Sunday, May 27, 2007

Sexy Voice and Robo eps 1-6

She kinda looks like Sawajiri Erika in this shot....

Sexy Voice tells the story of a middle school girl and a robot otaku who team up together to solve cases. Sexy Voice has super hearing and can mimic anyone's voice and Robo uuuhh like robots and has a car license. Oh great, not another stereotype otaku character! Someone need to tell Japanese stations that Densha Otoko was funny IN SPITE of Densha being irritating due to the supporting characters, not because of his lame otaku act while was interesting as a novelty but quickly overstayed its welcome when he didn't grow any balls, ie character development.

You'd expect a shot of all the otakus shocked at a chugakosei in the store....

Right off, this show really reminds me of Trick. Two different individuals come together reluctantly solve crimes. However, in Trick the interesting part of the show was that both Ueda and Yamada were very flawed characters with their own strengths and weaknesses and when they acted together the became the perfect investigator. That's the basis of any buddy cop film. Contrasting characters who need each other.


Unfortunately, Robo is too much of a fucking useless character. The only skill he brings is driving Sexy Voice around, making stupid robot sounds and generally being unfunny. And the sad part is that the comedy of the show falls squarely on his shoulders.I don't care how good he was as L in Death Note. The actor needs to tone down his otaku act. Only few actors and overact and be funny and he is not one of them.

Hhmm, the sis is not bad. Why does the mom have to be hideous....

Ohgo Suzuka aka Niko/Sexy Voice meanwhile is truly the star of the show. I have to say, if I were 13 years younger, I'd be going crazy over her. She reminds me of Sawajiri Erika, being able to command your attention when she's on screen. The fact that Sexy Voice is very well written helps as well. Basically she's your mature shoujo who questions the ways of the world and every episode this ties in with the cases that she has to solve. This however makes the show very preachy.


What they should have done was give Robo some brains. It just seems like the role of adult and child are reversed. Show that underneath the otaku maniac is a detective who has chosen to withdraw from society into his robot world. Play up Niko ignorance of worldly knowledge. (not to the point of Toda Erika in Liar Game) Make Robo the reluctant brain and Sexy Voice the heart of the group. Show them as two characters finding their way who help each other cause from what I've seen so far, Sexy Voice could have solved everything herself.

I'm getting a Kago Ai vibe from this shot. Why Kago?? Why????!!!!

Which brings me to ep 6, which I must admit is pretty good, except for the shoot out part. FFS, if you outnumber your enemy 6 to 1, you don't just stand at a distance and fire random shots while their are bunkering behind obstacles. You spread out and surround while 2 ppl cover fire. Writers should not write gun battles unless the can play CS.

Finally in ep 6, Robo gains a useful (maybe) skill - the ability to impersonate Kang-sama, a play on the dude from winter sonata. All the Kang-sama scenes were truly hilarious and had me in stitches, which ties into my main point. For a series based on episodic cases, they can be hit or miss. And generally most of the 6 eps have been a miss. Even for Trick, some of them are excellent and some are run of the mill. What they need to keep viewers watching is chemistry between the lead characters and until ep 6, I didn't give a fuck about Robo because of his uselessness and overacting.

If I were the PM of Japan, I'd banned all men from teaching...

What I remember most from from Trick is not the cases, (except for Slit Makiko) but the catchphrases like 'Donto Koi' and 'Why don't you try your best'. Ueda and Yamada bickering. Yamada always running out of money and Yamada always pretending to be a genius. But when push comes to shove, Yamada was the brains and Ueda was the brawn to solve the cases.

Unfortunately the same can't be said of Sexy Voice. Still, Ohgo Suzuka is good enough to check this show out. :)

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Kuitan 2 eps 1+2

Kuitan is back. The gluttonous detective who can has a never ending stomach has returned to solve cases involving food. If you've watched the 1st series, its more of the same. Yes, Momo-chan is back with Igarashi! Just remember not to watch on an empty stomach. I didn't watch the special and they finally revealed the owner of Holmes Agency to be some chinese tycoon who looks like the police chief.

Momo-chan and IGARASHIIIII~~~!

Kuitan is one of those shows that while nothing really stands out, there's nothing much to complain about either. You won't find yourself fast forwarding but neither do I find myself anticipating the next episode. Nevertheless, its still watching how Kuitan will solve the case. Most of the time the ending's pretty obvious. Its the how that makes this show watchable.

Kindaichi and his chick. IMO, this show is kinda lacking in the eye candy factor..

If there's one easy way to improve the show, its that Kuitan needs an arch-enemy to make it more exciting. Kuitan's skill is in his taste buds so perhaps the villain can be a master chef who uses food to provide Kuitan with false clues or something. Then have some backstory of Kuitan discrediting the chef long time ago.

Owner and his sexcreta.. I mean personal assistant. I hope ep 1 is not the last we'll see of those legs.

One thing I noticed is that Kuitan is sorta like Sherlock Holmes in that he is only interested in his 'work' and not in women. And his all you can eat attitude is like Holmes' penchant of opium. Not much to say except watch it you've got time.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Liar Game eps 1-4

Be still my beating heart....

OMG! Finally a show really worth watching! Toda Erika plays this girl who is much too honest to the point of stupidity who gets pulled into a game called Liar Game. Basically she is given a hundred million yen and has to swindle her opponent who was given the same money. Any amount that she manages to get will be her prize money. She then finds out that a favourite teacher of hers is her opponent and unwittingly goes to see him.


Don't want to spoil the story but basically this show is about games of lies and deceit and this honest girl who is drawn into it. She then enlists the aid of a swindler, Akiyama to help her get out of the game. The only negative thing I've got to say about this show is that there are plot holes. However, I couldn't care less as I just look forward to the solutions.

The Liar game assistants are sexy. :)

Its hard to write a full proof plot involving games of deceit and it does a much better job compared to Kurosagi which was a horrible show IMO. I just want to see how Akiyama plays the game. Fuck, I can't wait for ep 5 to be subbed.

This picture does not do justice to how kawaii she is....

And the best thing of the show: Toda Erika! OMFG, she is soooooooo good. Seriously, she is so close to displacing Hirosue Ryoko off my favourite actress list. She just plays the innocent and baka girl so well that one can't help staring at her everytime she's on the screen. Of all the young actresses out there, she's the one who has shown the most range.

The S&M joke is a classic!

From playing the yankee girl in Galcir to playing Misa in the Death Note movies. Not to mention she is so fucking moe. I can't believe they put this show on at 11pm at night and crap like Joudan Janai get prime time. Seriously, its time to push her as a main actress.

I don't care whether she's S or M. Or she can be both. :)

Get this show now! You won't regret it!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Hanayome to Papa ep 1

How does a cute girl like her end up with a boring dad like him?

One thing I've learned is that if an actress wants to look older, they'll change to a wavy hairstyle as seen from this show and Joudan Ja Nai. Hanayome to Papa is basically a father daughter show with Tokita Saburo as the overbearing and controlling father and Ishihara Satomi as the 20 year old daughter who longs to to be free.

Shiraishi Miho! Years ago she was this unknown actress in Beauty or Beast and now she's like THE supporting actress in jdoramas. Maybe I should dig that show out to watch...

Main attraction of this show for me is Ishihara Satomi as an OL. And I must say, she looks even hotter as an OL than as a nurse in N's Aoi. Not to mention we have Shiraishi Miho and a trio of beauties to play the supporting role of OLs! What's not to like about this show?


Firstly, there's the problem of the campy acting. While its not as bad as Kira Kira Kensui the lack chemistry between father and daughter means its more annoying and not even funny. The only actor I would think suitable for this show would be the king of campy acting, Sorimachi Takashi except he's not old enough to have such an old daughter. Or get Nishimura Masahiko. I think he would be a hoot as the father. Or better yet, if they could afford it, get Akashiya Sanma.

Helloooooo ladies...............

Bottom line, the actor playing the dad sucks. Any gravure idol can play the daughter but the dad has to be able to ham it up without causing the audience to fall asleep. The father has to make all the fighting entertaining like in Oyaji. The father must have this hint of vulnerability to make the viewer sympathize with him.

Ishihara Satomi fondling her chopstick...

Maybe they show will get better. If N's Aoi proved anything, its that Ishihara Satomi cannot carry a show by herself. All she has is her cute face, thick lips and B cup oppai.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Jodan Ja Nai eps 1+2


Sigh, I was so looking forward to this show. Or maybe I should not have expected a different kind of show. When I read that the show was about Oda Yuji getting married to the daughter of his old flame, I thought that there was no way they could fuck this show up. Plus its goddamn time someone made a show about an older dude and really young chick.

Someone get the casting agent to recast my mom!

Its not that the show sucks that bad. Its just that it turns out to be your typical mother in law from hell show. OMFG, as if jdoramas need any more shows in this genre. See Erai Tokoro Shimatta and countless other MILFH shows. Seriously, its the hardest genre to do right because they're usually not very fun to watch. The only exception to this rule is probably Suekko Chounan Ane Sannin.

There goes his tax returns...

The biggest letdown for me is that Ueno Juri's mom is not hot. Seriously, its not so hard to get MILF actresses in Japan is it? FFS, they could have made had Ueno Juri at 20, maybe make the reason they broke up was that she had the child with another dude then they could easily cast a late 30s actress in the world.

Not even Ueno Juri can save this show.

The mom bores me to tears. I just wanna see the dichotomy between Oda Yuji and Ueno Juri's lives. He's been working for a long time and will be considered middle age and she's still studying. There's lots of fun stuff to be told. Like how they each think how each other situation is more fun, etc.

But no, they had to concentrate the story on the not hot and boring mom. I'd rather they cast Ijima Naoko as the mom instead of side story fodder. The show's in genre limbo. The comedy is not funny and the serious stuff is boring. Probably going to drop this series.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Konshu Tsuma ga Uwaki Shimasu eps 5+6


This show continues to deliver. Ep 5 sees the lawyer, Shiho's wife burst into the office, confronting him about his extra-marital affairs. His pussy whipped relationship with his wife is the source of many comedic moments. He usually acts all high and might but becomes a cowering husband in the face of his wife. And the wife uses the excuse of his affair to inflict even more misery on him.

I'd do more than beg just to lie on her thighs :)

Ep 6 is even better. One of Dodoh's colleagues is getting married to Megumi. Yes, the D cup gravure idol turned actress from Pride. Dodoh is asked to be the 'go between' in the marriage and of course he has to put up a front about his own marriage.

I enjoy Sawamura Ikki's role in this show. Too often he's always playing the goody-two-shoes. This time he gets to say what everyone is thinking and say a lot of the funny lines. Yes Tomosaka Rie may have small boobs but she has really beautiful legs, which unfortunately, we don't see in this show. :(

To spice up the story even more, it he discovers that Megumi was an AV actress! All I can say is, she can probably make heaps of yen in the JAV industry if she wanted to. If you've seen her gravure videos, you'll notice that she is very stacked. Its unfortunate that she is always well covered up in her doramas and it somehow seems like a conscious thing to me.


If only such a JAV existed....

I'm enjoying this series more than this seasons show so far. Ishida Yuriko continues to be the weak point. Though its kind of funny how Dodoh's mom forgives her for cheating on him. So far its obvious that they are stalling for the Dodoh - Tamako story but they've come up with interesting stories and topics in the mean time.


Hhmm, I like open minded women...


Instead of the typical sub story running alongside the main story, the writers have elected to do one story per episode while the main story runs in the background. No complaints from me as long as they can think of interesting stories and perspectives.


Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Segata Sanshiro! Segata Sanshiro! Sega Sataan Shiro!


I was browsing youtube for VF5 vids when for some reason I decided to look up Segata Sanshiro and I couldn't believe that Mognet had actually subbed the music video. For those who don't know, Segata Sanshiro is the single greatest promotional character in the history of video gaming. God, I miss my Sega Saturn. Feel like playing NiGHTS, Virtua Cop and Terra Phantastica, one of the best strategy RPGs ever created. Not to mention Shining Force 3. What happened to the Sega of old? The last great Sega game I played was Yakuza and of course VF5.

So what's so great about this PV? I'll let the screencap speak for themselves. The lyrics are absolutely hilarious!



















You can watch it on youtube, download from mognet or get it from the Segata Sanshiro website (a little digging is necesary) including good quality mp3 of the song!