Giragira eps 1-4

Kohei, the former no.1 host who must now work his way from the bottom again..

Before watching Giragira, I'd recommend this documentary called 'The Great Happiness Space'. Its a documentary about the world that male hosts live in and the girls that patronise them. It will blow away all your preconceived notions of what the industry is about. Giragira being a jdorama is pretty much a sanitise look at hosts. Even the main character is super idealistic. Normally, it would be a huge sticking point for me but instead of the usual idealistic rookie, we have a 30 year old unemployed salaryman who used to be a no.1 host!

.. while at the same time keeping his family happy...
I think stories about former legends/no.1s trying to reclaim their past glory is better from a storyline perspective. Firstly, you don't have to experience the growing pains of the rookies. From them making mistakes that makes the audience cringe to making sweeping idealistic statements without having paid their dues. An idealist who has been through fire and brimestone is taken much more seriously than a greenhorn. Everyone starts with ideals but find that the profession changes them so anyone who can hold on to their beliefs/changes the profession instead has the audience's support.
If you see an actress which nice boobs, you know she's a gravure idol...



Kohei obviously can't help staring at Hara Mikie..

Second story use of having veteran as the main character is that you have the whole backstory to mine. With a noob, the only backstory you can do is childhood (that's why there's always an osanjimi) or parentage. Giragira does this with lots of hints about Kohei's past whenever onlookers have to give comments on the action.

something I'll never see when I wake up...

Its good to finally see Sasaki Kuranosuke play a main character. He's always the supporting dude in so many shows. He is usually the nice guy but never memorable. This role fits him to a T. He is the former no.1 trying to win with the odds so stacked against him that the audience can forgive him for his outrageous/fake take on hosting. Its not everyday that you can cheer on a jdorama character who is happily married and spends his nights entertaining beautiful women like Hara Mikie and Mitsuya Yoko.
Mitsuya Yoko always got my attention since KDO. When's she gonna get her jdorama push instead of doing guest appearances all the time?

There are parts which are very lame like Kohei talking about how good the other hosts who were fired were with the floor manager but on the whole, these are small flaws that do not detract of the show. I have to accept that this is not the nitty gritty, realistic version of the world of male hosts. The important thing is that there is always an interesting challenge for Kohei to face and all the audience wants is to see him win and to see what happens when his wife finds out about his job. :)
Hey, aren't you fighting terrorists in Bloody Monday?

I was fearing that the show would have plenty of Johnnys who can't act but so far the male cast has been decent. Maybe I'm just blinded by all the chicks in the show. I'd recommend this flawed but very enjoyable show. If my screencaps don't convince you, nothing will.

Bloody Monday ep1

Can't remember when I last played an ero-game. I blame it on having a 7 year old PC.

This is going to be a pretty spoiler filled review so if you haven't watched it yet, I'd recommend you to give this show a try. Its not great but it does the espionage/thriller genre pretty well for a jdorama though it has its flaws. Recently we've had our bad share of really bad cop show/thrillers in Koshonin and SP but Gonzo proved that the Japanese can make a good cop show/thriller show even with all the jdorama cliches as long as they have good actors and the pacing is decent. Bloody Monday is kind of like the Japanese version of 24 except the main character is of course a goddamn shonen hacker. Just like how only kids on pilot robots in Japan, only schoolboys can save the world.

I would a terrorist for those puppies!
I can live with that. It just means that the government agency in charge of anti-terrorism, Third-I is the supporting cast and comes off looking incompetant. The bastard who impregnated Shida Mirai in 14 Sai no Haha is the Hero, Takagi Fujimaru, the son of a Third-I agent and an expert hacker. Putting hacking in movies/doramas brings its set of problems like the better hacker is the one who can type faster. I'm prepared to shut of my brain in this area. They use CG animals and closing doors to describe the hacking so that's a plus. The fact that Takagi can hack into a shopping complex's security cameras in 5 seconds from a laptop on the net is asking a bit too much in suspension of disbelief. Not to mention that the whole scene was utterly pointless. Overall, he does a pretty good job as Fujimaru .



On the whole, I was really impressed with ep 1. It really looks like a big budget dorama and the number of different scenes and location shots means that it must have taken them ages to shoot. They avoided the first major flaw of SP and Koshonin which was to stretch scenes as long as possible because of budget. As I've said before action/thriller shows are all about pacing. One scene after another, always something happening. Like a constant drumbeat, occasionally slowing down for emotional scenes but brief enough not to bore the audience. I was impressed even with the ending sequence of ep 1. Shooting an action scene with crowds is time consuming. Its only easy when they are standing still.

If you think she looks familiar, its because she's the super doctor girl from Iryu 2! My, how fast she has grown. :)

Kichise Michoko (Liar Game secretary) is the main villain in ep 1 and she is perfectly cast as the seductress. She just oozes dangerous feminine charm. I think she's in danger of being typecast as the seductive woman and I'd love to see what else she can do. Nobody else in the cast really stands out so far. There's this Hannibal Lector type character who might be the leader of the organisation but nothing's been revealed about who he is and why he's being kept in a cell with a glass wall. At he is better than that poor excuse of a villain in Koshonin.

I would hug trees for Kichise Michiko.

Bloody Monday ep 1 manages to establish the basis of the story while leaving a lof of questions to be answered in later episodes. The only flaw in episode in would be some gaps in logic. I can accept stuff that have pretty straightforward explanations like the other people besides the clown who coughed blood because they most probably were agents of the organisation as well. But trying to explain the whole purpose of the blackout to turn the air conditioning so that the virus can 'spread easier'? I have no idea how air conditioning can reduce the effects of airborne viruses but I can't imagine it would be by much. They really need to explain why because the terrorists really put so much effort into getting Fujimaru to hack the power station and then to break into the power station. Why not just blow up power line and backup generator? Or just break into the complex's control center and turn off the air cond?

maybe it'll get too hot and she'll take the top off?

Why bother pulling off a fake attack in the first place? Why want to warn the authorities before you pull off the actual attack. They better have a bloody good reason besides it'll make a good twist for the ending of ep1. And WTF did they not try to find the clown guy after everyone stormed out? FFS he is their one chance to get more into and all they do is a poor version of the Iryu walk cool as a group thing. Besides the above questions about the plot, I enjoyed ep 1. I remain skeptical as to whether they can keep up the pacing. They certainly went in guns blazing for ep 1 but IMO its more important that the quality of a show be consistent rather than putting too many eggs in one basket.

They really need to bad the Iryu group slomo walk. Any show that tries to do it just looks lame and cheesy.

Celeb to Binbo Taro eps 1-3

I first saw Ueto Aya in Koukou Kyoushi 2003 and was smitten. Then I saw how good she could be in Kinpachi Sensei 6. Then she went through her Shoujo manga adaptations phase with Attack No.1 and Ace wo Nerae which I thought she didn't a decent job at. They weren't great shows but they were still entertaining. Attention Please was her graduation from playing high school characters. Hotelier showed that she wasn't ready to play a more mature character no more how much she perms her hair. Her child-like face which had served her so well had become an obstacle. It was painfully obvious that she can't play women, only girls.



Celeb to Binbo Taro is Ueto Aya going back to her Shoujo style roots. Its part normal dude meets celebrity and part rich girl meets poor guy. Like so many Shoujo style jdoramas, Celeb to Binbo is very anime like. Lots of bright colours, weird sound effects and plenty of overacting. Ueto Aya plays Mitazono Alice, the Japanese version of Paris Hilton (without all the sex) who has issues with her stepmother and old boyfriend. Somehow this poor father of three, Taro ends up working as her driver and he gets involved with her personal life.



I really have to compare this show with Staa no Koi which is a pretty good normal guy meets famous star jdorama and the first thing that Celeb to Binbo lacks is good casting. I think the actor playing Taro is bad. I'm just not buying into his poor character. Maybe its his plucked eyebrows and obnoxious shouting. Maybe its him doing manual labour in clothes which are pristine clean. Sure, he has no money to pay his bills and debts but he lives in a decent sized house when a lot of working poor live in very small apartments or have no fixed addresses and sleep in manga cafes. The Devil is in the details and I'm not buying his poverty.



Compared to Fujiwara Norika, Ueto Aya doesn't have that star power. Of course Ueto Aya is a better actress but she doesn't have that screen presence that makes her a star and stand out from the other characters. However, that's probably cause Alice is more of a spoilt rich kid. That would explain my apathy for her character. Not to mention the non-existent chemistry between Taro and Alice. I'd rather they take the risk and swap Ueto Aya and Kuninaka Ryoko's roles. We all know she can play nice girl and I really want to see whether she can act as an ojousan. Or they could have cast Matsumoto Rio (the ojousan from Ace wo Nerae).



Well, I certainly can't blame them for making Alice a spoiled kid. After all, the purpose of this show is for Taro to change her attitude. Yet somehow I am completely disinterested in seing that happen. Taro and Alice are just cutboard characters who are neither entertaining nor empathic. In summary, Celeb to Binbo Taro lacks the chemistry of Staa no Koi and the heart of Konna Koi no Hanashi, two shows that you should watch if you haven't and that are infinitely better than Celeb to Binbo.

Ryusei no Kizuna ep1

Nino and Toda Erika in the same dorama! Both of them are good actors in my book with Nino being the only Johnny besides SMAP who can act. Plus the story is about 3 siblings who want revenge for their parent's murder! Sounds like Byakuyako meets Sleeping Forest with a third wheel who can't act. I'm all for dark, gloomy, mystery doramas anytime! The beginning was cool enough; flashback to childhood, kids going on secret trip only to come home to find parents murdered. I was excited.



Then came the bright happy intro song which was so out of place. It was so jarring that it set of alarm bells in my head. Next was this scene with Nino and Ryo and Nino's boss. The camera didn't feel like a serious dorama but rather a comedy. It had stupid comedy music and some conversation about the boss' wife that was not the least bit funny. We just saw the kids' parents getting killed and now why have unfunny sitcom comedy.



It was then that I realised what Ryusei no Kizuno was. It was a comedy built from a dramatic premise which IMO has very little chance of working out. If the premise of a show is not even mildly amusing, how can it be funny? If they wanted to do a comedy with serious parts, ie Mukodono, the serious/dramatic bits need to flow from the comedic premise. Its like the realistic prologue of the kids somehow leads into this overacting sitcom world.



Ryusei no Kizuno felt so disjointed that I couldn't even bear to watch the rest of the first episode. Of course, I should not judge the show just because it was not what I wanted it to be but I'm pretty sure the fact that I didn't laugh during the first half of the show is a good enough reason for me to drop this show. Sigh, I want to watch more Toda Erika but between this and Code Blue, she needs to seriously reconsider doing doramas with Johnnys.

Nanase Futatabi eps 1-2

After Maou, we have another show about psychics, Nanase Futatabi. Apparently its been done 3 times before, kinda like Sukeban Deka or any other sentai show. Renbutsu Misako stars as the title character, Nanase who on her mother's death bed discovers that she has the ability to read minds. There seems to be a connection between her powers and her long dead/missing father played by Kita Yoshio. Kita Yoshio is in so many shows that its starting to get irritating. Or maybe I'm just jealous that he gets to act with so many hot actresses all the time.

Hhhm, what should we call our superhero team? 2 telepaths and a seer?

Nanase slowly learns to deal with her powers and meets a kid with similar gifts and a magician, Kosuke who can see the future and who has some history with her father. Unlike your typical superhero movies where the discovery and experimenting of powers is fun, Nanase Futatabi shows that mind reading is a curse not a blessing. Nanase discovers that people never mean what they say. I just love the super powers set in real world vibe. In fact, I was kinda expecting Professor Xavier to make a cameo in his wheelchair. :)

The only thing to stop Nanase reading my mind would be Magneto's helmet...

So far, the first two episodes have been solid. The first episode establishes the characters and the second has Nanase and Kosuke finally catching a serial killer. Its hard not to compare this show with Maou since both have a similar dark tone and psychic character. Maou's big flaw IMO was letting the pacing towards the end. Jdoramas like Nanase Futatabi are more about the stories and character development stuff should be inbuilt/inferred so that it does not slow down the pacing.

Luckiest kid in the world.

Renbutsu Misako is pretty good as Nanase, I have no idea where they keep finding actresses like her. And I can't believe she's born in 91! Truly WTF! The younger actresses in jdoramas and the members in Morning Musume get, the more I feel like a hentai ojisan. I mean she looks so much more mature than so many pseudo 'actresses' out there. *cough* Aragaki Yui *cough* Along with Shiori, its nice to see non lolita type actresses get the push. The problem with a lot of actresses who look younger than their age is that when they reach 20+ they have serious problems convincing the audience their character is a 20+ woman. See Ueto Aya in Hotelier. Its too early to judge Renbutsu Misako though. I need to find time to watch Tenkousei, Sayonara Anata.

Picture of Nanase's shock after reading my mind.

Once again, its a damn shame that another good dorama has crappy ratings. Its probably because there's no Johnny that this show is decent. It hasn't blown me away but it doesn't have to. I'm perfectly happy as long as the show keeps it pacing and continues to come up with interest cases for them to solve or enemies to fight. Definitely check it out.

OL Nippon eps 1-3

OL Nippon is about many things. Firstly its a show about outsourcing in the world economy today where many companies find it more cost effective to outsource part of their operations to a cheaper country. We encounter it all the time, especially with call centres outsourced to countries like India or the Philippines because of the cheaper labour. It is a story about Japanese-China relations, their differences in culture and China displacing Japan as Asia's preeminant power. Its a dorama about restructuring in a country where life long employment is a thing of the past. Its a show that examines the role of the OL which originated during the boom times and its (ir)relevance in today's tough economic world.


All the above themes are issues that must be faced by Kanzaki Shimako, a 31 year old OL, played masterfully Mizuki Arisa (Saito-san). When I first read about this show, I knew I had to watch it regardless whether it was subbed or not. Saito-san worked because of Mizuki Arisa and I was eager to see what else she could do. With the lack of wooden acting Johnnys, the chances of it being subbed were low but luckily haruspex once again came to our rescue. He did mention he might just write synopsis for a few episodes only because of irresponsible people putting subbed jdoramas on streaming sites without permission but I hope he will sub everything cause its not going to stop those who profit from free fansubs anyway.


The basic plot of the show is that the general department of Kanzaki's firm was being outsourced to China and two chinese girls, Chan-san and Yan-san were sent for training in Japan and to create a manual for the workers in China. Straight away, one could easily empathise with Kanzaki and the Japanese. Management telling them to train someone who was taking away their job? I've seen this happen in my workplace, in that the person who was acting in a job for a long time and did it well lost it to an outsider and its an insult to current employee to train the outsider. I was worried how they could pull off the show when the two chinese girls were instantly the villains.


What OL Nippon did was show that the not only were the Chinese better but the Japanese had become too complacent in their jobs. In some ways, its a critique for the Japanese that the hardworking spirit from the post war era had been taken for granted for too long. I'm surprised to see a jdorama showing the Chinese in a good light but I think it would be wrong to simplify this show as just a Japan v China show. Its a show about how people of different cultures and background think, work and behave. How people with hardships view life versus people who are content. In other words, human behaviour and expectations are just a by-product of our environment.



OL Nippon has another element I love, and that is gray area morality. Sure, in a 'free' economy whoever is more efficient wins but then again, we are talking about people's jobs and livelihood here. There is no right or wrong just parties with competing interests and priorities. It is through Kanzaki's eyes that the viewer is invited to make up their own mind. While Kanzaki views Chan-san and Yan-san as enemies, she cannot help but be impressed by their hardwork and never ending drive to better themselves. She is lost as to what the right thing to do is and so am I. As someone who is a contract worker, I know job security is a fickle and stressful thing. Yet there is a need to acknowledge and even praise those who work harder and are better, even though they be enemies.


Abe Sadao (Arase from Iryu) is the man in charge of bringing the girls in and is Kanzaki's antagonist. He torments her and seems to slightly take joy in watching her wallow in her moral dilemma despite his feelings for her. Perhaps he had the same experiences as her in the past and has come to possess a cold outlook on outsourcing work out of Japan. Abe Sadao and Mizuki Arisa surprisingly work very well together. The scenes where he gives voice to her thoughts are a hoot to watch and so are his use of reverse psychology to manipulate her. Not to mention his mandarin pronunciation is not too shabby.


Its just so freaking weird hearing so much mandarin in a jdorama and seeing actual chinese actors. Sure there was that very forgettable Faye Wong jdorama years ago but the less said about that the better. Kudos to the girl playing Chan-san as the chinese girl you cannot help but root for. She's like the tragic heroine from one of Zhang Yimou's older movies. She even out-hatarakis Hatarakiman! I'd be very interested in hearing about the opinions of Japanese who've seen this show on whether they would emphatise with the Chinese girls or their reaction to Abe Sadao's character saying that the outsourcing is Japan's fault.


Probably the best thing I can say about OL Nippon is that besides being a very entertaining show, it really encourages the audience to think about issues. It doesn't provide definite answers but rather highlight certain points for the audience to ponder. I have no idea how this show is going to end as it almost a certainty that the whole general department will be outsourced unless there is a comprising ending which would sort of be a cop out. People losing jobs is not an easy thing to accept, especially to people overseas. I'm not going to concern myself too much and am going to trust in the writer. Highly recommended.

Hitotsu Yane no Shita/Under the Same Roof eps 1-6

Has it been that long since Groink did ep 1?

In the world of subbed family jdoramas, Oyaji is king. No other family show can unseat it from its throne imho. Karei naru Ichizoku makes a good case and would have if not for KimuTaku's character. He has charisma to play generic heroes but doesn't have the talent for deep characters. The only show that can match Oyaji is Hitotsu Yane no Shita. Way back in 2003, Groink fansubbed 4 episodes and it was great. Unfortunately he stopped due to someone selling his fansub or something like that. (Can't remember the exact reason) Two/three years ago, it was announced that he had given the raws to SARS and they were going to sub it but all was quiet for a long time. I had given up hope. My only choice would be to find the chinese sub vcds.

Yosuke looking like a serial killer.

Then one day, I noticed the torrent for ep 4-6. (No idea how I didn't notice the previous torrents) I couldn't believe it! All those years of waiting! I dug out my cds of eps 1-4 and hoped that they still worked. I had to overburn them since they were more than 700 megs and luckily the cds worked unlike some of my old ones! Had to wait a freaking week to watch this cause I really wanted my brother to see it. Under the Same Roof (USR) is one of those classic shows that everyone must watch and unlike Hoshi no Kinka, it stands the test of time.

Sappari wakaranai...

Family shows require very good casting. Those not much in terms of story variety. It requires bloody good acting and chemistry. Eguchi Yosuke, is the oldest son Tatsuya or as his six siblings call him, an-chan. 7 years ago, their parents died in an accident and the siblings were separated. After ending his marathon career, Tatsuya decides to settle down and reconnect with his siblings. Sounds a bit like Hotman, doesn't it? Even Tatsuya's overbearing personality is similar. Its a necessary evil to have a character who's constantly talking to be the focus. Eguchi Yosuke does it with the half the overacting that we find in jdoramas today and is able to carry his weight during the serious scenes. He is the irritating oldest brother who doesn't use his head but his heart.

If there is such thing as a perfect woman...

Fukuyama Masaharu plays Masaya, the 2nd brother who is the brains of the family. He is not really cynical but more of a realist and the one with the most reason not to reunite with his siblings. Tatsuya and Masaya are both sides of the coin of the ideal aniki. Masaya is the most interesting brother of the 4 but unfortunately there's not enough time to explore his character.

Koyuki after seeing an-chan's chinchin. :) Note her kawaii expression of horror and shock!

Thirdly, we have Sakai Noriko as Koyuki, the oldest sister and IMO the glue of the show. Finally, I get to see why was so famous back in the day. She is the perfect woman from the last century. She is the beautiful girl from next door. She is the perfect mom. She is the embodiment of the ideal woman of the 90s. The problem with Hoshi no Kinka was that her character was too passive to the point of stupidy or rather throwing the kitchen sink and bathtub at her was too much that empathy became indifference. In Mukodono 2003, Nagase Tomoyo's extreme overacting negated her charms. In UtSR, her beauty, charm and acting skills are self evident.


The way her eyes speak louder than any monologue can. She doesn't need Shiori's anime eyes to tell the viewers what is in her heart. The way she gets angry that is kowaii yet kawaii at the same time. I can see that Nacchi patterned her angry look after Noriko's. Or her slight look of dismay, the downcast eyes that just pulls the viewer in. Its sad that this type of character is no longer considered ideal anymore. Now its either the sassy OL or the slutty clubbing girl/camera whore. The feminine ideals that Koyuki represents is no more. One could argue such ideas were advocated by men and maybe still are but what do I know. I just know that watching Sakai Noriko on the screen fills me with nostalgic warmth.

I wish I had a sister who worked as a hostess. :)
Rounding up the family is Oji Megumi as Koume, the youngest sister. I think she was the bride with the mother who smokes and was a farmer from Wedding Planner. Ishida Issei (Seija no Koushin) is Fumiya, the 2nd youngest brother who has a rap sheet and Yamamoto Koji (Shinsengumi) is the disabled youngest brother, Fumiya. And how can I forgot Uchida Yuki as Rina, an idol who is a patient at the hospital Masaya works at.

An-chan knows the meaning of love thy neighbour! Look at those legs!

Look at the talent on this show! What is interesting is that they were very young when this show came out but they're twice as talented as all the young actor wannabes today. Even if one had the power to cherry pick, it would be impossible to find an ensemble cast as good as they are today. Come to think of it, Summer Snow had pretty good casting and its sort of a family dorama, but not quite.

Every guy needs a sister like Koyuki...

Of course, all the talent in the world is useless without a decent script and USR doesn't dissappoint. It doesn't try to do too much. The script knows its role. Do some humour, build up side stories in the background and go for the moving scene at the end but not to milk it too much. Its simple straight to the point and puts the onus on the actors to deliver. What more can I say to sell this show? Its classic and I can't wait for ep 7, especially after the cliffhanger!

Jdorama review: Daisuki!!

Good old disability doramas. They are to me what cancer is to Korean doramas. It appeals to the gambatte spirit of the underdog against all odds but doesn't have to resort to lame fatalistic plots. Not all disability doramas are good of course but I kinda associate them with the golden age of jdoramas. From Beautiful Life to Kimi ga oshiete kureta koto. Its always moving to watch a hot girl who can't see/hear/walk etc struggle against the odds. With a regular chick, you have to make her interesting. With disability doramas, its just about the challenges and keeping the cheese factor to minimum.


Daisuki!! came out in the beginning of this year and its one of those shows I've always wanted to blog about but never got around cause I just watched a really good show that I want to talk about. I had the whole review in the back of my mine months ago but never got around to writing them down and had to search through my posts just to make sure I had not. In Daisuki!!, Karina plays Yuzu, a mentally disabled woman who gets pregnant. I'm pretty sure she's autistic but I'm too lazy to look through the series again to confirm. Usually in such cases, children's services will have to remove the child from the mother. In fact, I had spoken to an autistic mom this week who's child is in custody of the grandparents which sort of reminded me of this show.


Karina's character Yuzu, has the mind of an eight year old, and as Robert Downey Jr said in Tropic Thunder, 'full retards' aren't just entertaining. Or rather, I am unable to empathise with Yuzu. I just pity the mom and brother for having to shoulder the huge burden of allowing Yuzu to have the child. People who make the 'right' decision knowing that it is the most difficult instantly gain my sympathy, especially the brother who has to make sacrifices. Its hard for me to judge her acting despite her winning two awards. I just have this idea that anyone can act like an eight year old. Maybe I'm just indifferent to characters who show no intelligence.


The one thing that kept me glued to the screen was Fukuda Saki's character of Kotone, the child's aunt. She's the cynical girl gets attached to Yuzu and Himawari and in helping them turns her life around. I enjoyed her role as the manipulative bully in Life but her acting as Kotone shows that she has acting chops. She is the perfect anthesisit to Yuzu's goody brother, Ren. Rather it is their story that made this show interesting.


So it pissed me off to no end when Ren ended up with the fucking boring ojousan Natsume. I really can't understand how the writer can justify not putting together the two most interesting characters in the show. Natsume is so boring. She's the nice girl who like Ren and puts in the effort to help Yuzu but she's more of a 2 dimensional plot device compared to Kotone says whatever is on everyone's mind but they do not dare to voice out. Not to mention the complete lack of chemistry between Ren and Natsume. I wouldn't recommend Daisuki!! unless you want to see what Fukuda Saki can do.