Kakenai? 終わり

 

Ikuta Toma as Keisuke Yoshimaru in "Kakenai?"

Anna San No Omame, Yume Wo Kanaeru Zo, these are all dramas that I initially wrote off as being too over-the-top wacky and irritating, only to have those shows GROW on me and eventually become some my FAVORITE dramas of all time, and now we can add the Toma Ikuta-led ensemble comedy “Kakenai!?: Kyakuhonka Yoshimaru Keisuke no Sujigaki no Nai Seikatsu” to that list!!

Kakenai?? How did THIS drama turn into such a GREAT show?? In my original post I had written about how much I disliked it, how one-dimensional and incompetent every character was, little did I know how each chapter would show each person’s good qualities and comedic timing, til I ended up loving them all!  This was one drama where I felt every character was an integral element of this zany drama. from main characters down to secondary and supporting roles, EVERY one charmed and was a welcome sight in each episode!

Keisuke (Ikuta Toma) is a novice writer who has been doing the family household chores while his more succesful novelist wife Nami (Michiko Kichise) writes the best sellers that keep food on their tables. But when Keisuke is selected to pen the script of a new drama with a major star in it, his sudden upgrade to professional shakes up their foundation and it is very interesting watching them go through this new development!

Not wanting to intrude on his writing, Nami keeps her opinions to herself and all seems well on the surface. It's only when we see her talking with her literary agent Hatano (Masumi Nomura) that we realize not all is sitting right with her and there may be jealousy brewing... But Keisuke can't see it because he is too busy being overwhelmed!

I really didn't like the three producers of the show (Kitamura Yukiyo, Mijika Nagai and Teppei Koike) when I first saw them, as they seemed like uncaring and over-demanding tyrants. But as the show goes on, over time you learn to love their efficiency, their clinical and robotic analysis of the scripts and situations, where they are always calm and collected...

....except where ratings are concerned, where lead producer Kitamura shows his petulant side, wailing about every percentage drop in the drama!

In the ratings race the team constantly goes up against rival producer Wakamoto who is always there to rub salt in their wounds!! PS: Wakamoto is played by Megumi Seki, an old Crush of The Day Alum who is even PRETTIER than ever!

Among the many hurdles they must deal with on a daily basis besides keeping production going is catering to the spoiled lead actor's  (Masaki Okada)'s whims. Though seemingly thick-headed at first, he eventually becomes one of Keisuke's greatest supporters!

Another nice side story is with daughter Erika (Anna Yamada) who is becoming curious about her biological father (Keisuke is her stepfather) She rooks in her younger brother’s tutor Senkawa (Fuma Kikuchi) into helping her locate her real dad, a task he isn't really into doing, but does so because he has a crush on her...

Senkawa becomes a valuable player in the Yoshimaru household when he also becomes a transcriber for Keisuke, making for some very funny scenes as he becomes the steady stenographer while Keisuke wigs out over his impending deadlines, LOL

Another side storyline I initially found over the top but soon became entertaining as heck to watch was with Keisuke's battle with his self-doubting subconscious which manifests before him as a bald, raving skinhead (played with glee by Kenta Hamano) whenever he's stressed out!! He goes to see a quack psychologist who ends up treating not only Keisuke but Nami as well, and his advice even helps Keisuke get an upper hand over the bolo-headed apparition, HAHAHA!

Even the little brother Sora and his best friend Chiaki as  junior sleuths investigating all the secret problems each family member is hiding was a delightful diversion!

If you couldn't tell by now, I adored every facet of this drama and can't wait to re-watch it again!

Don't get me wrong, this show is SILLY as HECK and won't be to everyone's taste...but one that once you acquire the taste for, becomes pure joy!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Crush Of The Day: Seki Megumi

We started watching the Eriko Kitagawa penned drama SUNAO NI NARETAKUTE, mostly (as did quite a few people) to see the reunion of actors Eita and Juri Ueno, whom we’ve loved together in dramas Last Friends and of course the mighty NODAME CANTIBILE, and in that regard, the drama didn’t disappoint! As Car noted, “Those two have great chemistry together”! But once the show started and the ensemble cast was revealed, I began vigilantly watching the show for ANOTHER actress!
The story of Sunao Ni Naretakute revolves around five people who are regulars on twitter and, because they get on so well online, decide to meet up one day in person. From this initial meeting, the five tweeters enter each others’ lives and discover that they are not the only ones going through hardships- each person at that fateful meeting has huge obstacles to hurdle and problems to sort out. But with the support of these newfound friendships, they are able to help each other get through the hard times and find out what it truly means to be friends. It was after this quandary-filled first episode that I said in confused summation: ”I don’t know WHERE this crazy drama is going, but that psycho girl with the slashed wrist scars is pretty fricking cute”!

AHAHAHAHA! Yes, while all the screeching and hair-pulling was going on throughout the episode, I was busy taking notice of what really matters in any good drama: “Where are the babes?” And though I love Juri Ueno to death, her character of a troubled teacher just couldn’t compare to the attraction I found in that sweet and feminine lass with the telltale lines scrawled upon her arms!

Car laughed, “You said that that actress was cute before, when we saw her in HATCHIMITSU TO CLOVER (Honey and Clover) with Sho! She was the one who liked That Takumi guy”

Huh! I hadn’t realized that I’d seen this actress before in anything!

“Yeah, remember?” said Car. “ You said something like “As IF a BABE like that would be pining away for a loser like that dork!”

I still didn’t remember her (I was too busy being introduced to the wonder of Aoi Yu at the time), but laughed, “Well at least that PROVES that there’s something about this girl that I really like!”

The actress in question was none other than a girl with few dramas but LOTS of Movies to her credit, the insanely adorable Seki Megumi! With looks that seem both part Yu Yamada and Miho Kanno mixed together, Seki has an almost western look to her, at once exotic and HELLA SEXY!

As Nishimura Hikari (or her online name "Peach", which TOTALLY matches her), Seki plays a beautiful but extremely insecure and manic depressive girl who is starved for love and companionship, and out of the entire cast, she was the only one out of the five who really captured my interest (and heart) and made me want to know more about what her ‘story” was all about.

Well, it seems that my interest in Peach was well invested, because throughout the drama, she retained her status as my favorite character in the show, whether the story focused on her, or even if it was her interacting with the other people as they dealt with their own various problems.

And as far as problems of her own went, just like her character of Ayumi in HONEY AND CLOVER, once again we find her sadly pining away for various guys who all politely rebuff her. Really breaks my heart to see such a sensitive and pretty girl continually getting her feelings hurt, you would think that by simply being a babe she would have guys falling all around her feet! Or at least, I would. Ahahahaha!

Reading up on Megumi’s Dramawiki stats page, I was excited to see “Bandage Club” listed as one of her more recent movies, because I'd JUST seen it available for download at one of the j-movie sites that I visit. Scurrying over to said site, I was bummed to read that the DL didn't include english subs. Determined, I went online to see if anyone else was offering up the subs in softsubs like .ass or .srt. When none could be found, I said heck with that, I’ll watch it without subtitles! It was only then that I discovered that the movie torrent had 0 seeders and was informed by my torrent program that it would take “approximately 40 weeks” to download! D’OH!!!!

Ah well, Looks like I’ll just have to be satisfied watching Megumi in the last few episodes of Sunao Ni Naritakute!