As someone who has spent too much time watching jdoramas, I have often wondered whether my tastes have changed or time and whether watching too many jdoramas has changed my perception of what is good. A lot of what is popular in jdorama and especially anime I find absolutely shit and I wonder is it just an effect of getting older or that I can't enjoy the new shows because I have seen similar stories done much better as old shows?
Home & Away was one of the early jdoramas that I watched back in the day. It was probably among the first 5 jdoramas I had seen it was a tv rip from Jem who uploaded Japanese shows from Singapore TV. The 720 rips had been uploaded to nyaa and Avalla'ch has transcribed the subs and uploaded them to d-addicts so it was time to see whether I liked Home & Away because it was new and refreshing or whether it was actually good.
Home & Away is a feel good comedy starring Nakayama Miho goes to China with her two friends played by Sakai Wakana and Nishida Naomi as her final pre wedding trip, loses her ring and gets involved in a series of adventures where she ends up travelling all over Japan and helping people everywhere she goes.
The only thing you need to accept with Home & Away, is that Nakayama Miho will not get home until the end the ways that she is always stopped form getting home is funny. Once you accept that, just sit back and enjoy the laughter and the tears. After watching the first 6 episodes, I am happy to confirm that Home & Away is a very good show and it was not because it was one of my early jdoramas. The writing is excellent and feelgood. I must commend the trio of Sakai Wakana, Nishida Naomi and Koizumi Kotaro who play Nakayama Miho's friends and brother.
I have to mention the appearance of a young Furuta Arata and Ito Ayumi in the series! It is fun rewatching old shows and finding my favourite actors playing bit parts.
The three of them regularly meet up at her apartment get clues about her travels such as gifts and provide a lot of the comedy relief for the show. The show would not have been as good without them. Nakayama Miho doesn't need to do anything special as the good supporting actors that she meets along the way carry the show as well as the good writing. Looks like the writer Kimizuka Ryoichi also wrote the Odoru Daisosasen series. If you want a guarantee feel good jdorama that is must watch, then look no further than Home & Away!
And not just in bit parts, but looking so much younger!
ReplyDeleteLoved this drama back in the day
ReplyDeleteI've reached my 40 and I also found that my taste has slowly changed. I found that nothing 'basic' really excites me that much. I think it's a curse of having seen a lot and there's such a thing as too much of a good thing. So it's definitely not just you!
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