Koi Desu! Episodes 1~5

Koi Desu! is a blind girl meets yankee jdorama. It also has a very strong shojo manga style so that means it is extremely sweet and fluffy. 

The yankees are not yankee like in the slightest  which would not be a problem if Koi Desu! was funny. Unfortunately its not very I cannot stand how sweet and colourful the show is. 

Of course I am not the target demographic so what I am saying is there is nothing else to watch Koi Desu! for besides the facts about blind people and how they go about their day (which I find interesting) and the blind girl's older sister which is the only slight comedy relief in this show.

If you like shojo mangas, this is the show for you but for everyone else, stay away!

Samayou Yaiba Episodes 3~6

Now that HPriest has finished subbing, its time to talk Samayou Yaiba. I finished it with Japanese subs last month so my memory of the show is not as strong but it is a jdorama that is not easily forgotten. First thing I want to say is Samayou Yaiba is one of the best shows this year and is a must watch with the caveat that it is a very dark and disturbing show that will make you feel much anger and sadness.

Second is that I watched the movie straight after and it is nowhere as good the jdorama. The presentation and story is different and WOWOW have turned a so-so movie into a jdorama masterpiece. Don't bother watching the movie.

Samayou Yaiba starts of like a revenge fantasy story with the audience asking for blood and the perpertrator being a person with no redeemable qualities. Samayou Yaiba becomes this meditation about the cost of revenge and loss when Takenouchi Yutaka meets Ishida Yuriko who also has suffered loss. 

I have been watching Takenouchi Yutaka for so many years since Beach Boys and this is his best work. Its the meatiest role I have seen him in and he knows how to play the father having played one of the cops in the movie.

I have only two problems with the jdorama and the first is the police showing the taxi driver father the video of his daughter. Seriously does not make sense and it is in the movie as well, if I remember correctly. Sure you want the father to identify his daughter but to expose the father to something so horrible? It just does not make sense. My second complaint is that the police do a pretty horrible job of surrounding the killer.

In the movie the father does not get the rifle until the end and he basically suicided by cop with an unloaded rifle and ultimately wanted to put the fear of god into the perpetrator.  I didn't like that twist and much prefer the jdorama one of the boss being the person who passing on information to Nagamine.

I love that scene at the end when Ishida Yuriko asks what sort of crime would the police officer who shot Nagamine be liable for and she asks when is it  right or wrong for a human being to kill another? Must watch.

Japan Sinks / Nihon Chinbotsu jdorama review

Once upon a time when I was a wee lad, natural disaster movies were all the rage. Always some kooky scientist who discovers the imminent disaster and politicians who refused to believe him etc. I didn't watch the movie that came out some years ago but seeing as this is out on Netflix, I decided to do my bit for the jdorama industry and pay for a month to watch this.

Japan Sinks is not really about the sinking of Japan but about the role scientist, politicians and the media play when we are faced with an unusual emergency. How do you determine what facts to trust and which scientist to believe and how do you decide between saving lives and saving the economy? This are questions that we have come to know well in the last two years.

Japan Sinks has an excellent cast from Oguri Shun and Matsuyama Kenichi to Hachigatsu wa Yoru no Batting Centre as the Japanese Prime Minister. The directing and acting and be campy and pedestrian. 

I had two thoughts when watching Japan Sinks. Firstly I wished WOWOW had done this instead of TBS because they would make it look more like a movie and secondly I was wondering where all the Netflix money was? I really enjoyed Alice in Borderland because it had the budget that normal jdoramas action don't have and I wanted to see spectacular stuff on my screen.

To be fair, the movie was shot during the pandemic and it doesn't look like their budget that exceeded that of a getsu 9 jdorama. On second thought, it does have a fair bit of CG which we don't normally see much in jdoramas.

I enjoyed the politics side of Japan Sinks with various parties wanting to protect their own interests and especially in the second half when it was about international politics. 

Japan Sinks is a watchable show. Its fun and campy but its not what I would recommend for people who don't normally watch jdoramas. Please support jdoramas and watch Japan Sinks and Alice in Borderland on Netflix.

Mushoboke Episodes 7 spoiler review

If you have not seen Mushoboke, watch it. Its very good and stop reading. It you have seen episode 7 especially the ending, then you have come to the right place.

SPOILERS AHEAD DO NO READ UNTIL YOU HAVE WATCHED EPISODE 7

 

 

I can't believe what happened at the end of episode 7. Not Lisa. She is the smiling person who seemingly has it all but is sad on the inside.

 

When I watch jdoramas I usually have a few lines in my head for my reviews and my line for Mushoboke is that it is my favourite feel good jdorama of the season. I could not stop watching and episode 8 tore my heart out. Sosuke's guilt at not giving Lisa that hug or reaching out to her is so sad.

 

Episode 9 is just a recap episode though it had one interesting revelation. I think they spent all the budget on episode 8. Whether or not Mushoboke gets a must watch from me depends on the final episode.  

Closed Note jmovie review

It has taken many, many years but I finally got around to watching the infamous Sawajiri Erika betsu ni movie. 

For those who don't know, before Erika-sama as she is known in Japan got the industry because of drug problems, she was embroiled in another scandal where during the promotion of Closed Note, she answered the reporter's question with betsu ni.  (which means I don't care or whatever)

In Closed Note, Sawajiri who works in a pen shop moves into an apartment where Takeuchi Yuko used to stay. Sawajiri find's Takeuchi Yuko's diary which details her first year as a primary school teacher.  

The diary that details Takeuchi Yuko's struggles as a teacher and her relationship with this man Takashi becomes a source of strength for Sawajiri.

Closed Note is movie that tries to create this melancholy feeling with a specific ending for the audience but just bored me to tears. Its super fake, not just with the sets but with the people and dialogue. Zero chemistry between Sawajiri and Iseya Yusuke and the characters don't feel real.

Closed Note is a movie that's in love with the idea of being in love but the love depicted in this movie is shallower than a children's swimming pool. Such a big waste of Takeuchi Yuko. Avoid.

Saiai Episodes 1~7

I am surprised no one is subbing this. Saiai reminds me of Byakuyakou in that both are stories about people trying to run away from certain horrific events in the past. Yoshitaka Yuriko grew up in beautiful Shirakawago with her father who ran the dorm there and her brother.

Something happened, Yoshitaka Yuriko's father died and she ended up moving in with her rich mother and then becomes the president of Sanada Wellness.

Yoshitaka Yuriko and Daiki were in love back in Shirakawago and were separated before they could do anything. Rule no.1 of jdoramas, don't beat around the bush with confessions because you never know when a murder will separate you for 15 years.

Now Daiki is a police detective investigating the murder of father of a son who disappeared in Shirakawago 15 years ago. Saiai is basically a people who were once in love are now cop and no.1 suspect in a murder with Arata as Yoshitaka Yuriko's right hand man and lawyer. 

Comparing this with Shinhannin Flag, Saiai is a very straight forward story and you can guess many things from the first half while Shinhannin Flag plays up every red flag. I am enjoying Saiai more because its more about character moments and Yoshitaka Yuriko is really good.

I love the cast except for Daiki's partner. Sakuma Yui is way too freaking young to be a detective. It feels like they cast her to make her agency happy or something. 

Did I mention I love any scene with Shirakawago in it? I love Shirakawago and can't believe its been 3 years since we last went there! Can't wait to go back during summer!

First half of Saiai has been all right. Arata has been the perfect lawyer but I can't wait for his revelation. Like Shinhannin Flag, how good the show will be will depend on how it finishes but I quite enjoyed the tension between Yoshitaka Yuriko and Daiki. Watchable.