at the time may be pawns in a larger scheme.

So far a very dark and slow-moving drama (and, as befitting WOWOW dramas, all shot through a yecchy green tint), we’ll see where this one goes….

On Death and Dying in "Shiyakusho"

Also checking out the drama “Shiyakusho”about the “Death Office” where you go after you’ve died and they make you fill out all the necessary paperwork to decide if you got to Heaven or Hell. Seems even in death you can' get away from all this officious stuff!

I was excited to see Yuina Kuroshima in a “modern” drama after loving her in “Ashi-Girl” (yeah, I know there were modern bits in Ashi-Girl) and she’s such a doll here!

Yuina plays the just-deceased Miki Michiru who wakes up in the death office and is having a hard time wrapping her head around her fate.

 

She is introduced to the coordinator of the place Shimura (TOKIO's Masahiro Matsuoka) who tries to get her to fill out the paperwork and send her on her way, but the rambunctious girl isn't having it- She is convinced that she has been murdered, though no evidence seems to be found! 

So instead of filing her paperwork, she wanders the strange office and snoops around. She’s always where she shouldn’t be, and it’s here she finds the dark side of the business!

 

With Masahiro Matsuoka in the role of the floor coordinator of the office, I was dying to see this drama, expecting some wacky FUN...So far though, I have to say it is soooooo SLOOOOWWWWWWW that i could barely keep my attention. Instead of a fun romp dealing with the afterlife doings (a la DEATH OMUKAE or SHINIGAMI-KUN) this is one DREARY and MOROSE show.
As well, there are a lot of ideas here that just don't pan out. Why is Miki the only one who seems befuddled and confused here? Surely every person here is experiencing death for the first time like her, but she's the only one who seems lost.
And the procedure of having to fill out all those forms, even while bleeding all over the place and with missing limbs/parts of face. Surely there are a lot of deaths where you wouldn't be ABLE to physically do anything (blown up bodies, etc,) and what about the dead who have no heads, how could they even think much less fill out papers?
And speaking of bleeding, how come some of the people in the background all have bandages and casts while the main characters are left to walk thru the whole episode dripping blood everywhere? Very inconsistent.

And I dunno, maybe I've seen too many episodes of his previous show, but Matsuoka, with his clipped speech and stern features kept reminding me of MITAZONO-SAN, his wacky crossdressing Housekeeper.

His co-workers are a bit more lively and I hope they pep the show up some (Marika Matsumoto in particular is a sassy one!)

...but if not, at least we have the ALWAYS genki Yuina to save the day! Gotta say, I’m really hoping Yuina has a BIG part in this show, she’s the ONLY thing giving it its ZEST…at least so far! 

Will continue to watch…. 
EDIT: Ooh, looks like Kimiko Yo is set to be added to the cast in the next episode!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Tao Of "Tootsie"

Takuro Ohno in Babysitter Gin!

Masahiro Matsuoka reprising his role in Kaseifu No Mitazono

I don’t know WHAT it is with these housekeeper dramas lately, but with Takuro Ohno’s BABYSITTER GIN! currently airing and TOKIO’s Masahiro Matsuoka’s “KASEIFU NO MITAZONO” entering its third(!) season, I think it’s safe to say that men crossdressing as women in domestic roles are all the current rage!

Matsuoka’s role of Kaoru Mitazono seems more along the lines of TOOTSIE or MRS DOUBTFIRE where everyone thinks of her as a woman, albeit a very BIG and rather masculine woman…

…whereas Ohno’s Gin Shimochiai seems to be more of a guy dressed up and playing the role of a Mary Poppins clone. Actually, after re-watching the first episode, not sure if anyone is supposed to realize he’s a dude since they don’t recognize him when he takes off the costume and makeup…

So far, BOTH shows are FUN and interesting, with a slight edge to Kaseifu No Mitazono though I was sad to find that Fumika Shimizu had left the series after Season One,she was one of my favorite characters! Her role was replaced by Ayame Gouiriki in Season Two and here in Season three by Inou Kei and cutie Rina Kawaie: 

Shimochiai’s character is a lot more spritely than the dour Mitazono which is a plus, but Babysitter Gin deals with (naturally) babies, who are screeching and crying seemingly throughout the entire show, a situation I just CANNOT abide!)

One thing: the lovely Anne Suzuki was in Babysitter Gin!!! Oh my GOSH I haven’t seen her since 1997’s “Aoitori” when she was a mere teenager! She’s all grown up now! 

and LOOK, J-Drama Deja Vu is alive and well in J-dramas-not only did Shimochiai Gin visit The Koi Ga Heta Apartment:

but also That Urban Apartment as well!

Where will they appear NEXT?

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com