Informa - Yami wo Ikiru Kemonotachi

The first season of Informa was an ambitious but flawed yakuza action jdorama that had a really good parts and action scenes you don't normally see in jdoramas. As Kaname Jun said in Oshi no Ko, jdoramas are made for women and children so shows made for men are few in between.

Season 2 ups the action from season 1 by setting up a majority of the first half in Thailand which is an amazing idea because Thai people know how to do action movies though I have not seen any Thai movies since Abe Hiroshi's Chocolate. 

The Tuk Tuk car chase is worth watching on its own. Even Japanese movies don't even have the money to do proper car chase in Japan. If there is a car chase, it is on a road next to abandoned factories at night with no other cars around. Informa has a middle of the day chase on a major road and it is good. Much respect to Abema for throwing money at action scenes.

We have shootout in the streets and plenty of prison scenes with lots of extras who like they have been in prison. It is awesome and Japan should do more actions scenes in Thailand since it is cheaper and they have the expertise.

Oh, I forgot to mention the story. Ponkura achieved great success for his article based on the events of season 1 but he has done nothing since and goes around pretending to be the Informa. Ponkura gets involved with the real Informa played by Kiritani Kenta again, this time in Thailand when he investigates the murder of a seemingly random person by two people who have fled to Thailand.

Ponkura is our everyday person caught up in this world of yakuzas and killers which reminds me of the first season of Yamikin Ushijima-kun. In Thailand Informa and Ponkura come face to face with the a new Informa played by Ikeuchi Hiroyuki. He is in so many shows and always does a good job but I think this is his best on yet. He plays this merciless villain who turns out to be the anti-hero of the story.

There are two things I do not like about season 2 of Informa. The first is that the final action scene is lame and boring, same as season 1. My second problem is how Informa always operates by himself being the muscle and brains when surely he can afford some backup.

On the whole, Informa: Yami wo Ikiru Kemonotachi is much better than the first season and I really respect the effort that Abema put in to make a good action jdorama. They must have spent a lot of money on getting the actor for the last boss. Very watchable and definitely better than Vivant.

Shoujiki Fudousan Season 2

Shoujiki Fudousan was a surprisingly watchable jdorama. It was the first Yamapi lead role jdorama which I did not dislike and that is a miracle in itself. It was an educational and fun story about a real estate agent who cannot lie and everyone knows, you do not trust anything a real estate agent says so turning that on its head made for a feel good show. Every profession is based on being an expert at something and providing correct information to customers, except for REAs.

However, I did not have faith that a second season Shoujiki Fudousan would be as good because I think lightning does not strike twice. Truth be told I don't even remember most of what happened at the end of season 2. I remember some of the Ichihara Hayato bits but the main question is, can season 2 keep it up?

WHAT I LIKED

+ It is still an educational show on real estate practices in Japan and good for learning specialised words used in the industry. I enjoy the different rules in Japan. Did they do an episode on key money in season 1?

+ I do not dislike Yamapi's acting in this one because Fukuhara Haruka plays well next to Yamapi.

+ Izumi Rika (Mikkoku wa Utau) brings a lot of levity everytime she is on the screen as the love interest.

+ Kurashina Kana got rid of her crappy hair from S1.

+ Katsunori Takashi as the bad guy boss of Minerva Real Estate. He has been in so many of my favourite jdoramas but doesn't get starring roles anymore. :(

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- It felt like the early episodes went too far into the generic boring sob story genre. Ie episode 1 was about a husband so hellbent on buying a tower mansion that he did not notice his wife was limping. Zzzz.

- Not enough Izumi Rika. She provides the best humour which this show needed more of and she should have been more involved with the stories.

- Not enough Matsumoto Wakana. It is a crime to have her and not give her a meatier role! It is so easy to get them involve because they can talk to the customers about financing, interest rates and offset accounts.

- At times, the series felt like it was on the verge of becoming boring instead of getting more exciting. There is an element of by the numbers.

MEH

= Dean Fujioka was ok as the baddie but there is something about his acting where I cannot see him playing good guys. 

SUMMARY

I finished season 2 very quickly but I it doesn't feel as fun as the first season. Not good enough to be watchable, I consider it tolerable. Whether you should watch season 2 of Shoujiki Fudousan depends on how much you like season 1. This type of show is hard to review because I don't really have strong thoughts either way but I don't think anyone can regret watching this.

Your Eyes Tell / Kimi no me ga Toikakateiru jmovie review

I have had this 2020 Yoshitaka Yuriko movie in my hdd for a very long time. She plays Akari, a blind woman who likes to watch this dorama with an old man working working at a car park because he could describe to her what was happening in the dorama. 

As luck would have it, the old man runs away from his stable and easy job and ex kickboxer Antonio steps into the job and becomes friends with Akari. The beginning of Your Eyes Tell is the must cliche and derivative romantic melodrama I have ever seen. 

The chemistry and dialogue is meh. The heroine works in a call centre and can afford a very spacious apartment. The movie woke me up in the middle when we learn more about Antonio's past. I thought ok, this movie is about making up for one's past.

The fighting was so so because the target audience is not men. Then the movie really goes into super melodrama mode so that it can create melodramatic scenes and point to the audience and say, "look how sad this scene is!" I wondered if it was a remake of a HK movie but it turned out to be a Korean movie remake.

I managed to finish it for Yoshitaka Yuriko. She is very good but for me Your Eyes Tell feels so manufactured to get female viewers to cry and there is no magic in the dialogue. If you want a really good romantic melodrama, watch Tenshi no Koi. If you want a good blind girl movie, watch Blind Witness. Meh from me unless you are a fan of Korean melodrama.

Respect the source material: Adaptations in jdorama and jmovies

 

There is a story in Oshi no Ko about the mangaka played by Shida Mirai who was not happy with the script of her the dorama adaptation of her work got me thinking about adaptations in general. Shida Mirai wasn't happy because she accused the writer of not getting her characters basically saying that the characters motivations and behaviour are completely different.

In the past, when thinking about live action adaptations of mangas, there are only two worries: The first is whether someone can translate the idiosyncrasies of a manga from page to real life and secondly how to fit the story from a long running manga to a season of dorama or a movie.

For example, there is no way to do a faithful live action version of Gantz on a Japanese movie budget. However, Sato Shinsuke did a very good job translating the essence of the characters and the story with a limited budget and he also did a good job with Inuyashiki.

An example of not being able to fit the story is Netflix's Yuyu Hakusho which stripped away way too much of the manga and I suspect a lot of it was due to budget.

One of my favourite adaptations of all time is I"s. I am a huge fan and have read the manga many times and the dorama series is exactly like the manga come to life. You can tell the people involved in the jdorama version of I"s love and respect the source material.

Which brings me to Amazon's Ryu ga Gotoku series which I have written about but I am still so pissed off about. Ryu ga Gotoku is not manga but the makers of the series don't love and respect the source material. Instead of understanding why fans love Kiryu, Haruka and Nishiki from the first game, they decided that they can fix the story by giving Kiryu less screentime, sidelining Haruka and giving more story time to Morita Misato's character who does not exist in the game.

Your job is to copy and paste the game to live action and make the core fans happy and show the casual watchers the miryoku or the appeal of the characters. The story is so freaking simple and what they have created is not Ryu ga Gotoku. I was not happy with Miike Takashi's movie adaptation of RGG but even he did a much better adaptation compared to Amazon's.

The most important thing in adaptations is hiring people who are either fans or who respect the source material. Not people who think they can make the original story better by side-lining the main characters and pushing their own side characters. I wonder if Yokoyama Masayoshi, the head of RGG studios ever gave feedback that the Amazon show does not understand the appeal of the game.

These thoughts were running through my head when Shida Mirai said point blank to the drama writer that he did not understand her characters in Oshi no Ko. If you don't lover or understand why something is popular, don't try to adapt because you are only creating your own frankenstein instead of making sure the core fanbase is happy.

On a related note, I feel like trying the Maison Ikkoku adaptation although I know I will be disappointed.

Game no na wa Yuukai Episodes 2~4

One thing that happens a lot in jdoramas is a very good first episode introducing the characters and the plot of the story because the possibilities are limitless and I salivating at another must watch show. Then episode 2 happens and the story crawls to a halt. 

The first episode was about anti-hero and daughter potentially staging a fake kidnapping to get back at Watabe Atsuro. The second episode was about anti-hero trying to control veracious daughter as he executes his plan to get the ransom.

It was a boring two hours without much tension. I was wondering whether it was because I had watched the first episode so long ago? Episode 4 got better with the reveal and climax but I don't feel entertained. 

I wonder if the movie would be much better with a 2 hour runtime instead of 4. Can't find it in avistaz though. Might be worth a look because of the Higashino Kengo name. Very meh WOWOW show for me. I think I will delete and not watch again.

And my final complaint is not enough Yui Karen but luckily WOWOW smart enough to cast her in Dareka ga kono machi de.

Oshi no Ko Episodes 1~7

 

Finally got around to watching Oshi no Ko on Prime, the live action adaptation of the super popular manga. I knew nothing of Oshi no Ko except having seen the main character Hoshino Ai everywhere and judging from the name I thought it was about a fan's relationship with his oshi. I had seen the trailer of the Oshi no Ko movie in cinema in Japan and I thought bloody hell, they have just showed me the end of the tv series where Hoshino Ai dies.

Well, turns out Hoshino Ai dies in the beginning of the dorama anyway and Oshi no Ko is about her two children, Aqua and Ruby and Aqua's quest to find out who the dad is. Oh yeah, did I mention that both children are reincarnated fans Hoshino Ai? Yes, two fans who died when Oshino Ai gave birth to her twins. This part of the plot completely lost me in the beginning.

Oshi no Ko is a harem dorama set in the entertainment industry. Aqua is an actor and Ruby wants to be an idoru like her mom. Aqua is so bloody talented that acting role drop on his lap without him having to work hard. Such an amazing character.

My favourite character in Oshi no Ko is probably Kaname Jun as the producer who speaks the truth like when he says jdoramas are not about acting, they are about appealing to women and children which is so true. Somehow men don't really matter as a jdorama audience. 

I also enjoyed the story about the mangaka not being happy with the dorama script. It got me thinking about Amazon's Ryu ga Gotoku and how there is no way RGG Studio could have been happy with that piece of crap adaptation.

I like that Oshi no Ko talks about the entertainment industry but I feel it is skin deep. The comedy is ok and the budget is very big. Amazon spent a lot of money and it shows on the screen especially with the movie sets.

I enjoyed Oshi no Ko up to episode 7 which is about the two twins and their reincarnated selves and the show really lost me there. Probably because I can't see where this reincarnation storyline is going and do not give a crap about the characters. Aqua looking for his dad has this murder mystery vibe and his dad did not kill Hoshino Ai. 

Even the big twist of someone we though was dead being a famous Johnny did not make me want to watch the next episode. And the story is going with the killer actually had accomplices. It just feels so tacked on and killed whatever little interest I had. Meh from me. 

Dareka ga Kono Machi de jdorama review

 

WOWOW has done it again! Dareka ga Kono Machi de is small town crime thriller about a little boy who was murdered in Yokuna town 23 years ago and the disappearance of a family. Eguchi Yusuke is an investigator who works for Tsuruta Mayu who is a lawyer. 

One day, Aju Makita visits Tsuruta Mayu's office claiming that she is Mochizuki Maki, the daughter of the family who disappeared from the town and the mother was Tsuruta Mayu's family. Eguchi Yusuke investigates the disappearance of the Mochizuki family and starts to discover the dark secretes of the town.

First of Dareka Ga Kono Machi de is a very good crime thriller shot very well by Sato Yuichi who did directed Rokunin no Usotsuki Daigakusei which I just saw in Japan as well as Strawberry Night and my absolute favourite Kisaragi. It has a much more earthy, movie look and Sato Yuichi makes good use of bokeh to accentuate scenes.

If you like dark crimes stories watching Dareka Ga Kono Machi de is no brainer. It is difficult to talk about the series without spoiler so come back after you have finished!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Dareka ga Kono Machi de is about what happens when a community is so fearful of crime that they allow those in power to control everything and justify anything in the name peace and safety. In tge beginning of the show, Eguchi Yusuke's daughter died because of the bullying and when the teachers accused her of being a bully, he said that she had no choice but to join or else she would be bullied herself.

This describes the people of Yokuna town. The death of the boy 23 years ago, allowed the security committee to run amoke and bully outsiders in the name of peace and safety. No one tried to stop the stoning of foreigners lest they be stoned and everyone became a bully lest they be bullied. We learn that over time other people get bullied and this bullying or creating enemies for the townspeople to unite against keeps the people in power.

One of the scariest scenes is when Eguchi Yusuke catches a boy shoplifting and the whole town backs the boy because no one in the town is capable of committing crimes and only outsiders can commit crimes. Hhmm, this people getting riled up with righteous anger against outsider sounds awfully familiar.....

I enjoyed the performance of Otsuka Nene's husband. He has no one to turn his anger to except foreigners and enjoys the privilege of being in the security committee but he also realises that being in it is what is keeping him and Otsuka Nene safe. He is basically a character in a difficult situation and ended up being brainwashed and I would argue that the town people were basically hostages to the committee experiencing Stockholm syndrome. 

Great performances all around especially Otsuka Nene as the mother to a dead son trapped in a small town. So great to see Tsuruta Mayu who did Cheap Love, Seigi wa Katsu and Satorare. On a side note, I need to find a good copy of Good News since I only have a bad VHS rip of the first 3 episodes.

The one bad thing I did not like about Dareka ga Kono Machi de is when Mochizuki Maki's mother played by Hyunri so easily let members of the security committee into her house and Otsuka Nene shaking her head telling her don't do it. The fact Mochizuki Ryoko can solve the murder mystery so easily but cannot sense the danger from these people late at night is shocking.

The Mochizuki family murder scene was hard to watch and everyone is so effed up in the head justifying their actions.

Besides that, I have no complaints. Good to see Eguchi Yusuke in a leading role and I love the scene where he stands up against the stone throwing mob. Dareka ga Kono Machi de shows why WOWOW is still the best. Thanks to furritsu for subbing and you can get the raws and subs here. Must watch. Well done WOWOW.

Double Cheat: Itsuwari no Keikan season 2

 

It has been a while since I watched the first season of Double Cheat. A reskinned version of Kurosagi for an older audience about a police officer who scams the scammers. I had forgotten a lot of the first season by TV Tokyo but I remember the premise and I remember the ending.

Season 2 continues where season 1 left off but the main character is now this scammer Tago Yuto played by Ichihara Hayato who has just been released from jail. Tago does a job for this scammer Kizaki who runs scams on behalf of this mastermind called Kaito Shu. Tago convinces Kizaki to make him his partner and together they do a way too obvious pyramid scam.

At this point I am wondering why should I care about this random bad guy character while I try to remember what happened in season 1. Luckily the episodes are rather short at 25 minutes so I kept going and the show got more interesting as Tago's plan is slowly revealed.

Season 2 got better in the second half and Ichihara Hayato's character turned out to be the most interesting character in the end. After Octo, I am just happy to have a decent police show, though I would say Double Cheat is more of a scam show. 

Just an observation but it was obvious that Double Cheat did not have much of a budget despite being a TV Tokyo and WOWOW collaboration. Scam shows are cheaper than your typical police show to shoot because it is less action and more planning. I am all for collaboration so tv networks can share the cost and tell good stories.

The weakness of season 2 are the same as season 1. Uchida Rio is not the most convincing detective but I guess no one can be as unconvincing as Ueto Aya. In season 1 they had Uchida Rio finishing her calculations asap so she could do investigating but that is forgotten in season 2. Same with S1, you have to turn off your brain a bit for the show to work.

Season 2 of Double Cheat starts out slow but keeps getting better. Thanks to Edward Wong for subbing and I got the raws from his public server. Double Cheat on the whole is a watchable show especially if you like stories about scams and dislike Kurosagi like me but it takes a while to get interesting. Watchable.

The Great War of Archimedes jmovie review

 

In the 1930s after WW1, there are two camps among the commanding Japanese naval officer. One camp wants Japan to build a the largest and greatest battleship in the world aka Yamato and the second camp sees battleships as a relic of the past and the future of naval warfare are aircraft carriers.

Both camps submit their initial numbers and the estimated cost for the giant battleship is somehow lower than the aircraft carrier. Camp aircraft carriers suspects camp battleship of fudging their numbers and need to prove it. They enlist the help of Kai Tadashi, a university drop out who is supposed one of the smartest mathematicians in Japan to prove that the estimate of battleship is fake.

I normally like stories about people doing interesting work because I enjoy details of a job but The Great War of Archimedes is not a story with good details. Kai Tadashi's fetish is that he likes measuring everything including women and Hamabe Minami. To each his own but Kai spends the story measuring a battleship that is supposedly 2/3 smaller than Yamato plans because he does not have the actual plans of the Yamato to make and estimate.

I was very bored thinking what is so interesting about this story of a mathematician creating an estimate of a battleship where he does not have the actual plans? What details are there of this herculean endeavour that would make it worth watching like Fune wo Amu?

Nothing. Kai is just a super genius who can read all books on ship building in one night to come up with the perfect plans of Yamato based on some rough sketches. That is the whole freaking movie. Super genius pulls a rabbit out of thin air because he is super genius. Yawn. Do not watch.

Fukuyadou Honpo Episodes 1~9

Saw this 2016 jdorama on Prime and thought why not? Hayami Akari was great as the sister in Nanyobi ni Umareta no and you can't go wrong with Sasaki Nozomi. Fukuyadou is about 3 sisters who are from a traditional sweets making family in Kyoto. 

The oldest sister played by Sasaki Nozomi is leaving the family, 2nd sister played by Hayami Akari does not want to take over the family business and youngest daughter does not want any part of the family succession drama.

Fukuyadou Honpo is a light hearted romp and the beginning of Fukuyadou Honpo really reminded me of Daisy Luck, a light hearted Sasaki Nozomi and Shokotan romp show that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected. Plus, who doesn't like looking at all the Kyoto scenery and everyone wants to see this traditional sweets shop suceed.

The problem is somehow the story is very, very boring. Sasaki Nozomi's story about her fiance is mind numbingly bad and they have zero chemistry together. Hayami Akari and Ichihara Hayato start off ok with all the bickering but gets boring when the get together. Don't remember anything about the youngest sister except I quit after 9 episode out of sheer boredom.

It's not like Daisy Luck is a KDO and I keep my expectations low but light and fluffy still requires some chemistry and sufficient humour. I would watch Sasaki Nozomi in anything but I can't believe someone made such a boring show that started off promising. Avoid. If you want a light hearted romp, twatch Daisy Luck instead.

On a side note, there is not much Japanese stuff on the Australian Amazon Prime but I know there are plenty of shows on the Japanese Prime. The trailer for Shinya Shokudo 3 showed up on my youtube for some reason but it is not in the Australian Prime. :(