Wrapped Up This Month

 Soooo many dramas finished in the past few weeks , and though I thought “Nemesis” warranted an official “owari” post, there were more that I didn’t have time (or, admittedly, inclination) to do proper send-offs for, and these I have listed below with quick ratings and summations!

Renai Mangaka

 A fairly predictable plot with the main love interest doing their darndest to deny attraction to each other and then, once together as a couple, doing the same dedication to  creating problems!
In fact, I had my fill of these two more than once, but the thing that made up for it was its wonderful support cast in, , and especially Haruka Kinami, VERY animated characters whose spastic and over-the-top reactions kept the show interesting!
7/10

Rikokatsu

Another romance drama where the leads try everything they can think of to disagree, argue and revolt with their partners, not just the main two newlyweds/divorcees but both respective parents,making it hard to root for anyone!
My main draw to watching this was, of course, for Keiko Kitagawa, but after finishing up the series, I have to say it seems like such a mundane role for her. The role of Saki really seems like it was made more for an up-and-coming actress like Airi Matsui, though of course we already got an almost identical drama from her already with “Shanai Marriage Honey”, LOL!
7/10

Ichikei No Karasu

This was a courtroom drama in the vein of Takuya Kimura’s “Hero” dramas or Masato Sakai/Yui Aragaki’s “Legal High” series, though I don’t think Yutaka Takenouchi’s Michio Iruma and Haru Kuroki’s Sakama characters are quite up to the charisma of Komikado & Mayuzumi or Kuryu & Amamiya…
Still, this was a nice low-key drama to watch at the end of long week, and I’ll miss it!
7/10

Love -Com No Okite: Kojirase Joshi to Toshishita Danshi

A mundane plot that had some promise in the beginning, with inexperienced Ruri (Chiaki Kuriyama) using manga to guide her through her first real-life romance with co-worker Mamiya (Yuta Koseki), sadly the show quickly devolved to the same old break up to make up tropes of a basic romance drama.
4/10

Kotaro wa Hitorigurashi

The story about a young boy who moves into an apartment and his relationship with his neighbors as he attempts to live alone was sweet and thoughtful, though I have to admit that by the drama’s end, while I felt the love the tenants had for Kotaro, I didn’t really feel he really had too much affection for them? LOL, still a nice drama to check out.
7/10

Hankei 5 Metres

Yout typical Mentor/Junior set-up with seasoned journalist Kameyama (Hiromi Nagasaku) training Maeda (Kyoko Yoshine) as a writer/reporter for their magazine…
After awhile I began to notice the formula: Green reporter Maeda goes after a news story, rashly misreads the situation, does a bad report, then veteran writer Kameyama sagely saves the situation, showing the young Maeda the true story…
I love Hiromi Nagasaku and was thrilled to see her again, but I never quite warmed up to this drama…oh, and somehow, I really hated Maeda’s boyfriend, and every time he appeared, it took me right out of the show!
5/10

Kikazaru Koi niwa Riyuu ga Atte

A very average romance drama with by-the-numbers love triangles and fight and make up moments, but WOW, did I love tuning in, and of course, it all comes down to wonderful Haruna Kawaguchi who totally MADE this drama with her adorable aura of positivity! Her character Kurumi has so many beaus after her, and it’s easy to see why, with such a kind and loveable girl!
7.5/10

That's It For this Month!!!