A Wild Sumo Appeared

In the Keiko Kitagwa drama "Ie uru Onna", Keitan's character Machi Sangenya worked for Teiko Real Estate, which featured a Sumo Wrestler as their mascot. Besides having some hapless employee dress up as him outside, they had these collectible promotional figures of him which they gave out, and you could see him on the desks of all the employees.

PS: *sigh*, remember when Yuko Araki was still up and coming and was taking these B-level roles? Of course, once she became more established, she quickly dropped out of THIS series, LOL! Really miss her presence in the sequels n specials.

Anyway, so I'm watching the latest episode of the super fun "Brush Up Life" with Sakura Ando as a woman re-living her life over and over. In this latest incarnation, she is working at a Television Studio (NTV) as an AD and is involved with the behind the scenes business of dramas.

So I'm watching it, and on a shelf on her desk, I see the unmistakable boxed figure of a familiar  figure sitting there! 

"HEY!" I think, pausing the drama and looking closer. "Is that the Teiko Real Estate SUMO doll???" WHAAAAA

Indeed it WAS, and I wasn't too surprised when they announced to the staff a few scenes later that their station's next project was gonna be Ie Uru Onna!

They even got Toru Nakamura to cameo in the supposed first meeting between staff and talent (Of course they couldn't get Keiko HERSELF to make an appearance, though, LOL)

Actress Asami Usuda is a regular on Brush Up Life playing herself, and as she also was a prominent character in Ie Uru Onna, I knew they were gonna show her in her Kokoro outfit!

This show gets pretty META at times!

Moka Makes a Sage Observation about a Mystery Drama Trope

 So I'm watching the latest episode of Keishicho Outsider, where Hasumi (Gaku Hamada) and Mizuki ( Moka Kamishiraishi)  are interviewing a victim who was attacked by a masked man, trying to get clues to the case.

 Some guy comes into the room where he is introduced as a friend of the victim, who is praying for her to come through. I rolled my eyes and thought, "Duh, it's obvious that this '"good" guy is gonna end up being the attacker!"

WELL, whether or not the dude actually ended up being the attacker was still to be revealed, but I had a laugh when, in the next scene, Mizuki is talking to Hasumi and flat-out says she believes the criminal to be the helpful friend, because she watches a lot of crime dramas and that's ALWAYS who it turns out to be!

Not only did Mizuki call out the overused trope, but even went as far as saying it was a particularly overused cliche on TV ASAHI shows, the joke being of course that Keishicho Outsider is a TV Asahi show ITSELF! 

AAHAHAHA, I was dying! TV ASAHI even further clowned themselves by having Hasumi say you have to learn from real life, not dramas...and ESPECIALLY not TV ASAHI dramas! 

HAHAHAHA

What I'm Watching Right Now!

 Though I made myself a commitment to keep the dramas to a minimum, I still managed to catch a few shows, all of which I've listed here, ranked in order of how much I liked it as well as a brief summation of my thoughts!  Including “Makanai” here even though I’ve actually already finished it, just so you can see where it places in the hierarchy of this season’s shows (which, of course, is at the very top, natch!)

updated 02/10

Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san 

This was EASILY my number one drama of the season!!! There is nothing I can say about amazing Hirokazu Koreeda’s style of gentle storytelling that hasn’t been said before, suffice to say that Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san is yet another wonderful feather in his cap!

I loved everything about this drama- the slow pacing, the kind friendship and respect between the girls, (especially the caring nurturing Momoko has for Sumire into helping her blossom), and, finally, the simple and yet so sweet ending song(with just a piano, a sparse backing score, and Kiyo humming along) that had me in tears at the end of so many episodes!

Yugure ni, Te wo Tsunagu 

I’ll admit I had my reservations about diving into a new Eriko Kitagawa penned drama after slogging through Hanbun Aoi, but WOW, I HAVE to apologize and take my FOOT out of my MOUTH because "Yugure ni Te wo Tsunagu” is shaping up into one of the SWEETEST (if entirely predictable) dramas ever, reminding me of why Kitagawa is so highly regarded in the first place!

Ren Nagase is great as the introverted Oto and HOLY TOLEDO Suzu Hirose STEALS the SHOW as the vibrant and full-of-life Soramame!!!

My Brush-Up Life

One thing I loved about Bakarhythm drama “Suteki Na Sen Taxi” was the intricate way he balanced the stakes as his characters kept using the Time Traveling Taxicab Service to go back into the past and fix/meddle with it, and that same sensibilities are here in My Brush Up Life where Sakura Ando keeps trying to make her future better as she re-lives her past lives over and over! SUCH A FUN SHOW!

Da Capo Shimasenka?

 Another drama I happily look forward to each week! well I’ve always loved these “Deathmatch Elimination” setup scenarios anyway, but Tetsuya Takeda’s wonderful take as the mischievous and devious host of the games makes each episode a howl!

6-Byoukan no Kiseki: Hanabishi Mochizuki Seitaro no Yuutsu 

The zany and at times touching story of a young fireworks maker who is suddenly saddled with a pretty and quirky young girl  as his live-in apprentice while the ghost of his father playfully runs around the house sounds like a very basic of a show plot- Gotta say though, I think the real strength of the show is watching how CHARISMATIC and VIBRANT Takahashi and Honda are in their roles- It's almost as if the director told Tsubasa to act her her most quirky "Tsubasa Honda" type character, and told Issei to act in his most eccentric "Issei Takahashi" type character, and then simply let them go at it!!! SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH!

Shomonai Bokura no Renairon

The story of an middle aged Art Designer who suddenly gets a friend request from an old friend named Anna whom he once had a band with…as well as an unrequited love for! When he gets there, however, Takuro is stunned to meet Anna’s 17 year old daughter instead!

A very captivating show with Hidakasu Mashima doing his best mopey uncle and a spirited turn by  Seina Nakata as the uber genki and spazzy Kurumi Tanimura! I’d already fell in love with her shenanigans in the 2021 drama “Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1 Jikan” and she gives off the same energy here! Reminds me of Mitsuki Takahata in her early Kahoko days!

Themis no Kyoushitsu~ Legal Seishun Hakusho 

As we’re only a couple of week in to this Keiko Kitagawa legal drama, I can’t make a precise appraisal of the show yet, but I’ll trust in Keiko’s power! Just please, can we have the drama focus more on the cases and less on those troubled students? “Cause I’ve seen it all before and don’t want to sit through more, LOL!

Get Ready

I liked the premise of this show from the get go- the story of a group of rogue Doctors who only save the lives of those they deem worthy (and can pay the hefty fee), but in the past episodes the show seems to be getting bogged down in its own self-righteousness…. The initial setup of them forcing corrupt individuals to repent as they face death’s doors  was intriguing, but they seem to be taking a different tack, showing how the bad guys aren’t so bad after all, just sorely misunderstood. Yawn.

Hope the show picks up in the coming weeks!

Keishichou Outsider 

Ya know, I had SUCH high hopes for this one, and indeed, at first I was really enjoying Keishichou Outsider for its fast pace, exciting characters and wonderfully wonky situations.. But MAN< why do these detective shows ALWAYS seem to boil down to Corrupt Higher Ups in the Police Force/Government? GAHHH, so BORING having to sit through the characters basically whispering back and forth to who the corrupt people are, each episode is a NEW TWIST in corruption, sigh. All I want is to see interesting people solving interesting crimes, is that too much to ask????

Reversal Orchestra

The story of a former child prodigy who is drawn out of seclusion to lead the town’s small orchestra. As you all know, I really love Mugi Kadowaki and she’s certainly charming here, however the show itself hasn’t really grabbed me. 

When Sab told me NGN was going to be broadcasting this and asked if it was worth catching, I honestly couldn’t say. We’ll see where this one goes in to upcoming eps! Lesser setups have become HUGE faves of mine!

Konya Sukiyaki Dayo

A slice-of-lifey type show, more precise one of those foodie driven ones where the plot doesn’t matter that much and it’s all about the healing factor of a good meal. Starring Reina Triendl and Misako Renbutsu, I love both actresses but not sure how much actual story is going to be involved. Will continue watching as time allows….

Saihate kara, Toho 5-fun

A restaurant stands situated overlooking a famous suicide jumping spot, and it's here where the employees of the place take Sumomo (Yui Okada) when they find her on the pathway to the cliff-jumping site. Once there she finds kindness and understanding and a new resolve to live. while there, she witnesses the paths of other lost souls like her.

Love Yui Okada but so far this seems another quite lecture-y type of show with lots of poetic monologuing and tearful testaments to life. Not sure how much I'll be watching this one, but we'll see...

Anata wa Watashi ni Otosaretai

A pretty entertaining if basic set-up of a seemingly happily married couple and the subject of infidelity within the workplace. The way the show is set up it almost feels more like you’re watching a bunch of skits rather than a real drama proper (and the roles are as paper-thin as they come!), but it’s kept my interest going through it! Actress Noa Tsurushima is fun as the diminutive but fiercely ferocious manipulative man-eater Noa Tachibana, the junior seductress intent on getting her happily married superior Aizawa (Ryota Murai) to break his vows and get him to have an affair with her. Sure to be a bunny boiler, by the looks of it!

Hitomonchaku nara Yorokonde!

 Some of you may remember how much I love Honoka Miki (now Miki Yahagi) and she looked so cute and spazzy in this that I just HAD to give it a shot! But, yanno…this is that exact genre that I have such a hard time watching, the sweet and innocent girl who gets saddled with a loudmouthed arrogant jerk but HEY, Guess what- they get along and it looks like romance is not far off! Think dramas like Coffee and Vanilla, Animals, and you get the picture. Really not my cup of tea.Nor am I the demographic they’re going for anyway.

Will probably check back with this if only to get my dose of Honoka, but don't’ see myself getting any more into this one….

Hoshi Furu Yoru ni 

This show seems to be getting a lot of love and attention from the masses, but like I said in an earlier post about it, I just can’t get into Hoshi Furu Yoru ni. Though i love Yuriko Yoshitaka, I find Takumi Kitamura as the show’s deaf lead to be totally snarky and unlikeable to me, no matter how much they showcase his “caring” side….

Yeah, I’m aware that I may be passing on one of this season’s BIG ones, but Oh well…

That's it so far! Will be adding more as I watch 'em....

Shomonai Bokura no Renairon

 

OK, also caught the sweet drama “Shomonai Bokura no Renairon”, following the story of an Art Designer named Takuro Tsutsumi (Hidekasu Mashima) who, at middle age, is beginning to feel past his prime, with signs of younger folks beginning to take over his jobs.

In the midst of this semi-mid-life crisis of sorts, he suddenly gets a friend request from an old friend of his whom he once had a band with…as well as an unrequited love with.  

Her name is Anna, and, though nervous about the prospect of reconnecting after all these when he gets there,Takuro is stunned to see a girl whom looks like the perfect memory of Anna as she looked all those years ago! But when she introduces herself, she is revealed to be Kurumi (Seina Nakata), Anna’s 17 year old daughter!

This spritely girl wants to know all about him, his memories and feelings about her Mother. Takuro remarks how much she resembles her Mother, and, looking around, wonders when he can meet her. It’s here that he finds out that his past love has passed away a month before, a devastating fact he knew nothing about.

 

That evening he informs the others in the band about their keyboardist's passing and laments about the almost-love he once had with Anna, and of how he never got to see her again.

 

Meanwhile Kurumi has been dealing with her Mother’s passing in her own way by going through her treasured keepsakes, and over and over again, Takuro and the band they had keeps coming back into the picture.More and more she realizes how important this guy was to her Mom. 

 

Finding an old cassette of Takuro and her Mom playing music, she excitedly brings the tape over to Tsutsumi, and listening to the tape together, He finds the music takes him back to those good old days with Anna and the band, how happy they were and with so much to look forward to. 

  

After reminiscing a bit, Takuro asks Kurumi why she decided to meet up with him in the first place, to which she says, “I wanted to meet the Man that my Mom liked.”. 

And with that, she takes her leave, but little do the two know how much they will figure in each other’s lives from this point on!  

For one reason and another, Kurumi keeps finding ways to be involved with Takuro and his own meandering life.  And as the show goes on, we see how their presence affects the other, with Kurumi dealing with her schoolwork and future choices, as well as Takuro in the crossroads of his mid-life dealing with a job he is becoming unsuited for and an aging father! In times like these the other is there for them ... 

(with Syoya Mikata) 

 

A very captivating show with Hidakasu Mashima doing his best mopey uncle and support roles from other actors such as Akako Yada as his childhood friend /maybe love interest Eri Morita: 

Tetta Sugimoto as Takuro's Boss...

Satomi Tezuka as Kurumi’s Grandmother…  

...and then there’s Seina Nakata as the uber genki and spazzy Kurumi Tanimura! WOWW I’d already fell in love with her shenanigans in her episode of the excellent 2021 drama “Hatsu Joji Made Ato 1 Jikan” as the naughty little sister who tries to steal her big sister’s boyfriend:

If you saw that episode, you'd know how cute and rascally she was...Happily, she gives off the SAME energy here!  So CUTE!

Reminds me of Mitsuki Takahata in her early Kahoko days! 

This promises to be one fine little drama!  

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com