Happy Halloween from Kasumi Arimura and the Gang

As it's STILL the closest we'll get to any actual Halloween representation via j-dramas, I'm once again posting my favorite Halloween scenes from the Kasumi Arimura drama "Nee-chan No Koibito"!

Gotta say, these caps DO put me right into an autumn vibe with all its oranges and yellows!

They really captured the rustic "feel" of it right!

In my initial posting of this, I mused that reposting this entry might even become a October tradition  at the zdorama blogsite, and at a now FOUR years in, it's official!

Happy Halloween!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

What I'm Watching Right Now

 It's Fall Season!

We've just begun the current schedule, but I thought I'd take the time to note what I'm currently watching! Not sure how many of these I will be sticking around for the long haul, but at this point all of them are currently on my tune in list. As usual, these are listed here in order of how much I've been liking them (so far)!

Toki wo Kakeruna, Koibitotachi

Without a doubt this season's front-runner for me HAS to be the futuristic love story, featuring Eita and the adorable Riho Yoshioka as two time-crossed lovers from different eras who, as time police themselves, stop and counsel other time jumpers with care and passion.

Man, really gettin' my luv thang for Riho Yoshioka back!!!

Ichiban Sukina Hana

As someone who loved the structure of the ensemble drama "Quartet" and the gentle way the four main characters interacted each episode, I'm already sensing the same thing for "Ichiban Sukina Hana", a similar story with four wildly different people thrust together by chance and given an opportunity to grow and bond with others. Not only that, Mio Imada really dazzles here!

Tatoe Anata wo Wasuretemo 

As a huge fan of hers, I've been waiting for a good starring vehicle for actress Mayu Hotta, and I believe we've finally got it with Tatoe Anata wo Wasuretemo. The story of a earnest and hardworking woman named Miri Kono who never seems to have luck on her side, who finds friendship with a young man (Hagiwara Riku) running a truck cafe, is so sweet and achingly melancholy that I had tears in my eyes for a good part of the show! A real showcase for Mayu who reminds me why I fell in love with her in the first place all those years ago! Another must-watch for me.

Kotatsu ga Nai Ie 

As some of you know, I'm not a fan of "persecution" set-ups, and if all this drama was was a selfish family piling up on top of breadwinner and general authoritative family figure Mom/Wife/Daughter Marie Fukabori (Eiko Koike), I would have bailed early on. The script, however, is VERY zanily written and the quick and snappy dialog reminds me not a little of shows like Kakenai!? or Ore no Hanashi wa Nagai (which also starred Koike), both shows I LOVED, so I've GOT to see where this goes!

Uchi no Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru 

Ben Kuramae (Tsuyoshi Muro) is a manager to a popular actress who suddenly finds himself unceremoniously let go from his position after 30 unappreciated years of dedication, and nowhere to go. Yurina Hirate is An Amano, a young genius when it comes to law procedures, cases and facts, but horrible when it comes to personality and interaction with clients. Together, however, they come together to make the most unbeatable team! Uchiben was probably the drama I was MOST looking forward to this season , and at two episodes in, hasn't let me down yet!!

 Sexy Tanaka San

Sexy Tanaka San feels like this generation’s answer to “Shall We Dance”, that classic film about rigid salarymen who find an outlet for the daily grind through ballroom dancing, only in this case, it’s Office Ladies and the secret outlet is BELLY DANCING!

The invincible Haruka Kinami stars as the titular Kyoko Tanaka, a stoic, silent and highly efficient accountant within a Company,  who moonlights as a vibrant, charismatic and, yes, SEXY Belly dancer, who inspires her co-worker Akari (Meru Nukumi) to reassess her life and take a step forward!

Gekokujo Kyuji 

The Ryohei Suzuki/ Haru Kuroki led drama of the former Star Athlete who, due to certain circumstances, has renounced his star status and is eking out life as a humble Teacher, until he is railroaded by the faculty into taking on the school team with a go-getter female teacher as his partner. Seen this in shows like Mirai E No 10 Count and the like, only this time, instead of boxing, it's baseball. So far it's pretty good.

 

My Second Aoharu

Alice Hirose as a woman whom, after 11 years of struggling as an office woman in Tokyo, returns to her hometown to go back to college to pursue her dream of becoming an architect. Story is interesting enough and Alice is a cute and spunky as ever, but I'm a little concerned about the high-schooly feel and the huge ensemble cast as those aren't generally the kind I can get into. But we'll see!!

Haiiro no Otome

Reika Sakurai and Keisuke Nakata star in an amnesia themed story that reminds me not just a little of the classic Sandra Bullock romcom "While You Were Sleeping" when a VERY stalkery girl takes advantage of the situation when her love interest gets into an accident and loses his memory...and she tells him that they are Boyfriend and Girlfriend!~ Part wacky comedy and part sinister thriller, this one is entertaining as heck!

Fermat no Ryouri

Fumiya Takahashi and Jun Shison as chefs who utilize mathematics into their cooking, Fermat no Ryouri reminds me of a foodie version of Trillion Game with the crafty "brain" and the humble "genius" teaming up to tackle the world. A drama I picked up mostly for Fuka Koshiba who sadly plays only a secondary role here (with room to expand?). Also featuring Sei Shiraishi in a support role.

Joshi Kousei Sou ni Naru

Cute story of a young high school girl named Mugi (Mei Hata) whom, upon graduation, decides to take over the family Temple with her childhood friend Shu (So Okuno) whom is schooled in Buddhism and is a qualified Monk. But the path won't be easy for them, with a huge debt left by her late grandfather  to take care of- as well as the involvement of two conniving planners who convince the young hopefuls that they can help save the temple...even as they're plotting its downfall! A nice twist on the usual school dramas!

Kaette Kitara Ippai Shite

Lightweight in tone but SO ENTERTAINING! The very shoujo manga-ey set up of a young mangaka named Akane (Nana Asakawa) who, in a slump, is advised to try out TL (steamy teen erotica) in her works. But as a wide-eyed innocent who's never experienced such stuff, where can she draw inspiration? Enter, Naoya Takashiro (Ken Kojima) a callous ladies man who goes through women like playthings, who becomes the girl's muse as she documents his lifestyle and her personal feelings towards him into her stories! Wacky and fun series!

Sorette Pakuri Janai Desuka?

Kyoko Yoshine doing her adorable best as a patent-infringement agent along with Daiki Shigeoka, who somehow seems to be the "it" guy lately (He's also in Tanshin Hanabi which follows)... is this dude really that cool? An interesting enough show, though there isn't much to do with the main character development as the whole show pretty much centers around the cases themselves.

Tanshin Hanabi 

On the surface this seems like your average infidelity set-ups with a married guy moving back to his hometown and reconnecting with his first love. But there's something shady and sinister going on under the surface of all these raging passions, and I have to see where it's all going to go! Besides, the drama features both Yuko Araki and Rin Takanashi, good reasons to stick around anyway....

My Home Hero

Story of a meek and mild-mannered man (Sasaki Kuranosuke) who gets pushed to the brink when he finds his beloved daughter (Saito Asuka) is being abused and life threatened by her yakuza boyfriend. When he kills the boy in a rage, it will take all his wits and the support of his dedicated wife (Kimura Tae) to stay ahead of both the authorities...and the yakuza family whose heir they've murdered! Will have to see a bit more of this show to see if I'll finish this one- if it's just the family getting bad luck over and over then I'll pass, but if it's about their resourcefulness in the face of overwhelming misfortune, then I'll be all in!

Mei no Mei

This set-up is becoming a real cliche nowadays, the "Troubled  Person who Moves to a Small town with a Young Girl who Heals with the help of the Kind Townsfolk". Saw it with Kana Kana, Barakamon, and now Mei no Mei. Follows all the beats of other shows like it almost step by step!

Pocket ni Boken wo Tsumekonde 

A girl (Nanase Nishino) who gets through her daily struggles as a newbie Ad Designer by tackling the problems as she would defeat pokemon-type monsters, by analyzing the enemy and choosing the best plan of attack. the way the show keeps switching to gameboy graphics reminds me of the Atsuko Maeda comedy "Densetsu no Okasan" where it's like she's living a videogame life.

Intercom ga Naru Toki

Was pulled into Intercom ga Naru by this drama's futuristic backdrop of an AI dominated world full of computers and virtual lovers, but I wasn't thrilled by the boring "husband cheating of faithful wife" set up that followed. The show, however, hints at becoming a calculating "revenge" type of story (a la Fukushu no Mibojin) and with the sci-fi twist, I just have to see what develops!

Tsuki to Cake

...and speaking of AI and AI recreated deceased spouses, we have the very odd drama Tsuki to Cake, starring Iura Arata and Mikako Ichikawa as a couple who seem to be living in a simulated world a la SOLARIS. And if that wasn't weird enough, these episodes are only 2 minutes long! What IS this??? Still, it piqued my interest....

...AND, Dramas Still Left Over from Previous Seasons:

 Here are a few dramas that I have yet to wrap up, these are dramas that are still slowly being translated but I'm optimistic that I will indeed complete these in time!

Nami yo Kiite Kure

For a show that started out nutty (and, admittedly, irritating) as hell, I have to say how much this drama grew on me until the point where we are at its penultimate episode and I just LOVE it to death! Funny how a show can hit one way and then end up being one of your favorite shows of the season. Fuka Koshiba excels as radio personality Minare but I think it's the development of her friendship/partnership with the AD Mizuho (played by Hara Nonoka) that really sold me on the show- such a joy watching them interact each episode, you can tell they really adore each other and it always puts a smile on my face!

Kono Subarashiki Sekai

While I'm technically finished with this whimsical tale of Mayumi Wakamura as an average housewife who doubles for a glamourous actress, last episode 9 hinted at a continuing story arc dovetailing into a special which, though aired, has not been picked up by the subtitling team.

Good news is that I DO have the RAW of the special, however I really have to work myself up to trudge through it untranslated! From what I've seen of it, it's only loosely connected to the parent story, so if it gets too hard I guess I could bail...we'll see!

Black Postman

While the wonderful subtitlers of Black Postman have been slowly but diligently releasing subbed episodes, I deided at the beginning to wait this one out until it was done being translated. So while a good chunk of this series of a vigilante postman has been done, I'm actually still at episode 1! Guess I'll marathon it once it's completed!

Hatsukoi Zarari

We're still at about the halfway mark with this one with the drama switching hands from one subtitling team to another who kindly decided to continue it. I wonder how popular this drama of a mentally challenged girl trying to find work and love did in its initial run in Japan. No one seems to talk about it, but I think it's a really sweet show.

Miss Jikocho

A much older show from 2019 that a subber recommended and I've enjoyed very much! Drama following a woman who investigates industrial accidents to determine the cause and create preventative measures to ensure it doesn't happen again, Yasuko Matsuyuki as lead Manako Amano is a joy to watch, so smart and sassy!  I've mentioned it before but Miss Jikocho would be a fantastic KIKU staple.

Nichiyou no Yoru Gurai 

This drama of three girls who come together by unusual circumstance and become friends is a theme very much like the current Mikako Tabe drama Ichiban Sukina Hana in that they initially reject the camaraderie and companionship with each other out of a dislike of human contact, but slowly warm to the idea of friendship. Another drama about halfway done by the subbers.

Tenshoku no Maou Sama 

While this drama is still being translated by the subbing team, this is another one which hasn't quite grabbed me and so i've been welcoming the slow pace of the releases! As you all know, i LOVE Fuka Koshiba, but the show focuses more on the client story than the cast. Much like Sorette Pakuri, now that I think about it.

WELL, that's about it so far, will add more dramas as I see them....

Another Quartet in "Ichiban Suki na Hana"

Ichiban Suki na Hana, a story of four shy and introverted people who have, since childhood, struggled with the concept of pairing up with others and making true allies in life, and have found that, as adults, this same stigma has kept them feeling isolated and completely alone within the busy world they occupy.

There is Yukue Ushio (Mikako Tabe), a young woman working as a Cram School instructor who has recently been told by her supposed best friend (Taiga Nakano) that he can’t hang out with her anymore 'cause his new wife forbids it…

There is Tsubaki Haruki (Kouhei Matsushita), a man who earnestly believes he had found a woman to settle down with (Asami Usuda)…only to be dumped over phone just as the wedding day is on the horizon…

There is Yoyo Miyuki (Mio Imada), a pretty hairstylist who has never had real friendship outside of the men who see her as someone to go out with purely for her physical appearance… (where she is told off for constantly "leading guys on" when she says she only sees them as acquaintances)

...and finally, there is Momiji Sato (Fuju Kamio), a quiet lad working at a convenience store with dreams of someday making it as a graphic designer but is told that for his illustrations to touch others, he needs to be a more outgoing and warm person.

At this point, all four of our characters are unmoored and seem to be drifting into a desperate outlook...They all need something to spark their lives...and such a chance is on the horizon!

Through an unusual set of wild circumstances, each of the four happen to cross paths when fate gives Momiji, Yukue, and Yoyo individual reasons to appear at Tsubaki's doorstep!  Through this wonderful chance meeting, the four get to talking and through animated discussion, find that their personal problems at creating bonds and retaining relationships may not be so unique after all!

Though skeptical to even begin thinking about making new friendships, that same playful fate has decided that these four are meant to be in each others’ lives, and through that chance first meeting, will see them find solace in each other and realize they are not alone in the world.

As Bogie once said:  "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

MAN, after just the first episode, I am feeling so STRONGLY about this drama- you never know what kind of drama you’re going to get with these “ensemble cast” kind of shows,  gratefully, what I found was less “Manatsu no Cinderella”, and more like the excellent “QUARTET” from few years back or even the recent “Nichiyou no Yoru Gurai wa”… Intelligent dialog and earnest characters make this for one drama that I’m SURE I’m going to enjoy watching in the coming weeks!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com