Still Crossing Fingers....

 Just realized that we're approaching week four of the new season to the quirky family drama "Oi Handsome", and we're still hoping for some subtitling team to pick it up! OK, It's true that this isn't a sequel fans were really demanding (as the first series ended so wonderfully and satisfyingly), still, when you love characters like the eccentric Ito family, you just can't help but be curious as to what they're getting themselves into this time around!

I've been sort of watching the series unsubtitled but, as it goes with situations like these, would dearly love to know exactly what they're all talking about in every scene! Oh well, it's still been  nice going back into that all too familiar, cozy and warm household and seeing all the old friendly faces!

Oi Handsome 2!!!!

 EEEEEEKKKKK!!!! Just HAD to STOP the PRESSES with the AWESOME NEWS I've just heard, that my BELOVED J-drama OI HANDSOME! from the past year is not only RETURNING in APRIL, but will release a MOVIE as well!!!!

As you ALL know, Oi handsome is one of my very, very favorite J-dramas of ALL TIME and cannot think of anything sweeter than re-visiting that wonderful household!!!

Awwwww, April cannot come SOON enough!!!!

The Devil In The Details with “Hatsukoi no Akuma”

 Just caught the first episode of “Hatsukoi no Akuma”, a Cop Comedy of the wackiest nature, and one which delighted me through the entire show!!  The premise: Four unlikely individuals within the Police department take it upon themselves to investigate the details of the murder cases that the hopeless Main Investigative Team bungle!

Each of the four have no authority to investigate nor make any official claims, but each have their own personal reasons for pursuing the clues to get down to the real truth of the matter!

Haruhi Mabuchi  (Taiga Nakano) works for General Affairs and is an affable and easygoing guy. He is eternally optimistic and turns any negative thing into something positive, and it is through his his friendliness and energy that the team eventually connects-

There is Ruka Kotori (Tasuku Emoto), a brooding and morose guy from Accounting, who, though having no real interest in the current case (about a young boy suspected of leaping to his death at a hospital), wants to solve it as a favor to a detective named Hattori.

It seems this Nagisa Hattori (Yui Sakuma) is the only one on the official investigative team who truly cares about the victims and solving the case, however she is picked on and constantly put down by the other members of the investigative team. But Kotori sees her passion and is irked by how the superiors treat her.

"Please, someone may be in danger if we don't investigate this lead!" she pleads.

But the head officers (Ryosuke Mikata and Catherine Seto) just brush her off.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could solve this and tell Hattori so she could get the credit?” Kotori thinks, and decides to enlist the weak-willed Mabuchi into helping him snoop around and dig up the facts.

A recently suspended detective named Suzunosuke Shikahama (Kento Hayashi) has been holed up at home, spying on his neighbor whom he suspects is a serial killer. Shikahama laments that he only became a detective because he thought it would be like TV, chasing killers and solving locked room murders, instead all he gets is orders to check license plates, etc. How he would love to work on an actual TV-type mystery, and so he is the first one Mabuchi thinks of calling when he and Kotori come to a dead end!

Though reluctant at first, the theatrical nature of the case woos him and eventually Shikahama is on board, analyzing the clues they bring him and giving theories.

And finally, there is the tuff as nails Sesuna Tsumiki (Mayu Matsuoka), she of the Community Safety Department. When Mabuchi and Kotori are sneaking into the evidence room at night to peek at the files, they find the intrepid girl already at the box! Seems she also suspects foul play at the hospital and has been investigating things on her own. When they realize they have the same mission, they decide to pool their efforts. 

Thus the unofficial team is born and, under the instruction of Shikahama to discard what they see and "use their third eye to see only the truth", the group gamely tackles the murder mystery and don't stop until they have come up with the solution!

Having so much FUN watching this one- such wonderful dialog between the principle characters, and I was not surprised when I looked up screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto and found he was the same writer of other dialog-heavy dramas like "Quartet" and the recent Takako Matsu drama "Omameda Towako to Sannin no Motootto", both dramas I REALLY loved!!

Can’t wait to see more!

PS: What is it with these pretty girls donning these bad wigs lately? First we had Fuka Koshiba in  Kanojo wa Kirei Datta, then Mio Imada in Waru, and now we have Yui Sakuma with another ill-fitting hairpiece!

She's still as wonderfully charming as ever, but this is a very weird trend.

Oi Handsome! 終わり

JUST wrapped up "Oi, Handsome!!" tonight and oh my GOSH, was it a WONDERFUL little drama! This show really took everyone by surprise, I think. I only grabbed the drama initially out of mild curiosity, little did I know it would become my FAVORITE drama of the winter season lineup!

Though its synopsis was described as "Strict Father has to deal with all three of his daughters moving back home", it's plot actually belied any conventional description. Oi Handsome was one of those shows that was more about all these little moments that make up a life than one big story, small passages that when added up become one of the most CHARMING and WHOLESOME dramas out there!

Though there were man, many MANY reasons to love this show, here are just a few of the wonderful moments and things that made Oi Handsome such a GREAT show!

 Papa's Kettle

One of the first scenes that made me realize this show was going to have a lot of heart and not just silly shenanigans.

Mika has just moved into her new apartment when her dad shows up with a housewarming gift- a brand new kettle. This bums out Mika because she wanted to buy all-matching housewares and the kettle sticks out like sore thumb.

Staring at the kettle after her father has left, she says, "Oh well, I can just get rid of it later and buy a kettle that I really want."

 

The next morning a still-half asleep Mika sets the kettle to boil for her tea and its whistle helps wake her up and get ready for the day. Once dressed and ready to go, she sits down to enjoy her cup of tea before work.

Looking over at the sink, Mika muses, "That's the tea kettle Papa gave me."

Then with a smile, "Papa's tea kettle."

It's almost like the kettle represents her dad watching over her.

I thought this was so sweet and touching!

The Running Gag about Yuji’s Crappy Manga

Mika's lowly boyfriend Yuji has "staked his life" on his manga, but upon reading it, it's so awful that Mika realizes she's with a loser and immediately begs to break up with him, AHAHAHA!

She accidentally brings the bad manga home with her and Gentaro finds it and reads it. Later that evening, Mika has to listen to him complain about how dumb and inconsistent the comic is.

And if that weren't enough, a  few days later, older sis Rika happens to read the manga too, and also confronts her with all the contradictory things in the badly written manga, LOL. 

Poor Mika says, "Why are you all telling ME about this!" AHAHAHA

Yuka's Wonderful Comic Timing

An understated gag in this drama is Yuka's ability to react hilariously to conversation- 

When she talks to her blowhard supervisor at work, she makes this saccharine girly voice and when talking to Dad makes an obedient little kid voice.  

I love this passage where Yuka is  complaining about her life to her ex Omori at a restaurant, and is incensed when he walks out on her. When she says “How dare you leave when I’m telling you my problems!” he takes his umbrella and brandishes it like a sword at her. 

Yelling,“You’re the one who dumped ME!”, he makes a slashing motion with it at her, and without missing a beat, Yuka goes, “ARGHHHHH!” in reaction to it, AHAHAHA, PERFECT timing!!!

Papa's Stomach Band

This is a great scene because not only is it funny as hell but once again shows the kindness and heart the show has.

When Gentaro catches Mika wearing a skimpy (to him) dress, he shucks his clothes and pulls up his stomach band, saying "THIS is what you look like walking down the street!" HAHAHA

Mika counters Papa by saying, "What about YOU? Why are you still wearing that dirty old stomach band? Now THAT'S embarrassing!"

Gentaro looks wounded by Mika's words and Mama has to pull Mika aside and remind her that Mika herself had bought it for him on a school trip as a child and he's always cherished it. Mika then feels bad and sheepishly peeks back at Papa. HAHAHA

LOLOL

Yuka’s Meltdown at her Lover’s House.

Yuka's love life seems to be cursed with getting picked up by guys who are already married. She knows she's at fault for not breaking it off as soon as she found out but is too weak to act. That is, until she sees her partner...with ANOTHER girl! 

She confronts him at his house later with his wife and when he gets belligerent with her, demanding "What the hell are you doing here?" she snaps, and in a hilarious fit of spazzery, begins trashing the house, swinging a potted palm round like a baton and brandishing a TV remote controller like a knife, HAHAHAHA

I love that Yuka manages to get out her aggression to this jerk boyfriend of hers.

Rika’s Adventure with the Out-of-Print Book

Due to one of her drunken blackouts, Rika ends up in a stranger’s house the next morning. Embarrassed, she grabs her things and flees, unwittingly taking a book that was on the table with her things.

At first only flipping through it, she soon becomes engrossed in it.

Unfortunately when she gets to the end, she finds out it's part one of a series and DESPERATELY needs to find out what happens next, going to bookstores and trying to get herself a copy.

Why does this make me so happy watching this play out I have no idea.

BTW, this role of Rika has got to be one of Yui Sakuma’s best roles yet- lots of unspoken scenes with just her reacting to things and even her inner monologues are a treat. Out of all the daughters, she's the one I feel had the best arc and growth throughout the show- really a great character.

Mika’s Double

After finding herself who she thinks is a good man, Mika changes her entire outlook to appear composed and demure for his strict sensibilities.

 When two of her friends see her on the bus, they laugh, “Hey look, that lady looks a little bit like Mika!” They crack up looking at this professional woman who looks like their friend, pointing out that the real Mika is always a tacky mess.

"Hahaha, we have to tell Mika we saw her double on the bus!” they laugh.

Of course, later when they meet up with Mika for drinks, the two girls are STUNNED when the same lady on the bus shows up! It’s Mika after ALL!!!

 

"Pass"

When the family sits down to play cards, Gentaro will try for a better hand by saying "pass", but then every other person will ALSO say "pass", reverting the turn back to him! He tries to pass again, but the more he says it, the more they all start reciting 'pass, pass, passsss" til he concedes and loses, LOL

Maho Nonami as Mika’s Busty Sempai Shiina.

I don’t know when Maho crossed over into Cougar territory, but she is simply wonderful (and sexy as hell!) as Mika’s kind and caring coworker who is always there to help her with the slings and arrows of romance!

A VERY sassy role for Maho, if this was the first thing I saw from her, I would be convinced she was the maneater older lady type she's playing! But she really loves Mika and always watches out for her.

And of course many jokes are made around Shiina's bountiful bosom!

Rina Ohta as Watanabe

I’m  beginning to think Rina's one of the COOLEST actresses out now, at least if her choice of roles is any indication. I always love her and she's great as the quiet but very perceptive Watanabe, a co-worker of Omori who both assist gentaro with hsi deals. She makes the keenest observations and her succinct summations of their clients even garners the respect of Gentaro!

With Ohta as the steely Watanabe and Kenta Hamano as the uptight Omori, their scenes are always fun  and peppy! I could watch a whole series of just the two of them swinging deals!

Actually, all of Gentaro's subordinates are pretty good and get a fair amount of screen time talking about Gentaro and the business.

The Stunned Reactions to Surprised Confrontations!

At least once an episode some character is caught by surprise by someone and reacts in hilariously over-the-top fashion, and I ALWAYS have to rewind it and watch it several times, too funny!!

Eating!

As some of you may know, I love screencaps of cute gals eating  and even had a seperate blog dedicated to it back in the day. WELL, I would have LOVED this drama, because SO many of the show's scenes had eating or snacking as a backdrop, and we got treated to someone nibbling on something in almost every set-up!

It’s That Apartment Again!

 Thanks to a noisy neighbor outside when Rika is visiting Yuka, the girls venture outside and I found out that Yuka is living in the same apartment  that Asami Mizukawa lived in in Love Distance and Fuka Koshiba visited in Youkai Share House, among others!

Rika’s Double

Rika gets a call from a school friend she had not heard from in years. Seems someone with the same name Rika Ito was lost in a blizzard and has only just been found. Her friend was calling to make sure it wasn’t her, and to apologize for not keeping in touch.

Meanwhile downstairs, Mom and Pop have just heard the news about the girl lost in a blizzard. when he hears the girl’s name is Rika Ito, Papa immediately worries about his daughter, though they had JUST seen her go upstairs not five minutes ago! 

Desperate to make sure his daughter is OK, Papa rushes upstairs to Rika’s room, he has to see her with is own eyes!

? ? ?

“She’s here…she’s OKAY!” Papa yells in relief. 

When Rika sees how worried her dad was, she sees his love for her through it and with a smile, assures him:

“Both the Rika Ito over there and the Rika Ito over here…we’ll both be fine.” 

Papa nods in agreement.

Why did this scene just KILL me…it was so silly and yet so, so, endearing. Got me all misty eyed!!

Gentaro’s Heartfelt Speeches which Anchor Each Episode. 

I thought his long winded lectures were supposed to be comedy relief at first but soon found he always got to the heart of things

In case you haven't guessed, Oi Handsome gets a BIG 10/10 from me!!!

It's for ALL of these little things that I fell in love with Oi handsome, but there's one more BIG reason that I fell in love with the show, and you all probably already KNOW what (or, more precisely, WHO) it is! But for THAT one, It gets its' OWN entry in the post that follows....

My Number One Reason I LOVE this show!