WAKAMONOTACHI 2014
+ OMFG. The talent! Tsumabuki Satoshi, Eita, Mitsushima Hikari, Emoto Tasuku, Aoi Yu, Hashimoto Ai and the kid from Kita no Kuni Kara
+ Producer of Soredemo Ikite Yuki. If you read the interview, he was happy to let Sakamoto Yuji do whatever he wanted.
- Nagasawa Masami
= Writer of Densha, Shibatora, JOKER. Not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing.
Wakamonotachi is the great big hope of this season to be a must watch classic jdorama. If it fails, it will not be because of talent.
TOKUMEI TANTEI Season 2
The PG-13 version of Tadano Hitoshi. Once again written by Ozaki Masaya. (KDO, Black President) I loved season 1, bring on season 2!
PETER NO SORETSU
The sequel to Namonaki Doku which I found interesting. Had a quick look at the cast and there doesn't seem to be any bad actresses to dampen my enthusiasm.
LAST DOCTOR
I'm basing this one Ozaki Masaya's (KDO) writing. Based on the 30 second trailer at the website, it looks like a quirky character medical examiner show. If anyone can pull of quirky characters, its him and how is Ozaki Masaya doing two shows in a season?
YOSHIWARA URA DOSHIN
MAMA GA IKITA AKASHI
Abe Sadao + Kanjiyani Shihori (who's also in Yoshiwara Ura Doshin) + Ozaki Masaya? He's got 4 jdoramas???!!! Best of all, Mano Erina is in it!!!!!!!! Mano-chan daisuki!!!!!!!!!!! Can't effing wait!
MIGHT NEED TO BE SUBBED
KAZOKU GARI
Murder mystery show starring Matsuyuki Yasuko (Mother) and Endo Kenichi. I will definitely check this out for her. Trailer looks very good but I'm not so sure about the writers. Based on bestselling novel doesn't mean anything to me after Mozu.
MOZU Season 2
Mozu was the great hope of last season and Border and Black President saved the day. I don't have any faith in the story and I'm just hoping for decent action sequences.
OYAJI NO SENAKA
10 episodes of father daughter doramas by multiple writers including Sakamoto Yuji and Mitani Koki.
HENSHIN
+ WOWOW dorama based on another Higashino Keigo book.
- The writer wrote the god awful Gekiryuu which had some of the stupidest dialogue ever. It was so bad I actually watched the whole thing in disbelief. It was even worse than Triangle, which is pretty hard to do.
My pick for jdorama to go down in flames.
SAILOR FUKU TO UCHUUJIN
Sounds so stupid it might actually be funny. The earth is destroyed and there are only 11 survivors who must choose between leaving earth with the aliens or escaping the spaceship. Plus Yuri from Black President is the main sailor fuku girl. :)
ZAININ NO USO
Just cause its WOWOW. Grrrr, can't watch trailer from website since outside Japan.
HAKUGIN JACK
Watanabe Ken and Hirosue Ryoko in a dorama special about a criminal who takes over a sky resort and seeks tricky ransoms. Could be good.
SHOULDN'T BE SUBBED
Everything else cause most of them are jyannies and Oscar Agency doramas anyway.
According to the reviews of test screening of 1st Ep. of Wakamonotachi recently held in Japan, many thought it was so similar to Hitotsu no Yane no Shita, which for me can be good or bad. Hope it would be a conceptive reboot rather than mere copy of a classic.
ReplyDeleteKanjiyani Shihori's talent is way too underrated that she deserves a role in Wakamonotachi more than 'that notorious actress' :/
Storywise I look much forward to Oyaji no Senaka. Haven't been reaching original scripts for so long. And the classic script writers looks much more promising.
I am so skeptical to the story of Kazoku Gari since the writer Shizuka Oishi had really bad track records of ruining at the end(e.g. Mitsu no Aji, Glass no Ie). I won't try it unless it get positive reviews as a whole like Border in last season.
thnx for making a list. there was only 3 shows i was looking forward to WAKAMONOTACHI PETER NO SORETSU, and YOSHIWARA URA DOSHIN
ReplyDeletedamn i didnt even realize Nagasawa Masami is in it :/
shes a bad actress, and i always think of her as yonekura ryoko junior.
wakamonotachi might have a large cast of good actors and actresses but im not too positive on the writer.
im a knajiya shiori fan , so thanks for letting us know about MAMA GA IKITA AKASHI, i hope she gets a lot of screen time.
im actually kinda glad theres not much dramas to look forwward too, so i dont have to download too much since my hdd is running out of space :(
Can't believe they stuck Nagasawa in there :/ She is SO bland.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Tokumei Tantei and Last Doctor.
ReplyDeleteSome very kind person decided to start subbing Black President and I jumped for joy.
Did you get a chance to watch or find that Mosaic drama that you spoke about a few months ago?
Rootabega sez:
ReplyDeleteYeah, what up with no Mosaic review, Mike-san?;) I thought it would have been first on your list after your return from Japan - was it that bad a dorama?;))
I'm going to put in a plug for a character-driven tanpatsu - my most anticipated is 55 Sai Kara no Hello Life, though it straddles both spring and summer seasons and might fall through the cracks as a result. So much acting talent in this tanpatsu, and it gives me a chance to indulge in my slight "karesen" tendencies. Don't call me a pervert - ain't no weirder than lolicon;).
As for Tokumei Tantei, that's the kind of TV Japan churns out that sets my hardboiled-loving, Raymond Chandler-worshipping, purist hair on fire, with no extinguisher within reach. Just no.
Too bad I won't be watching MOZU part 2. You'll being missing out on some "awesome" poetic rage from me.
Blasphemy! How come Kodoku no Gurume 4 should not be subbed?
ReplyDeleteI'm up to ep 4 of Mosaic Japan actually. I'm mulling over whether to do an episode by episode synopsis with lots of pictures or just review it in one go.
ReplyDeleteRootabega: Thanks for mentioning 55 Sai Kara no Hello Life! Bframe actually told me it was good and I forgot all about it. I have no right to judge anyone's tendencies. :)
Tokumei Tantei is a lot less Raymond Chandler and more super hero for adults. I greatly enjoyed your recap of Mozu so I'm sad you won't be watching season 2.
kondthol: Didn't even realise there's a season 4 but its more food variety show than dorama.
55-sai Kara no Hello Life is not available at d-addicts. :(
ReplyDeleteRootabega again
ReplyDeleteIf you seek the full title for 55-sai kara with Google, you shall find. I think it's the drama*over&loaded site in its new incarnation. Jpsubbers has the goods for Japanese subs. I like this show because the dialogue is not too slangy or trendy nor too stiff and formal - perfect for studying some real Japanese. The photography is pretty nice, too.
Thanks Rootabega! Downloading now.
ReplyDelete