Gekokujou Kyuuji Episodes 1~5

Underdog sports jdoramas are the hardest ones to stuff up. That is because viewer empathy is already built in. The characters are not expected to win easily gains audience empathy by trying hard. However, underdog sports jdoramas are not fullproof with Buzzer Beater being the no.1 example. If you can't get the sports part right, you lose all credibility.

Gekokujou Kyuuji or giant killing high school baseball players is about the Etsuzan high school baseball team somewhere in Mie's inaka dreaming of koshien, the big Japanese high school tournament. Rather, they dream about winning one game in the qualification because their team in weak. You have a student who has to travel two hours one way just to get to school and baseball practice and typical high school fighting problems.

Kuroki Haru is the teacher who transferred over from Yokohama to be the baseball team's manager and Suzuki Ryohei is club's adviser who is very reluctant to get involved because he harbours a big secret which has nothing to do with being married to Igawa Haruka. Kita Yoshio is also in the story as this very rich landowner who will do anything for his grandson who is the pitcher and wants to stick his nose into everything.

While there are plenty of the underdog sports tropes, Gekokujou Kyuuji does them pretty well and Suzuki Ryohei's secret does play a huge part of the storyline for the first 5 episodes. His character has a really empathetic back story.

Gekokujou Kyuuji is a surprisingly enjoyable baseball dorama. It hasn't gotten too cheesy yet and all the students are likeable. Surprisingly watchable. Big thanks for subie06 for subbing!

News Sokuho wa Nagareta episodes 1+2

 

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

News Sokuho wa Nagareta is a 2009 Fuji TV dorama about a tv station where part timer Narimiya Hiroki receives a tip sms from a friend that a nuclear missile had fallen in Muroran Hokkaido. The people working late night at the station attempt to verify the facts but are unable to reach anyone to confirm the facts. (This is of course before the advent of social media)

The TV station had previously failed to cover an important news event and staff were feeling the pressure to be the first to break the news. The deputy chief Iura Arata readied the news to be broadcast and luckily did not press the button before they received confirmation that the tip off was indeed a prank and the failure to contact anyone was because telephone lines were down, not because of a missile. However someone in the staff press the button and the fake news was broadcast....

WHAT IS GOOD?

+ This is one stacked cast with many of my favourite actors. Iura Arata, Toyohara Kosuke, Kobayashi Kaoru, Narimiya Hiroki (who was in RGG4 and has left the industry), Wakana Sakai and Satsukawa Aimi.

+ A relevant show about the power and responsibility of news media.

+ The show is presented in real time and is mostly set in one set which is the television station. 

+ News Sokuho wa Nagareta is basically a who pushed the button mystery and very sure everyone has a secret to hide. It reminds me of classic jmovie Kisaragi which was a mystery story set in one room. Fingers crossed the rest of the episodes will be just as fun.

+ Makes fun of things like female announcers fighting for popularity.

WHAT IS BAD?

- Nothing so far.

SUMMARY

I am trying to keep my expectations low. Watchable first 2 episodes. If you look the cast and would like to watch a mystery dorama set in one place then give it a go. Thanks to evasive for subbing this oldie and the raws are available from sinflix.

My Home Hero Episodes 1+2

Kuranosuke Sasaki plays a father who is an aspiring mystery writer who dotes over his daughter. One day he notices bruising on her face caused by her boyfriend. He visits her apartment when she is not there and hides in the closet when the boyfriend appears. Dad learns that yakuza boyfriend intends to harm his daughter and ends up killing him. 

The mum Kimura Tae appears and helps dad to get rid of the body. Unfortunately for the parents, the boyfriend is son of a yakuza boss who is desperate to find his missing son.

My Home Hero is a parent nightmare dorama with two of my favourite actors and it has plenty of violence and dicing of bodies. However, I just can't get into it after 2 episodes. The daughter seems like a freaking idiot dating the obvious yakuza boyfriend and the parents doing all that stuff for the stupid oblivious idiot.

2nd thing is that the Johnny bad buy is annoying instead of scary. Maybe its the directing. Despite the violence and the presence of the Kuranosuke Sasaki and Kimura Tae, this feels like a Johnny show with the idoru as the daughter.

There's nothing really wrong with the show and the subject matter should appeal to me but I keep thinking how much I wanted Sono Sion to direct this lol. There's something lacking in My Home Hero that keeps me from getting invested in the story. Meh.

Sorette pakuri jyanai? Episodes 1~5

I like jdoramas about jobs in Japan because it is the fun details that make a jdorama interesting. The one that comes to mind is Isharyou Bengoshi about a lawyer who specialises in getting compensation for divorces. It is something that is so Japanese and unique that regardless of the quality of the show it is worth watching for educational purposes.

Sorette pakuri jyanai? or 'Isn't that a rip off?' is a show about intellectual properties and patents, two things that 99% of people do not deal with but is so important in today's society. It has Yoshine Kyoko (Old Rookie) playing a person who worked in drinks development who is moved into the legal department after she is suspected of leaking information.

Yoshine Kyoko knows how to play the shoujo hero well. She has an incredible backup cast including Tomosaka Rie, Tokiwa Takako and Asakura Aki and Hidekazu Akai who are both criminally underused!

Yet it was rough getting through the first 5 episodes of Sorette Pakuri Jyanai. I really wanted to like it but something is missing from the relationship of the two main characters. Its the typical grumpy guy being mean to girl he likes but the chemistry isn't there. I think mostly this show lacks humour and the episodes are too long at 51 minutes! 

Normally jdoramas are 46 minutes long but the extra 5 minutes just pads the dorama as there are not much twists and turns in regards to intellectual properties and patents. There's interesting stuff like when is something a parody or an imitation and not using people's pictures without permission but there is not enough meat to the bones.

I don't want to drop Sorette pakuri jyanai but the fact that I am not compelled to continue watching probably means I should drop it. It is good seeing Tokiwa Takako and Tomosaka Rie. Why couldn't it have been funnier? Meh.

Uchi no Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru Episodes 1+2

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Kuramae has worked for 30 years as manager for successful actress Kichise Michiko. She fires him out of the blue and somehow he ends up getting a job as a paralegal for youngest lawyer ever played by sour faced Hirate Yurina who has a very good legal brain but no people skills. 

Uchi No Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru is your typical two flawed people who team up and make up for each other's weaknesses legal dorama.

WHAT DON'T I LIKE ABOUT IT

- Kuramae whining about how for 30 years he took minimum wage for Kichise Michiko's sake. This is the stupidest line the writer can write trying to force sympathy for the manager who got fired. 30 years managing a successful actress doing CMs and movies and you are only taking minimum. There's a difference between empathy for characters facing unfortunate events and stupid idiots who deserved what they got and Kuramae deserves no sympathy. 

What sort of logic is it paying yourself the bare minimum when you actress is making money hand over first? Where is the producer smart enough to tell the writer that this is the worst line ever written? This is like those woe is me clickbait 'news' articles where if you actually read it until the end, the subject of the article actually deserves no sympathy.

- Just like the writer tried to hard to force empathy for Kuramae, Uchi no Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru is vehicle to promote idoru Hirate Yurina who was also in contender for worst jdorama ever Roppongi class. Her character is smart lawyer who does not have people skills but I just find her chemistry with Kurame just meh and I just finder her annoying instead of endearing.

Idorus should be playing supporting roles and they have surrounded her with so many veterans from Toda Keiko to Adachi Yumi but she is the main character of the story and is not the right person to carry this show. Is Hirate Yurina the new Gouriki Ayame/ Ueto Aya, another overpushed talento who does not deserve the spot?

Shinso wa Mimi no Naka was suprisingly watchable because the idoru Tsutsui Ayame did not have to carry the dorama and her dad played by Ihara Tsuyoshi did all the heavy lifting. Tsuyoshi Muro tries very hard but doesn't work for me.

SUMMARY

Uchi no Bengoshi wa Ta ga Kakaru is an example of the two worst things about jdoramas: Overpushing idorus and trying too hard to make everything so tragic. Not bad enough to get a do not watch because all the veteran actors are trying but very meh from me and dropping it straight away. Only for fans of Hirate Yurina.

Vivant Episodes 4~10

 

SARS fansub have finished subbing Vivant and the first thing I want to say is that not only does Vivant not suck, it is actually a pretty decent jdorama about uncovering a terrorist organisation. I have seen too many spy/action jdoramas end up bad (Mozu/Taiyo wa Ugokanai) that I kept expecting Vivant to make a bad turn by trying to do too much but luckily it never did.

The 2nd thing I like is that Nogi actually killed people. Japanese shows usually have the main character not kill anyone and anyone deserving death gets offed by someone else seeking redemption so points for offing the spy in episode 4. I was also worried that the writer would say Nogi was innocent because his other personality did the killing. Stories about spies and espionage should have a much higher body count but since this is Japan, I am happy to accept the main character killing 4 people.

I am just happy it did not turn into Mozu. I wish Abe Hiroshi had more to do besides stand around and go exposition but I would rank it watchable. Well done to TBS for spending a lot of money and making Vivant a decent show after DCU's weak and unrealistic terrorist storyline. You can get the subs from drama-otaku.

Kenshirou ni Yoroshiku episodes 1~6

Hokuto no Ken or Fist of the North Star is one of the most famous and often parodied mangas of all time. The Japanese don't even need to have read the manga to know the story and characters because 'you are already dead' is parodied everywhere, you have Hokuto no Ken pachislot machines everywhere. In short every Japanese knows who Kenshirou, Yuria, Raoh, Toki etc are and the 'You are shock' theme song.

When I saw the title, I did not even realise who the Kenshirou in the tile was referring to. Matsuda Ryuhei plays Numakura Koichi who had a really shitty childhood and wants to get revenge against this yakuza guy played by Nakamura Shido who took away his mother. 

To achieve his dream of revenge, Numakura studied the Hokuto no Ken manga and in the process becomes a master of Hokuto Shinken but can only use it to give massages.

The first two episodes of Kenshirou ni Yoroshiku is one of funniest episodes I have ever seen. Just when you thought Hokuto no Ken has been parodied to death, episode one had me in stitches all the way through. I put it up there with Manhattan Love Story.

Matsuda Ryuhei's deadpan delivery is perfect for this type of comedy. In the world of jdorama where everyone overacts, his underacting makes him stand out but he is playing the straight man oblivious to all the Hokuto no Ken jokes.

Episodes 3-6 are not as laugh out funny but still good and also sad with depictions of violence that made me think this is not just a simple comedy, there's a story here.

Loving the addition of Kurashina Kana as the reporter who links Numakura to the yakuza he wants revenge on.

Not ready to give it a must watch but Kenshirou ni Yoroshiku is very, very watchable. Can it sustain the comedy and storytelling for the 2nd half of the series? I can't wait to find out. Very watchable and huge thanks to earthcolors for subbing!

On a side note, I really feel like rewatching Hokuto no Ken. Have to decide between the series which will take forever or the Abe Hiroshi animated movies. Or even the RGG spinoff game which was so so. Its interesting that this old martial arts manga inspired by Bruce Lee and Mad Max would be so influential to Japanese entertainment. 

Also interesting that this dorama is by DMM who I did not realise did a lot more things than AV. They should pay the money so that 'You are shock' will play at the climax of Kenshirou ni Yoroshiku! Also while Bakarythm is the scriptwriter, according to jefftiger the dorama follows the manga closely.

Isoyama Sayaka retiring?

The big news out of Japan is not Johnny's changing their name to Smile-Up or the Unification Church being ordered to disband, it is Isoyama Sayaka saying she is thinking about retiring from gravure while promoting her latest photo book 'and more'! 

The last time I saw here was this 4 second cameo from episode 3 of Kore de Keihi de Ochimasen! I thought she was retiring for good and starting writing this post and then realised that the article was a clickbait to promote the photobook.

Still, its a good excuse to look back at 2nd House, one of the most memorable jdoramas for me besides Shimokita Glory days and Isoyama Sayaka's only major acting role. They don't do these light adult late night comedies with gravure idorus much anymore.

If you have not watched 2nd house, it is a comedy about 4 married men who grouped together to rent a 2nd house so that they have a secret place to do fun activities. Hopefully she'll pop up in another jdorama soon, not that she can act but I have a soft spot for gravure idorus from the old days. Speaking of gravure idorus, I don't know who are popular nowadays. I only know the old ones like Ebihara Yuri and Hashimoto Manami. The only newer one I know is Shinozaki Ai and that is because she is a very good singer!

Also rest in peace to Tanimura Shinji most famous for the song Subaru which everyone knows. He also wrote the song Ii hi Tabitachi for Yamaguchi Momoe which is the song you hear when you are travelling on Shinkansen.

Toki wo Kakeruna, Koibitotachi Episodes 1+2

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Yoshioka Riho is an art director who has not had much luck with romantic relationships. One day, she meets Eita who is from the future and is a time travel agent who has travel back to the past to catch illegal time travellers. 

The title which means "lovers, do not travel through time!" refers to the concept of the show where Eita and Yoshioka Riho catch couples and erase their memories because they are illegal time travellers.

THE GOOD

+ It is not often we get science fiction time travelling comedies.

+ I love how everything from the future looks so retro, kind of like the Jetsons. It is a really good idea to give future tech a distinct look with the limited budget.

+ Yoshioka Riho and Eita are funny. It is not laugh out loud funny but the two episodes are made me smile.

+ 20 minute runtime means there is no ounce of fat in the pacing.

+ Yoshioka Riho vs Lilily is the best feud!

THE BAD

- Nothing bad about this feel good comedy.

THE MEH

= Because they are only catching couples, I am worried there might not be enough variety to the story.

SUMMARY

If you are after a brezzy, time travelling comedy with a retro look, Toki wo Kakeruna, Koibitotachi. Thanks to Madman subs for hardsubbing this. I got it from luwuang's discord. Watchable.

Paripi Komei Episodes 1~2

 

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

Mukai Osamu is Komei aka Zhuge Liang aka Kongming, one of the famous people from Romance of the 3 kingdoms and apparently the smartest man in the story. Komei gets sick and dies and is transported to modern Japan where he becomes the manager to singer Eiko played by Kamishiraishi Moka. Komei uses his stategies from Romance of 3 kingdoms in order to bring Eiko to the top.

WHAT I LIKED

+ Paripi Komei looks very good. The colours pop, lots of shadows and I like the filter that they are using. The indoor sets are so nice to look at. This is the anti TBS like everything with the power of a thousand suns look. I wonder if the director has a background in music videos aka pvs in Japan.

+ Nice music performance videos. 

+ Kamishiraishi Moka is a great casting choice. The only appropriate actresses are her or her sister.

+ Mukai Osamu is good as Komei who is so smart smoke comes out of his head when he is coming up with a plan.

+ Komei using battle strategies from Romance of the 3 kingdoms should be fun for fans who know the stories.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- For a comedic story, nothing has made me laugh in the first two episodes. I am expecting Saint Young Men level of comedy.

- Non of the music has grabbed me yet but I have a feeling they are saving the best for later in the series.

SUMMARY

I have not read the mange but I think it is well executed in terms of effort, looks and casting. Hopefully it will get funnier as the series goes on. Looking forward to next episode. Thanks to skewed translations for subbing and I got the raws from drama-otaku which unfortunately has been down for the past 2 days. Watchable. For people who like historical people out of time comedies.