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!

“ The Diary of A 38-Year-Old Divorcee Who Has Tried a Dating App”

 38sai Batsuichi Dokushin Onna ga Matching Apuri wo Yattemita Kekka Nikki

“ The Diary of the 38-year-old Divorcee who has Tried a Dating App”

Pretty Sayaka Yamaguchi stars as Chiaki Matsumoto, a 38 year old divorcee who, as she approaches 40, is hoping to recapture some of the youth she has lost.

Lamenting to her best friend Rika (Machida Marie)about how sad it is that she only loved one man her entire life, Rika recommends a dating app where she candip her toes back into the dating scene.

Not a minute has gone by when Chiaki is inundated with various replies. Seems she is a hot commodity, but when she ventures out on her first date with a young college guy, he seems detached and cheap. At first chalking it up to the age gap, she realizes that this cad only wanted to hook up for easy sex.

With the mind now of all the different expectations the matches have of her, Chiaki dives back in with caution, and after meeting a gentle natured boy who happily wants to spend time with her as a friend, she goes all-in with this dating app scene!

 In time, she really gets into the swing of things,making the most of the dating app and enjoying the thrill of spending time with a new, exciting fella each day!

Even her friend Rika and her boss are amazed at her success, but Chiaki confesses that she only ever dates these guys platonically, spending the days and evening with them but coming home alone.

So it is that Chiaki is beside herself in confusion when she winds up waking up naked in a bed with a boy whom she has spent the night with! And to show what a light-hearted and FUN show this is, Syaka thinks to herself, “How did I get into this predicament?” She's about to go through it in her head, but adds, “First things first, let me put my panties on.” LOLOLOL!

I must say, after seeing Sayaka playing so many crazy, cold-hearted and psychotic women lately, it was nice to see her going back to her “pretty woman” roles!

I already mentioned in my Alice Hirose post about how much a femme fatale I think Sayaka can be when she really sets her mind on it, and here we have her in the wonderfully cliched but eternally enduring “Beautiful Girl who doesn’t know how beautiful she is” character~!

So awesome seeing how radiant she looks all dolled up for her various dates, each with its own different feel, from classy to scholarly, sweet to sassy!

And OOHHH, that lingerie-clad ending credits, oh my heart....

And if taht wasn’t enough, we ALSO have the return of good ol’ loveable Aiko Sato, an actress I liked very much back in the day but haven’t seen hide nor hair of her in YEARS! So nice to see her again!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoraamagain.blogspot.com

More J-Drama Catching Up To Do!!

Besides Sakurako there are a handful of other older dramas that I’ dusted off and began watching this past week, all to varying degrees of success!

Code Blue
As a huge Yui Aragaki fan it has always bothered me that I haven’t seen the Code blue series as it’s one of her more popular titles- Well, with THREE seasons to it as well as a bunch of specials I certainly have a lot to catch up with!

Quite happy to report that the drama DOES life up to the hype- VERY charged and emotional scenarios the characters go through, and you end up caring about each one.

Ina a way, it reminds me of the classic drama “Kagayaku Toki No Naka De~ A Time To Shine” where the young doctors learn firsthand how unkind and brutal life can be, and you are right there with them as they go through their heartbreaks as well as their hard-earned triumphs.

HERO

My love for Keiko Kitagawa was what propelled me to watch the sequel of this drama, HERO2, and it’s only now that I’m getting around to watching the first one which, though it doesn’t feature Keiko in it, is as spirited as the latter!

Was kind of surprised ALL of the cast is different, since it’s supposed to be the same office. No Yo Yoshida here (one of my fave characters in the sequel), but we DO get a very sexy Nene Otsuka, and of course Matsu is great as the addled Maiko Amemiya.
Another drama I really like.

Puzzle

Another early Satomi Ishihara drama that, like Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko No Uso, showcases Satomi’s early talent for the fun and slapstick!
Satomi plays Misako Ayukawa, a two-faced Teacher who seems like a kind and dedicated teacher to the faculty, community, and parents, but reveals her greedy, selfish and manipulative side to her poor students!

 Students Shinichi, Akira, and Yoshio would love to spend their weekends doing what they want, but always end up tangled up in yet another treasure-hunting situation with their money-hungry instructor!

I love how Satomi really throws herself into these kooky characters, ya just gotta love her! 

Hanayome To Papa

Also finished up Satomi’s early drama “Hanayome To Papa” which was JUST as much fun!

 As usual Satomi was her usual precocious little self, so funny to think that when she started out in Kimi Wa Petto she was so dour and introverted!

 This story of the strict father with an overprotected daughter reminded me not just a little of the Mitsuki Takahata drama

Itazura Na Kiss

 Started watching this years and years ago and finally decided to finish it up. I love Aiko Sato to death, but HOLY TOLEDO, was her character Kotoko ANNOYING as HECK!!

For the first three or four episodes I was entertained because of the show’s wackiness, but I began to see that despite the show’s intentions of showing her as a klutzy but kind-hearted girl, Kotoko was an actual menace to poor Naoki, systematically destroying his life! And yet I’m supposed to believe he falls in love with her? Naw, dog.

 I WILL say a couple of interesting things about the show, one of them being pretty Majyu Ozawa in a VERY early role as the “bitchy” girlfriend of Naoki…

 …as well as one of the FIRST drama appearances of Yukie Nakama as one of Maju’s cohorts!

Who would ever guess that the actress playing the least important character in the show would go on to become one of the biggest stars in Japan!

Itsumo Futari De

And speaking of annoying characters, we have Takako Matsu in an admittedly very cute role as a country bumkpin named Mizuho who, under the impression she has been selected as a new novelist for a publishing company, moves to the big city where she finds she has been swindled and has no place to stay!

After being rejected by her girl friends who have no space or inclination of putting her up, goes to mooch off her childhood friend Kenta (Kenji Sakaguchi). The hapless guy is already dealing with his brother and his girlfriend living off him, and suddenly he has a THIRD person to support. She turns his world upside down with her meddling, but when it gets to the point where Mizuho is LECTURING Kenta about sticking up for himself and not letting others take advantage of him, I was like “Are you kidding me with this drama???”

Oishii Proposal

Have to say out of all the dramas on this list, this is the one I'm having the hardest time getting through...

Regatta

Another old drama I began watching but never finished. Have to say it was quite a cliche-filled slog to get through, about a kayaker who drops the sport when his best friend gets killed, but is encouraged to resume it when he meets up again with his unrequited love, team captain Misao (Aibu Saki).

All the usual tropes of love denial over and over til- SURPRISE-they get together… Did not warm up to any of the characters- Really the only one I cared about was Chiko, the kogal girlfriend of Mokomichi whom you just KNEW was gonna get the shaft when he began working with Aibu Saki again, and sure enough, that’s just what happened.

Too bad, she was such a sweet character!

0 Goshitsu no Kyaku 

A magical Hotel room where one can go to find out ones true worth! Only by lottery can one get a chance to book the room and use its mysterious DNA analyzer to find an actual number ranking of your value...but will it enlighten ...or hinder? A Johnny's vehicle starring a whole smorgasbord of Jimusho Joes. 
A Pretty Fun one!!

Mukudono!

he story of a mega rock star named Yuichiro (Tomoya Nagase) who proposes to a small town girl named Sakura (Yuko Takeuchi in another adorable role) and the trials and tribulations they go through to achieve their dream of marriage, this was one CHOCK-FULL drama simply LOADED with stars! 

Besides Nagase and Taekuchi you had Kumiko Akiyoshi, Anju Suzuki, and Ryoko Shinohara as her sisters, Aiba Masaki as a nephew, Ken Utsui as her father,

Narita Rikon

I was just getting into Yumi Matsutoya when her song “Sunny day Holiday” was released, and when I found out it was the theme song for the new drama Narita Rikon, I really wanted to see it!

Alas, I wasn’t able to see it on the local Japanese channels and so for the longest time the only thing I was able to see was a spoof they did on SMAPxSMAP, with Tsuyoshi and Hiroshi Abe playing their characters…and Shingo Katori playing the role of Asaka Seto! Would I ever be able to see it?! WELL!

Thanks to the folks at RareDoramas, I am FINALLY able to watch it, and oh my GOSH, it is TERRIFIC! VERY witty, fast paced and fun,with an absolutely SCENE STEALING duo of Hiroshi Abe and Eri Fukatsu as friends who, while outwardly trying to help the divorcing couple, are both secretly delighted because THEY want to go out with the respective divorcees!

 What's a struggling couple to do???

You know, I never quite “got” Eri Fukatsu until now (though I’ve liked her in so many dramas)…She’s SO cute as the mousey Reiko…really crush-worthy material here!!

Love, Love LOVED this drama!!

Okay, back to more J-drama watching….

Posted by zdoramaagain.blogspot.com