That Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho Driveway

Was recently re-watching the 2021 drama "Konto Ga Hajimaru" and for the first time noticed that the walkway the characters walk to and from places to is the SAME driveway the ending credits for the comedy drama "Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho" (above) was shot! Same Yield sign, same orange light pole, etc!

Below: Taiga Nakano and Kyoko Yoshine in Konto ga Hajimaru

I'm also wrapping up a second watch of the Yuriko Yoshitaka news drama "Shiranakute Ii Koto" , and HAD to Laugh when I saw two characters walking by the SAME driveway as well!

Munenori Nagano and Nao Okabe in Shiranakute Ii Koto

(Guess it was still winer when this was shot 'cause those trees sure are bare!)

The surroundings are also used in lots of drams (especially the building roundtop which I've documented here), makes me wonder just how many times I've seen this driveway and didn't even notice it!

One Nutty Hospital: Eiko Koike in "Shinjuku Yasen Byoin"

Eiko Koike in Shinjuku Yasen Byoin

 Watched the first episode of the new Eiko Koike-led “Shinjuku Yasen Byoin” a medical/comedy drama, (if there’s such a thing) and holy cow, was this one WACKY show, centering around a community hospital in Shinjuku catering to mostly homeless and foreigners, people who have need of medical attention but may not have the insurance or credentials to go to a regular place.
At the moment, the hospital is on its last legs (and threatening to be bought out)  because their director, once a famous star physician, is now elderly, half-drunken and shaky, a situation which is problematic at best!  And the rest of the medical team isn’t any better, cowardly and incompetent and lacking the basic skills to perform even the most rudimentary of procedures!!

Taiga Nakano

Takashi Okabe

Tohru Baba

Akira Emoto

Muga Tsukaji

Gaku Hamada

Kami Hiraiwa

Ai Hashimoto

Atsuko Takahata

Enter Yoko Nishi Freeman, an ARMY medical doctor newly arrived from America with limited funds, an abrasive attitude, and a WHOLE lot of medical knowledge! Arriving at the team’s shabby medical station for alcohol poisoning (a result of taking too much tequila shots in a challenge, LOL), she becomes the hospital’s lone chance of pulling through and making it.

Sounds like a nice set-up for a fun drama but MAN, was this one WACKY! Like, headache-inducingly wacky, with screeching and completely spastic characters , somehow their medical mishaps and surgical shenanigans made me more queasy and nervous about the whole idea of medical malpractice than any feelings of mirth!

 Frankly with this kind of advanced nuttiness I'm not expecting anything great, but who knows? I’ve been irritated by other shows that have gone on to become HUGE faves of mine, so maybe this one will turn into a WINNER! Ya never know....Guess I'll have to stay tuned to find out!

PS: For someone who was supposedly raised in America, Yoko sure speaks lousy English! In fact, both Eiko Koike and Ai Hashimoto's characters are supposed to be fluent English speakers but GADS, if it weren't for the subtitles, I wouldn't understand HALF of what they were saying! LOLOLOL

Another Quartet in "Ichiban Suki na Hana"

Ichiban Suki na Hana, a story of four shy and introverted people who have, since childhood, struggled with the concept of pairing up with others and making true allies in life, and have found that, as adults, this same stigma has kept them feeling isolated and completely alone within the busy world they occupy.

There is Yukue Ushio (Mikako Tabe), a young woman working as a Cram School instructor who has recently been told by her supposed best friend (Taiga Nakano) that he can’t hang out with her anymore 'cause his new wife forbids it…

There is Tsubaki Haruki (Kouhei Matsushita), a man who earnestly believes he had found a woman to settle down with (Asami Usuda)…only to be dumped over phone just as the wedding day is on the horizon…

There is Yoyo Miyuki (Mio Imada), a pretty hairstylist who has never had real friendship outside of the men who see her as someone to go out with purely for her physical appearance… (where she is told off for constantly "leading guys on" when she says she only sees them as acquaintances)

...and finally, there is Momiji Sato (Fuju Kamio), a quiet lad working at a convenience store with dreams of someday making it as a graphic designer but is told that for his illustrations to touch others, he needs to be a more outgoing and warm person.

At this point, all four of our characters are unmoored and seem to be drifting into a desperate outlook...They all need something to spark their lives...and such a chance is on the horizon!

Through an unusual set of wild circumstances, each of the four happen to cross paths when fate gives Momiji, Yukue, and Yoyo individual reasons to appear at Tsubaki's doorstep!  Through this wonderful chance meeting, the four get to talking and through animated discussion, find that their personal problems at creating bonds and retaining relationships may not be so unique after all!

Though skeptical to even begin thinking about making new friendships, that same playful fate has decided that these four are meant to be in each others’ lives, and through that chance first meeting, will see them find solace in each other and realize they are not alone in the world.

As Bogie once said:  "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

MAN, after just the first episode, I am feeling so STRONGLY about this drama- you never know what kind of drama you’re going to get with these “ensemble cast” kind of shows,  gratefully, what I found was less “Manatsu no Cinderella”, and more like the excellent “QUARTET” from few years back or even the recent “Nichiyou no Yoru Gurai wa”… Intelligent dialog and earnest characters make this for one drama that I’m SURE I’m going to enjoy watching in the coming weeks!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com