I wrote about the first episode of the 2019 remake a long time ago. I think I might have watched episode 2 but I never finished the series for some reason. Recently I have been thinking I need to revisit the 2003 series because I think watched the original show from HK dvd rips where they combined 2 episodes together into 1 dvd and I should download and rewatch in 1080.
Shiroi Kyoto or White Castle refers to climbing to the top of the university hospital hierarchy. Being the professor of the surgery department means that every morning you can lead a stupid procession and look at the charts of every patient without looking them in the face.
Our main character is super ambitious super surgeon, Zaizen Goro played by Okada Junichi. The lucky bastard married into the Zaizen family with Kaho as his wife and for some reason he spends all his time with his mistress played by Sawajiri Erika.
I understand that no man can resist Erika-sama but at the expense of Kaho? And Kaho who plays the wife is hardly in the first half of the 5 episode series. The 2003 Fuji TV show is 22 episodes so TV Asashi has gone the opposite route and made a lean 5 episodes cutting a lot of the fat but it is the fat that makes a steak taste good.
On the other side of the coin is Zaizen's friend Satomi who is a doctor dedicated to his patients and his research. As Erika-sama aptly puts it, Zaizen saves lives to further his ambitions and Satomi saves lives because he cares for his patients. FYI Japanese fans refer to Sawajiri as Erika-sama. lol
Iitoyo Marie plays the daughter of Professor Azuma, the once mentor to Zaizen and Satomi who has a thing for Satomi. The casting of this remake is excellent and not to mention Mimura in a small role as a nurse.
The most entertaining role for me is Kobayashi Kaoru as Zaizen Mataichi, Goro's super rich father in law who wants a professor as a son-in-law and will use his wealth and connections to get Goro to the top of the white tower.
Shiroi Kyo has been remade many times because the story is excellent. It is hard to compare with the 2003 series because it has been ages since I have seen it but my sense 2019 remake is not as good. Not enough episodes to show the friendship between Zaizen and Satomi.
Not enough Kaho until the second half and maybe too much Erika-sama? Hard to fit everything into 5 episodes. I enjoyed it but non the the episodes gave me a must watch feeling. It felt like Zaizen got to the top really quickly and the fall in the 2nd half was a bit slow in pacing and had a tad too much overacting.
Still enjoyed this version of Shiroi Kyoto. Makes me want to rewatch the 2003 version so I can make comparisons. Maybe I won't like the 2003 as much after all these years?
If you have not seen Shiroi Kyoto, watch the 2003 one first unless 22 episodes is too much for you or you are a fan of Erika-sama. Very watchable.
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