Notes on Strawberry Night

After watching the Strawberry Night SP and then the 10 episode drama,I finally watched the  2013 movie and have completed the series!

As I watched this, I marveled at the character of Reiko Himekawa, whom must be one of the greatest roles I've ever seen Yuko Takeuchi perform. So cool, focused and stone-cold, she reminded me more of hard-boiled characters like Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch or John Sandford's Lucas Davenport- no fancy j-drama gimmicks where the main detective is an oddball with one magical trait which helps him solve cases, just true, old-fashioned detective work, canvassing the crime scenes, interviewing witnesses and suspects, and going over the facts over and over and over again.

There was one scene where Himekawa is interviewing a witness (Takao Osawa) and she is relentless with her skills- with every word the guy says, she is there to question and probe every answer he gives, scribble down every fact he reveals so she can investigate those leads further, and I was like, WOW...this is a real detective working here!!!

And when it comes to standing her ground when faced with the superiors and colleagues who cloud the issue with their single mindedness (or even outright evil intent), Himekawa has NO PROBLEM barking BACK at those who try to silence her!

PS: The more I watch it, the more astounded I am that they'd ever dare to reboot this drama so SOON with an actress which, while I do like her, can't EVER hope to achieve the kind of intensity Yuko Takeuchi brought to the table. Just perfect.

PPS: I was going to name this blog post "Strawberry Night Saga" but I can't even do that since that's what they named the reboot, LOL.

A Life In Rakugo: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 終わり

Just wrapped up the most wonderful drama about a lineage of rakugo telling performers told through the eyes of the elderly master as he is about to take on a new disciple . 

The scope of this drama, traveling through three generations of rakugo storytellers through childhood to manhood, from teacher to student, is massive, and often felt like I was watching an NHK Morning drama compressed into 10 episodes! 

VERY engaging drama with heartfelt acting throughout, especially from Masaki Okada, whom, playing key character Yakumo, ran the gamut from wide-eyed teen to seasoned pro and bitter senior with little effort! As well the energetic performance by Ikusaburo Yamazaki who played the bombastic scene-stealing Sukeroku, and the gentle and captivating Aya Oomasa as the show's doomed love interest Miyokiochi....

In the "present day" we had Riko Narumi and Ryo Ryusei as the young generation of aspiring tellers hoping to make the stage the home for their tales, giving closure to the overall story and ending the drama on a strong and sombre note!

This was one very involving drama, one that I will remember for a long time!

Posted by zdorama@zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Again

 Not that anyone beside me cares, but the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, which I first noticed in the Osamu Mukai drama 210 no Himitsu while tracking down the Cosmoworld Ferris Wheel, made another fabulous appearance in the new Tabe Mikako drama Watashi No Kasiefu Nagisa-San:

 Recognized it right away with its classic red brick structure and standing glass kiosks, and  I even saw the old Cosmoworld Digital Clock Ferris Wheel peeking out when Tabe was driving over to the site....!

Looks like  it's the HOT new place to shoot secondary scenes! Ironically enough, the last time I saw the Red Brick Warehouse in the background was in Tabe's LAST drama Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen:

Love In The Time Of COVID19

Now that J-drama shooting has resumed in Japan, we have our first ever COVID19 themed drama with “Love Distance” a drama focused around a quaint little apartment and its mask-wearing inhabitants and the things they get up to while under house lockdown!

Miwa (Asami Mizukawa) and Akira (Sho Kiyohara) are a happily married couple who while away the time watching their favorite show on a youtube channel ANMINA featuring three young comedians!

Besides being Akira's favorite channel, these three people, Anna (Fumika Baba), Minato(Mizuki Itagaki), and Sho (Masaki Nakao)  just happen to live on the same floor of their same apartment!

Add in a photographer (Keisuke Watanabe) who, while stuck at home, discovers the beauty of his pretty next-door neighbor when she is watering her plants, and you have an apartment full of lively inhabitants and interactions!

After Asami's extremely dark and gritty "Double Fantasy", I was ready to see something a bit more light-hearted from her. You know, over the years, they have been really typecasting her as this bitter, unlucky-in-love kind of lady, so it’s nice to see a drama where they appreciate how sweet and pretty she is, such is Love Distance!

PS: It's July 24th-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASAMI!!!

Omedetto, Birthday Girl! Loved you ever since "Last Friends" and "Nodame Cantabile" and have followed you faithfully ever since! Here's to seeing even MORE from you in the future!