Friday, January 24, 2014

HAMSAPSUKEBE JDORAMA AWARDS 2013


I CAN'T BELIEVE AWARDS 2013

- I can't believe the number of must-watch jdoramas in 2013. I think this must be the best year in jdoramas I can remember. This is also the hardest time I've ever had trying to decide winners of the prestigious Hamsapsukebe awards.

- I still can't believe Kaho agreed to do all the panchira shots in Minna! Esper Dayo! Still can't get over how Sono Sion failed to do create a strong narrative for the show. How I wanted it to be good.

- I can't believe Oguri Shun wasn't a chikan and Sakamoto Yuji went the boring and safe route for Woman.

- I still can't believe badly acted Hanzawa Naoki got over 40% ratings. Imagine the highest rated show in your own country is about serious issues but treats its characters like a saturday morning cartoon with worse ending. I would be ashamed and not plaster the main character's face at every train station.

- I can't believe a johnny can actually act award goes to Hagishiyama Noriyuki in Nanatsu no Kaigi

- I can't believe the Oscar Promotion duo of Gouriki Ayame and Takei Emi keep getting push after push after push with doramas written for their lack of talent. Does whoever run Oscar Promotion have pictures of tv executives with schoolgirls? (very possible) Do they give the greatest bj in the world at the same time? Do they have some sort of acting talent and screen presence that I am absolutely blind towards?


- I can't believe they screwed up Doctors 2 and went the boring route which jadefrost believed  was a tv station directive.

- I can't believe we got two video game doramas this year that didn't suck. Along with Yuusha Yoshihiko, its a sign that people who grew up as gamers are getting into positions of responsibility in the jdorama world.

- I can't believe Nanatsu no Kaigi and Meoto Zenzai have not been English subbed.

- I can't believe Amachan spent so many episodes building up this countryside and diving girl story so that she can stumble in Tokyo to be an idoru.

- I can't believe Yonekura Ryoko's legs can pull a 20% rating, double Nagasawa Masami's legs.

- I can't believe the students in Limit who fell into a ravine next to a road could not find a way up and instead ventured deeper into the wild.

- I can't believe the writer for Gekiryuu wasn't fired from that show. It has got to be one of the worst written mystery doramas I've ever seen that it makes Triangle look like One Million Stars Falling from the Sky . It was an absolutely trainwreck of a script.


BEST JDORAMA EYECANDIES OF 2013

KAHO & MANO ERINA - MINNA ESPER DAYO!

I can't wait for Patlabor!!!!

TRIENDL REINA - DANDARIN

She really grew on me throughout the series.

MOTOKARIYA YUIKA - LADY JOKER


KURASHINA KANA'S SMILE - DINNER


BEST ACTOR - 3 WAY TIE CAUSE I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND

EITA - SAIKOU NO RIKON


HAGISHIYAMA NORIYUKI - NANATSU NO KAIGI


SHIBATA KYOHEI - LADY JOKER


Its a three horse race between Eita, Hagishiyama Noriyuki (Natatsu no Kaigi), Shibata Kyohei (Lady Joker),  and I could not pick a winner. However much of the flawed but endearing Hamasaki is due to Sakamoto Yuji's writing and how much to Eita's performance? Higashiyama Noriyuki and Shibata Kyohei's roles are very similar; salarymen trying to do the right thing by their companies and by themselves. Higashiyama is one johnny's who can act. Honourable mention to Moriyama Mirai (Meoto Zenzai) and Uchino Masaaki (Tonbi).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

MAKI YOKO - SAIKOU NO RIKON


Honourable mention - Tanaka Yuko (Woman)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

TOYOHARA KOSUKE - LADY JOKER & NANATSU NO KAIGI

From the spiteful cop in Lady Joker to the politician in Nanatsu no Kaigo, this dude can flat out act.

Honourable mention - Furuta Arata (Furueru Ushi), Kobayashi Kaoru (Woman/Furueru Ushi)

BEST ACTRESS - 2 WAY TIE

ONO MACHIKO - SAIKO NO RIKON & MEOTO ZENZAI

The Matsu Takako of this generation. She is so freaking good that it is a crime against humanity she is not one of the top earners in jdoramas today.

MITSUSHIMA HIKARI - WOMAN

For all my problems with Woman, Mitsushima Hikari's acting just continues to blow me away.

Honourable mention - Takeuchi Yuko (Dandarin), Kaho (Minna! Esper Dayo! & Akuryo Byoto)

BEST JDORAMAS OF 2013

SAIKOU NO RIKON

Sakamoto Yuji is a jdorama god!

MEOTO ZENZAI


Exquisitely brilliant.

NANATSU NO KAIGI

Straightforward drama with superb acting. Well done NHK!

DANDARIN

Smart, funny and relevant.

LADY JOKER

One of the best jdoramas ever. WOWOW went for a story with a high degree of difficulty in execution and made knocked it out of the park. I would love to watch the movie and compare the two. If one were to only watch one jdorama from 2013 and 2012, it would be Lady Joker.

OTHER RECOMMENDED JDORAMAS FROM 2013

- Keibuho Yabe Kenzo 2
- Shotenin Michiru no Mi no Uebanashi
- Tonbi
- Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi
- Woman (for the acting)
- No Con Kid
- Furueru Ushi
- Kagi no Nai Yume wo Miru eps 3+4
- Akuryo Byouto
- Double Tone
- Doctors SP
- Made in Japan


SPECIAL THANKS AWARD TO INCYPE - For subbing Lady Joker cause my Japanese was not good enough to realise how godlike this show was.

Here's hoping 2014 turns into another great year for jdoramas as well!

9 comments:

  1. Musouka10:26 am

    Amachan just couldn't decide on a theme (or maybe the clumsy girl who doesn't know what she wants is the theme). I still don't get how it won the Drama Academy's best drama and best actress. It's not a bad show but nothing special.

    Just finished watching Woman last night and it was disappointing. Maybe because I have re-watched Mother a week ago? Character development was a bit lacking... I would have been okay with Oguri Shun not being a chikan if we got to have a closer look at what made everyone do what they did. As it's explained, it feels superficial.

    Oh well, I wonder if I am watching too many mother/children dramas these days. I have started watching "Ashita, Mama ga Inai" last week. I really need to watch something more cheerful to balance things out XD

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  2. Anonymous5:22 pm

    Rootabega sez:

    Nice round-up, Mike-san. It's almost scary how much in agreement I am with nearly all of your picks and pans. I would add Pan to Supu to Nekobiyori to the list 'cause it was so un-dorama-ish (and the director rules). I would possibly add Kanata no Ko, Dakishimetai Forever and Shuden Bye Bye if I could truly understand the dialogue (I know, I'm being lame).
    Biggest disappointment - Henshin Interviewer no Yuuzu (weeps). Not too much on the shit list 'cause I vet my doramas way better than I used to - and I have Hamsapsukebe to help me out:)). Best trash: Kumo no Kaidan.

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  3. I'm surprised at how few 2012 doramas I finished this year. I can only count 4 from your list, but overall 2013 was a good year. I completely missed Meoto Zenzai, so thanks I'll need to check it out.

    100% agree on Lady Joker. I don't think we'll see a dorama this well executed for a very long time. Director, editors, screen writers, soundtrack all deserve credit.

    Some shots are just perfection.
    http://imgur.com/a/oiJJi
    In the third picture, you'll see faint cigarette smoke wafting through the air. This director is amazing. This was one of those, holy-shit sequence.

    writer
    http://asianwiki.com/Youichi_Maekawa

    director
    http://asianwiki.com/Toshiyuki_Mizutani

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  4. Looks like i've gotta watch Lady Joker!

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  5. Everyone must watch Lady Joker! I'd recommend Marks no Yama first if you haven't seen it since it has the same characters.

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  6. Loved the can't believe awards : D Danda rin was probably my favourite dorama of 2013. The ending was a bit disappointing for me though...
    My favorite series last year was actually an anime: Aku no Hana! Once I got used to the particular style of animation (rotoscoping), it blew me away. Angsty high school trauma theme. It gets really dark though.

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  7. Musouka8:25 pm

    It seems that "Ashita, Mama ga Inai" has been abandoned by its sponsors :o

    http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140129/controversial-japan-tv-drama-go-without-sponsors

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  8. Off-topic.
    Next year we have to throw a big party for you Mike. Your blog turns 10! ^^

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  9. Sigh, I should change my blog name to sukebe ojisan.

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