A whole slew of dramas wrapped up this past month and I thought I'd just post my thoughts and rankings here....
Avalanche
9/10
These secret underground Crime Unit dramas aren't anything new, and I expected Avalanche to be just another one of them. But from the beginning I was captivated by both Yoshino Kimura and Ayano Go's character and motivations, and was immediately along for the ride.
And then when I saw their methods retaliating against the wicked were so...violent, I knew this was a different take on things. Where other crime shows always had the team stopping the violence before going too far, in this we had members uncontrollably stomping on the evil perpetrators and, good or bad, you as the viewer secretly cheered them on!
Higashino Keigo Samayou Yaiba
9/10
9/10
Just finished the extremely dark “Higashino Keigo Samayou Yaiba” the story of a grieving father who takes matters into his own hands to seek revenge when his teenage daughter is brutally drugged, raped and murdered, and though I initially worried about the tack the writers might take (i.e. focusing on the murderer delinquents’ side of things, painting them in a sympathetic light), in the end it came down to a moralistic judgment of the Father returning murder with murder rather than leaving it to the authorities to sort out. And with a full cast of characters falling to one side or the other of the argument, it resulted in a rich, thought provoking drama a tragedy that left you with lots to think about.
The cast, as I mentioned before is excellent. Both Yutaka Takenouchi as the grieving father, and Yuriko Ishida as a bystander caught between doing what the law says and following what her heart wants. Very little dialog, most passages expressed with looks and head nods, but very powerful.
As well, Kanji Furutachi and Takahiro Miura were great as the detectives tasked with tracking down both the teen delinquents and the revenge-seeking father. Been seeing so many drama with incompetent detectives lately, was good to see one where the men on the case were thoughtful, methodical and full of empathy for the victims.
Wadake No Otokotachi
9/10
At the halfway point of Wadake No Otokotachi, it occured to me how much it was like an old KIKU TV program from my golden era of jdrama watching: family-oriented show with likeable characters and situations where kindness and thoughtfulness is rewarded, all topped off with delightful dialog!
At first I wasn't sure how much I was gonna like this show of three generations of newsmen in a family, but it quickly grew into one of my BIG faves! Oh, and it definitely stirred up my love thang for Ren Ishikawa who, though not a major character, captivated throughout!
Tada Rikon Shitenai Dake
9/10
Holy COW, was this drama awesome!!! From the second the drama started, it hooked you in with the sight of a married couple separated by a pool of blood, and though the show at first seemed a bit meandering, with the Husband languishing in an unhappy marriage, once the story actually started, it had me on the EDGE of my seat throughout its entire 12 episode run!
Tada Rikon Shitenai Dake, the tale of an adulterous man, his steadfast and loving wife, and the fate of his doomed mistress, had ALl the style and flavor of a great Alfred Hitchcock thriller- think something like THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY and you get the gist- equal parts serious, comedic, and thriller, all in one!
I’ve always liked Yuri Nakamura in her bit parts through the years, but her role as loving wife Yukie Kakino set on protecting her family at all costs must be her grandest role YET!!!
Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1 Jikan
9/10
A series of winsome vignettes following two people one hour before they end up in bed, documenting the circumstances which lead them up to their inevitable sexual destination! Some were playful, some thoughtful, some touching and some flat-out funny, but all with heart dealing with doing the big "thing". WOW This was SUCH a great little show, with each episode entertaining me immensely and making me re-watch them over and over!
Found out they created 4 bonus episodes in an online-only capacity but as of yet still have not come across them...would love to see them!!
8/10
Saiai began as an intricately woven mystery of the murder of a student and the impact it has had on the destinies of two childhood friends Daisuke and Rio. As the episodes went on, we got more facets to the story and the secrets seemingly revealed. But by the second half of the show the drama seemed to focus more on the adult Rio's business embroiled in an embezzlement and turned into a mostly basic business corruption drama. Only towards the end did the show go back to its primary story of the murder (and the subsequent crimes that happened afterwards to cover it), wrapping it up with a satisfying (if, to be honest, somewhat predictable) conclusion!
Personally wish they could have cut out the embezzlement arc (which to me felt a bit of a macguffin) and made the drama more lean. Still, a fine drama to watch with a great cast!
Konto Ga Hajimaru
8/10
Was finally able to finish up this series when some kind subbing team decide to pick it up after this initial subbers dropped it after episode 4. Though a bit meandering towards the end, this drama of a trio of comedians set to break up and their number one fan was full of great characters you came to love and it was their interactions that was really the heart and soul of Konto ga Hajimaru.
One of my all-time favorite roles for the plucky Kasumi Arimura!
8/10
Still not sure how a comedy about an inept ex-Yakuza getting released from jail after serving his sentence and reintegrating himself into the modern world turned out so sweet and heartfelt, but Musuboke really got me in the feels on multiple occasions throughout! Another show buoyed by a GREAT cast of characters and supporting characters, making for a sincere little show!
Iribito
8/10
Very dark and moody drama starring Mitsuki Takahata as Naho Takamura, a curator for her family museum in Tokyo who has a knack for seeing the true potential of the paintings, and Tatsuru Shirane (Sumire), the tortured artist whom she discovers and dedicates herself to revealing her art to the world.
This drama played out like a long movie rather than a regular TV show, one that sucked you in with its very surreal atmosphere as you followed Takamura through her journey of self-discovery as seh works to help Shirane out of the shadows and into the light.
I was completely captivated by this drama and with Mitsuki Takahata in the role of the mesmerizing Takamura. One of her best roles yet.
Zenkamono
7/10
A six-part drama featuring Kasumi Arimura as Agawa, a novice Parole Officer and the trials and tribulations she goes through working alongside her first three charges. Each story has two episodes per case/parolee and I liked the first two stories immensely. I had a harder time watching the last story with Agawa helping an ex-druggie/prostitute Tamiko recover, not because it wasn't done well but because she was played by Kotone Furukawa and I had JUST finished watching Arimura and Furukawa as SISTERS in Konto Ga Hajimaru and I just couldn't see past it.
Unlucky Girl
6/10
A charming little show, though the so-called unlucky girls' bad luck never seemed to reach the levels they hinted at. In fact, for most of the time I was thinking that they suffered no more unluckiness than any average person! Still a very fun show with a cute cast especially Haruka fukuhara whom has totally won me over with her adorable turn as the lead character.
Tsumari Sukitte iitai n Dakedo
6/10
Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu 2
6/10
Entertaining enough, but I dunno, seems like the writers forgot or erased every plot resolution in the first season because the cast is back mired in the exact same problems which plagued them before with seemingly no development of any kind... Kind of frustrating from a story-wise standpoint, but Rio Uchida is so cute as the free-spirited Momoe that I gave it a pass and watched it all anyway!
Shiroi Dakuryu
6/10
Story of a researcher who makes a fantastic discovery in medicine but finds himself at the mercy of greedy superiors and company presidents who want to use his knowledge for their own benefits, and in fighting against them, becomes as corrupt and evil as they are.
Very interesting show and you can certainly see the things that happen that slowly turn a kind-hearted man into a deceptive and heartless person, yet at times it seemed to me to be too extreme a change even in context of the show, but it was interesting to see how his actions affected both his creation and his future.
Rasen no Meikyu: DNA Kagaku Sosa
6/10
An OK detective drama with the usual eccentric specialist called in to help a la GALILEO, this time with Kei Tanaka as the antisocial advisor. The episodes had some interesting storylines but my GOSH did they always get so OVERLY MELODRAMATIC at each episode's conclusions: breaking down sobbing, gushing tears, swirling violins and all, sheesh!
Super Rich
5/10
The thing I liked about Super Rich was the way the stern but kind-hearted (Noriko Eguchi) was loved by all her employees, and how we got to see how she met each person on her team and why they believe in her so steadfastly as she picks her company up from the ruins and slowly rebuilds it back into a successful business.
Wasn't too big of a fan of the whole romance thing which took over the drama midway through the show nor the drastic persona change in some of the characters, especially Yu whose naive kindness was a big part of what made the first half so good. When he became a slick businessman it kind of changed the feel of the show and frankly in my opinion never recovered, even when the story reverted back from romance to the business aspect of things.
Watashi Danna O Share Shiteta
5/10
Rinko-san wa Shite Mitai
4/10
Truthfully, Rinko San wa Shite Mitai was very much like the aforementioned Coffee To Vanilla with very juvenile characters and cliche plotlines, but somehow Kaho Takada was enough to keep me entertained for the duration of the show! But at the end I had to admit this isn't a drama I'll probably be remembering too much...
Shinhannin Flag
3/10
I remember when first seeing the promotional ads for Shinhannin flag, wondering if it was going to be anything like the next Anata No Ban Desu, and after watching it completely I can safely say HELL NO. Unlike Anaban, which was a carefully crafted juggle of suspects and victims, Shinhannin was a drama full of very,very dumb people doing stupid things. SO VERY DISAPPOINTED. The coincidences that keep happening to him over and over in each episode making him seem more and more guilty is so over-the-top and ridiculous, it reminded me of Inspector Clouseau knocking over everything in the office one after another, getting worse and worse til the whole office is on fire…that’ what Shinhanning Flag is like to watch!
And WORST of all, after slogging through 10 episodes of this drama, it ends with a continuation to a part 2??? GAHHH, No more!
Gunjo Ryoiki
3/10
A drama following the withdrawal of a famous musician named Jun Hee after the dissolution of her band and the departure of her boyfriend, I thought the story would follow her healing from the past when she escapes to a small village, but it delved into all the other members miseries too and by the time they wanted us to sympathize with the ex boyfriend who broke up the band if the first place, I was ready to move on. Let me be perfectly clear: I don't give two hoots about the singer who broke up the band. and am irritated they spent so much time trying to make us feel for him.
I did like the plotline focusing on the relationship between Jun Hee and the Mute Girl, and wanted more of that kind of content, less of all the other drama concerning the band.
Snack Kizutsuki
3/10
At first I found this drama to be quite winsome, with downtrodden people finding themselves at the doorstep of Tom0yo Harada's strange little cafe tucked away in the backstreets of town, but after awhile I got tired of the set-up: Person is shown having a hard time in life, comes to Toko's bar and does some odd game or activity, then leaves happy with life. After awhile I realized there was never going to be any closure with the person's story or their problem, got tedious after a few episodes in.
Coffee To Vanilla2/10
I had tried to watch this back when it was airing but it just didn't do anything for me and I found its plot and the characters' behavior maddening! To be fair, I guess I was just not the demographic it was made for, as I know this is an extremely popular drama. The only reason I picked it up again was when I fell in love with Haruka Fukuhara from Unlucky Girl and decided to give it another shot. Indeed, Haruka was insanely adorable but not enough to gain my interest.
Soredemo Ai wo Chikaimasu ka?2/10
Schleppy guys having affairs and schleppy guys trying to coax co-workers into affairs and a dazed and easily manipulated Marika Matsumoto caught in between! 10 episodes of sociopathic people cheating, wanting to cheat, regretting cheating, relapsing into cheating breaking up and getting back over and over again left pretty much no one to root for, but did leave you with a fairly dim view of matrimony and relationships!
Nile Perch no Joshikai
2/10
Holy TOLEDO, did this drama go off the rails at the halfway point. Starting out as your basic "Single White female" plot with one woman obsessing over another until reaching dangerous levels, by episode 4, the situations became so outlandish and ludicrous with characters personalities and motivations swinging around willy nilly that I checked out early and had to force myself to slog through the rest of the show. Such a shame, such great actresses in this, especially my dear Asami mizukawa, who was my main motivation to try this one out.
PS: I feel like most of the dramas ranked at "9" right now are actually "10"s but I am cautiously hedging my bets to let my judgement simmer for awhile before deciding for sure where they fit in my overall Top J-Drama Rankings...
Once I've figured out where they fit in, most of them will be changed to 10s in due time....