Thanks to bframe for sending me the links.
Thanks to bframe for sending me the links.
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Love Riron / Love Theory
Thanks to bframe for sending me the links.
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Henshin Interviewer no Yuutsu eps 1+2
Talk about a Johnny starring vehicle once again featuring a singer who should not be on the tv screen. It may have Miki Satoshi's name on it but its just a third rate Trick/Yabe Kenzo wannabe that's not even half as funny as it thinks it is. I can't believe I watched the second episode after the mind numbing first episode just to see whether Miki Satoshi might have some cool tricks for the interviewing part of the series. Avoid. I don't think I'm going to bother giving Ore Ore a try now.
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Amachan eps 13-42 thoughts
1. Kitasanriku doesn't have any attractions besides the Amas but it took them a while to figure out they had Japan's best natural resource - schoolgirls. :)
2. Aki and Yui can't be the only cute shoolgirls in Kitasanriku....
3. Do Aki and Yui get paid for all the selling and promoting that they do? Talk about exploitation of child labour.
4. Since Yui is so determined and knowledgeable, shouldn't she be doing U-18 swimsuit photos like so many actress eg Ayase Haruka and pushing her own blog? Yui can ask questions about VTR checks and make but where's her sense of self promotion?
5. Poor taxi driver dad. Never put a foot wrong (as far as ep 42) and completely disregarded by Koizumi Kyoko and Aki. Aki doesn't doesn't even treat him like her dad and the only reason he's hanging around is so Koizumi Kyoko can have a reverse harem in Kitasanriku.
6. How much does this snack charge per hour anyway and how can those people afford to drink there everyday?
7. Poor Ijyuiin after getting the OK from Koizumi Kyoko. lol.
8. I'm pretty sure grandpa visits certain establishments at every port.
9. Back to taxi dad, wife and daughter treats him like nobody but he's got the whole house to himself and wife is not asking for child support! Why not enjoy his second life in Tokyo instead of going to the sticks and joining the ignored by Koizumi Kyoko club? Its not as if his wife was working and he needed to dual income to pay the mortgage or something?
10. At this point, there is really nothing to really look forward to with the characters except for Yui if Amachan takes her through all the difficulties of getting one's foot in the entertainment industry and navigating its treacherous waters, something Ryu ga Gotoku 5 did well. Looks to me like its going into slice of life dorama territory.
11. So far its a fun, light dorama but there's nothing in Amachan that makes it compelling.
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No Con Kid eps 5-7, 10-12
Episode 5 - Tetris/Columns
I like how the episode starts with people playing Tetris at the university and Kid looking at windows imagining they were Tetris blocks. Reiji falls head over hells over his future wife Akari but is intimidated by her ex basketball playing boyfriend so he challenges him to a game of Columns, Sega's answer to Tetris.
I love the scene where Reiji is walking down a corridor with Akari and they keep running into all her exes and we see column bricks continually dropping. Reiji runs away in horror, runs into Takano Fumi with another her boyfriend and the final column brick drops and the game over screen appears. On of the best examples of No Con Kid using games to make a simple story so much more entertaining.
Episode 6 - Mario
The Megadrive doesn't make an appearance in this series but at gets a token mention with Strider while Fumi plays Super Mario World on the SFC. Fumi wants to combine fashion with gaming by playing Super Mario World during the fashion show but the SFC gets stolen.
Reiji dresses up like Mario and runs with his SFC to the fashion show while Fumi makes do with playing Super Mario Bros on the FC. Stupidly cheesy episode but sometimes you got to bend the stories to fit the game.
Episode 7 - Fantasy Zone
The basis of the episode is Reiji finally deciding to take over the game center from his dad. The game for the episode is Sega's Fantasy Zone which works really well storyline-wise because the final boss of the game is the main character's father. I've never played Fantasy Zone before apparently its the precursor to cute shooters like Twinbee.
Episodes 8+9 - Virtua Fighter 2
Already wrote about it here.
Episode 10 - True Love Story
Ahh, the Reiji discoveres dating sim episode. Hillarious and works very well with the story of Reiji and Fumi.Love this episode.
Episode 11+12 - Xevious
Well, back to the game that started it all. Standard ending but I'm just happy it doesn't suck.
SUMMARY
I adore No Con Kid. One of the most fun doramas for me in recent memory but that's cause I'm an old school gamer. I would love to rewatch it again and look up the Japanese wiki to find all the references that I missed. Not sure how non-gamers will find No Con Kid but at the very least I think everyone will find a simple story of friendship with a lot of love and effort gone into making it.
Gah, recent comments widget seems to be broken. Are there any alternatives for blogger?
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Tokyo Toy Box eps 1+2
THE GOOD
- Story about struggling mobile game maker. Not something you see everyday and we've got stories about making deadlines, sales expectations and coming up with a design document.
- Legend of Galactic Heroes (one of my favourite anime series ever) references in episode 2. I was squealing like a schoolgirl with ever LoGH reference. If only such a bar existed. It truly made my day.
THE BAD
- Misako Uno comes from the school of Nagase Tomoya school of needless excessive overacting.
THE UGLY
- Misako Uno facial expressions. Seriously, did the director think this was supposed to be funny?
SUMMARY
- Two gaming related doramas in one season? Too early to tell but I can't stand Mukodono 2 level extreme overacting. No one's retimed the Japanese subs and the Japanese subs from last season at jsubbers has disappeared. Kinda watchable first two eps.
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Dokushin Kizoku eps 1-3
Dokushin Kizoku starts of presenting itself as the story of three single people, two movie producer brothers born with silver spoons in their mouths and Kitagawa Keiko who doesn't want to get married to be a housewife. The older brother played by the half asleep Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is against getting married and can easily recite 100 reasons why marriage sucks and the younger brother played by Hideaki Ito is a serial playboy in the process of a divorce.
I was expecting Dokushin Kizoku to be a half clever look at single life but just like Renai Dekinai Riyuu, Dokushin Kizoku quickly reveals its colours as a reverse harem cinderalla story. Kitagawa Keiko is playing your average female character because she wears glasses and regular clothes but still looks hotter than every girl on the show not named Renbutsu Misako.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is seriously miscast here. They want to make him a boring character compared to his brother but he comes across as absolutely boring. Kusanagi's quiet, sleepy act only works with underdog characters, not a character who inherited a fortune based on his father's hard work and genius and while is referred to as talented, never produced anything good and is living off his father's past glories.
I used to think Kusanagi was a decent actor especially with the Boku series but now I'm wondering whether it was because of the writing, directing and that the stories were tailored to his half asleep look which is perfectly suited for playing underdogs.
Of course its up to Kitagawa Keiko to save the two brothers and change them. Notice how shoujo stories are about girls 'fixing' the guys while shounen stories are guys finding out what makes the girl tick. There is certainly some interesting story possibilities here in regards to the movie business but I don't think the target audience wants a dorama about the intricate struggles of getting a movie of the ground.
Anyone looking for witty dialogue and interesting characters, just rewatch KDO or Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi. For those who think One Litre of Tears is the greatest jdorama ever, this show is for you.
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Tokyo Toy Box eps 3-12
Besides the overacting and the bad guy from Solidus who does not do any game related work besides scheming against G3, Tokyo Toy Box was fun to watch. Afterall, its a simple story of a group of underdogs trying to create something and going up against this big gaming corporation.
The bug that became such a big plot device is a bit of a head scratcher cause they could have easily disabled the right trigger during the credits or even patched the thing post release. If it were a gameplay breaking bug then it would make more sense but I guess they wanted to keep it simple for the audience.
Tokyo Toy Box is not as polished as No Con Kid though but they managed to keep the story about this pretty watchable. I liked that they used real games including dressing up Way of the Samurai as Samurai Kitchen. There's also some product advertising including Akiba's Trip 2, a game I can't believe didn't improve on the previous horrible battle system.
Tokyo Toy Box is a nice window into the world of making games on time and budget, doing testing and fixing bugs. If only they had cast someone decent as the OL. Or if the director had actually realised that Tokyo Toy Box isn't a laugh out loud comedy. Looks like second season is going to have a new member to the team. Watchable underdog story but only people who like gaming should give this a try.
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Tokyo Bandwagon eps 1+2
Tokyo Bandwagon is a large family cum mystery dorama. You've got 4 generations of the Hotta family running a used bookstore and cafe while solving some neighbourhood problem every episode.
THE GOOD
Mimura and Tabe Mikako!
Tokyo Bandwagon takes its time with the Tabe Mikako story instead of blowing its wad in the first episode. *cough* Iryu 4 *cough*
Got me thinking about the old Tamaki Koji dorama, Ai no Uta which I started rewatching and enjoying more.
THE BAD
First episode was way too long.
Feels very pedestrian compared to huge family doramas like Aikurushii or the classic Hitotsu Yane no Shita. I think Tokyo Bandwagon tries to do too much with too many characters plus a mystery every episode and it lacks that strong central character for the show to revolve around.
THE UGLY
Kame wearing more make-up than Tabe Mikako and Mimura.
SUMMARY
I'm had much more fun rewatching the first three episodes of Ai no Uta than Tokyo Bandwagon. A lot of effort went into this but its just so boring. Nothing to see here. Might get better with the Tabe Mikako mystery but its given me no incentive in two episodes to stick around and find out.
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HAMSAPSUKEBE JDORAMA AWARDS 2013
I CAN'T BELIEVE AWARDS 2013
- I can't believe the number of must-watch jdoramas in 2013. I think this must be the best year in jdoramas I can remember. This is also the hardest time I've ever had trying to decide winners of the prestigious Hamsapsukebe awards.
- I still can't believe Kaho agreed to do all the panchira shots in Minna! Esper Dayo! Still can't get over how Sono Sion failed to do create a strong narrative for the show. How I wanted it to be good.
- I can't believe Oguri Shun wasn't a chikan and Sakamoto Yuji went the boring and safe route for Woman.
- I still can't believe badly acted Hanzawa Naoki got over 40% ratings. Imagine the highest rated show in your own country is about serious issues but treats its characters like a saturday morning cartoon with worse ending. I would be ashamed and not plaster the main character's face at every train station.
- I can't believe a johnny can actually act award goes to Hagishiyama Noriyuki in Nanatsu no Kaigi
- I can't believe the Oscar Promotion duo of Gouriki Ayame and Takei Emi keep getting push after push after push with doramas written for their lack of talent. Does whoever run Oscar Promotion have pictures of tv executives with schoolgirls? (very possible) Do they give the greatest bj in the world at the same time? Do they have some sort of acting talent and screen presence that I am absolutely blind towards?
- I can't believe they screwed up Doctors 2 and went the boring route which jadefrost believed was a tv station directive.
- I can't believe we got two video game doramas this year that didn't suck. Along with Yuusha Yoshihiko, its a sign that people who grew up as gamers are getting into positions of responsibility in the jdorama world.
- I can't believe Nanatsu no Kaigi and Meoto Zenzai have not been English subbed.
- I can't believe Amachan spent so many episodes building up this countryside and diving girl story so that she can stumble in Tokyo to be an idoru.
- I can't believe Yonekura Ryoko's legs can pull a 20% rating, double Nagasawa Masami's legs.
- I can't believe the students in Limit who fell into a ravine next to a road could not find a way up and instead ventured deeper into the wild.
- I can't believe the writer for Gekiryuu wasn't fired from that show. It has got to be one of the worst written mystery doramas I've ever seen that it makes Triangle look like One Million Stars Falling from the Sky . It was an absolutely trainwreck of a script.
BEST JDORAMA EYECANDIES OF 2013
KAHO & MANO ERINA - MINNA ESPER DAYO!
TRIENDL REINA - DANDARIN
MOTOKARIYA YUIKA - LADY JOKER
KURASHINA KANA'S SMILE - DINNER
BEST ACTOR - 3 WAY TIE CAUSE I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND
EITA - SAIKOU NO RIKON
HAGISHIYAMA NORIYUKI - NANATSU NO KAIGI
SHIBATA KYOHEI - LADY JOKER
Its a three horse race between Eita, Hagishiyama Noriyuki (Natatsu no Kaigi), Shibata Kyohei (Lady Joker), and I could not pick a winner. However much of the flawed but endearing Hamasaki is due to Sakamoto Yuji's writing and how much to Eita's performance? Higashiyama Noriyuki and Shibata Kyohei's roles are very similar; salarymen trying to do the right thing by their companies and by themselves. Higashiyama is one johnny's who can act. Honourable mention to Moriyama Mirai (Meoto Zenzai) and Uchino Masaaki (Tonbi).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MAKI YOKO - SAIKOU NO RIKON
Honourable mention - Tanaka Yuko (Woman)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
TOYOHARA KOSUKE - LADY JOKER & NANATSU NO KAIGI
Honourable mention - Furuta Arata (Furueru Ushi), Kobayashi Kaoru (Woman/Furueru Ushi)
BEST ACTRESS - 2 WAY TIE
ONO MACHIKO - SAIKO NO RIKON & MEOTO ZENZAI
MITSUSHIMA HIKARI - WOMAN
Honourable mention - Takeuchi Yuko (Dandarin), Kaho (Minna! Esper Dayo! & Akuryo Byoto)
BEST JDORAMAS OF 2013
SAIKOU NO RIKON
MEOTO ZENZAI
Exquisitely brilliant.
NANATSU NO KAIGI
DANDARIN
LADY JOKER
OTHER RECOMMENDED JDORAMAS FROM 2013
- Keibuho Yabe Kenzo 2
- Shotenin Michiru no Mi no Uebanashi
- Tonbi
- Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi
- Woman (for the acting)
- No Con Kid
- Furueru Ushi
- Kagi no Nai Yume wo Miru eps 3+4
- Akuryo Byouto
- Double Tone
- Doctors SP
- Made in Japan
SPECIAL THANKS AWARD TO INCYPE - For subbing Lady Joker cause my Japanese was not good enough to realise how godlike this show was.
Here's hoping 2014 turns into another great year for jdoramas as well!
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Dai Tokyo Toy Box eps 1-4
Imagine a dorama where this 16 year old girl who is always on ADD meds and has no experience whatsoever goes to a law firm and says they should hire her because she's watched all episodes of Law & Order and The Practice and she absolutely loves the law. Yup, this is new main character of Dai Tokyo Toy Box. Yup, Kaname Jun hires her because she's enthusiastic although they need to replace the graphic artist who just left. Someone shoot me now.
I have absolutely no reason to want to watch this hyperactive greenhorn who is completely useless stumble her way. There's some interesting stuff about making games and the industry in episode 3 and especially episode 4 but its buried under so much screen time for the newbie Momo.
I just don't get it. The first series was watchable and Momo's overacting makes Uno Misako's overacting in season 1 bearable. I'm thinking the hyper overacting bit is more the director's fault rather than the actors. I'm so disappointed since the first season was watchable. Stay away.
If you still want to watch Dai Tokyo Toy Box, you can grab it here. Thanks to bakastar74 for telling me where to get it and I will be uploading the Japanese subs to d-addicts after this post.
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Isharyou Bengoshi eps 1-3
Isharyou Bengoshi is about this lawyer played by Tanaka Naoki (the affair dude from Limit) who specialises in getting compensation in divorce cases. Also starring Akiko Yada as his first case who becomes his assistant.
Coming from a country where divorces are no-fault, watching a show where people have to find excuses to divorce and spend so much effort proving a partner's infidelity is both stupid and amusing at the same time. On one hand it is a very educational show on Japanese divorce law and specifically compensating the other party and it is quite entertaining but I can't help and shake my head at how outdated the laws are. Still, who cares what the laws are as long as they make for great entertainment and tv legal shows are never accurate anyway.
Episode 2 is a particularly funny episode with the wife seeking compensation from the mistress. Lol. Only in Japan. Makes me kind of wish Australia still had their outdated divorce laws and I would say its a must watch episode.
The one bad thing about this show is that the investigator, landlady and and temp worker should have been combined into one character. Absolutely no reason to pay 3 actresses when one would suffice, especially with its limited budget as a midnight dorama.
Isharyou Bengoshi is not as funny nor is it as smart as Dandarin but its still fun and I think its very watchable. If the stuff in Isharyou Bengoshi are true, then having affairs in Japan is one hell of an scarily expensive exercise.
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Ashita, Mama ga Inai ep 1
Thanks to jadefrost for pointing out that Nojima Shinki is the script supervisor as can be seen above.
If you've been following Japanese entertainment news, you can't escape the so called Ashita, Mama ga Inai controversy where the Child Welfare Association is protesting against the dorama giving a bad name to orphanages. I completely agree with the Child Welfare Association because jdoramas have a responsibility to portray all public institutions only in a positive light.
I think other associations should join the Child Welfare Association in protesting their own depictions in jdoramas:
1. The Love Hotel Association should protest against Isharyou Bengoshi because it has taught the Japanese housewives that their husband's mistresses can be sued for damage, thus driving down Love Hotel patronage in the last few weeks.
2. The Police should protest every single Japanese cop show because they always show every other police officer besides the main character as inept. One would think from watching all the police jdoramas that Japanese Police are a bunch of lazy bureaucrats that despise anyone who can do their job properly.
3. Emergency Medical Services should protest against Code Blue for having their seasoned medical professionals played by actors in their early 20s giving the impression that it only takes an emergency doctor 5 years out of high school to get a degree and training.
4. The Japanese Harbour Warehouse association should protest against every single action jdorama ending in a harbour warehouse making the public think that warehouses are the base of operations of choice for all bad guys. This has also led to the practice by Japanese police of breaking into random warehouses every time there is a kidnapping, troubling law abiding citizens who use warehouses for non-kidnapping purposes.
5. The Seto Islands should sue Umi no Ue Shinryojo for falsely depicting that there is a hot chick on every island. The Seto Islands tourism board have been beset by complaints from disappointed tourists.
6. The Japanese Surgeons Association should protest against Iryu because patients now expect every surgeon to be able to do surgeries on the beat and save on the heart machine costs.
7. The Japanese Employers Association should protest against Dandarin for making employees believe this fabrication that they should get paid for overtime.
As for the first episode of Ashita, Mama ga Inai, I love the acting by the little girl from Woman. Not sure about Ashida Mana cause I find she's overacting playing an adult in a child's body but I guess it plays a counterbalance to Suzuki Rio's more realistic girl. Speaking of realistic characters, I bloody hate the two Jolipi girls. How anyone can protest against this fake, contrived dorama is shocking. Not as super melodramatic to the point of absurdity as Beautiful Rain but it doesn't feel as smart as your Nojima Shinji show.
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Sakamoto Yuji - Soredemo Ikite Yuku interview Part 3A
I haven't touched the interview since my Japan trip but I am determined to see this through to the end. Thanks to Chuks for fixing my translations and hopefully it reads better than my previous efforts. Corrections are most welcome. This is the first half of part 3 of the original interview which can be found here.
Abiko: I think Soredemo Ikite Yuku was a revolutionary dorama. The unification of language in novels and doramas has actually become possible. Characters can speak not just through conversation but also explain things through verbal expression. The lines in the drama sound realistic, just like you see in novels. The characters(casts) speak naturally, without any unnatural explanations (explanatory dialogs) you see in many dramas. Plus, I think the direction of the fighting scenes were excellent.
Sakamoto: Thank you very much.
Abiko: The direction of the fights were different from the so called usual ones. For example, the actor playing the criminal, Kazama Shunsuke and the victim's mother Otake Shinobu scene at the fishing house (Episode 8: Prepared for everthing). After they found out who each other were, they started to fight. There is no way Otake Shinobu can win. (Laughs) Although, she cannot not win, Otake was leaning on Kazama, and Kazama doesn't stay still and and take the beating. He fights back while listening to her yelling. Isn’t everything in this scene in line with the promise to be real? So, I am interested in finding out who's decision it was. I thought it was the director's decision but there were more than one directors, right?
Sakamoto: It was decided by 3 people.
Abiko: In the case where there are multiple directors, who's decision has the most influence on the style of the directing?
Sakamoto: I think it is the producers together with the directors after having detailed conversations. The only thing I ask is this, 'please shoot the performers' acting properly'. Recently the demands on the actors have become wide ranging. Not only do they have to act, they have to be able to do facial expressions that are easy to read. An example of the type of acting that is asked of them is that when surprised, they go 'Waa!'. Actors act the way they are expected to in accordance with the changes in the times. The starting point of an actor's job is the create emotions and that is the foundation of acting. However nowadays, so not to be boring to the viewers, every scene is burdened with high tension. Even the script and lines explain everything so it is easily understood. This prevents actors from acting they way that they want.
Abiko: Yes.
Sakamoto: However for this dorama, I only provided the emotions of the characters and minimum setting, to let actors create the dorama by acting the way they feel is right. We have to protect the actors and let them ride the emotional waves, capture the actor’s expression of emotions and just continue with it. When the whole crew keep it in mind and just focus on the actor’s acting and nothing else, there won’t be a need to shoot from various angles. Music or gimmicks can’t capture the actors’ unspoken emotions between the lines. Once everybody starts to focus on nothing but shooting the actors’ performances, Otake would get into character followed by Eita and Mitsushima. When that happens, watching the actors performance becomes watching them portraying someone’s life realistically.
Abiko: The actors' tension and the atmosphere at the set can be seen in the performance, can't it?
Sakamoto: The actors' decide how good a dorama is. It was nothing to do with the script or the director. In any case, everything is about whether the actors can unleash their acting powers.
Abiko: The actors' are unable to put their mind at ease until they have given their whole effort, right?
Sakamoto: Yes. Even with Mitsushima-san, at the time she was waiting for the script for the third episode, she was nervous because she could not wait to see the script. I could feel everyone had high motivation.
< I want to see Otake-san who normally acts on stage in television>
Abiko: Sakamoto-san, did you managed to go to the shooting locations?
Sakamoto: I did not even go to the locations once.
Abiko: Then what did you think of the finished product when you saw the DVD that they sent you?
Sakamoto: I honestly think it is interesting. I was not pleased with the script and most of the lines I wrote for the first episode. However, after the second episode, I became used to that world and began get in tune. I began to enjoy the show and thought, "Ah, this is good." (laughs)
Abiko: Why were you not pleased?
Sakamoto: I'm not certain but I had a vague image in my head. A character wearing a certain clothing a certain way or speaking in a certain rhythm. Although I don't have a concrete idea, these images exist in my head when I write.
Abiko: So the more you watched the more you got used to the show being different from your images.
Sakamoto: Yes.
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Why Fukuda Saki is not getting a push.
Was going through Majide2ch, a nice blog that translates various stuff from 2ch and came across this post about Anne and Fukuda Saki. As mentioned many times, Oscar agency's huge push of Gouriki Ayame and Takei Emi is a blight on jdorama land and I couldn't understand why someone who has shown so much potential in Life and Daisuki 5 years ago is now relegated to supporting roles. If Oscar agency is so powerful as to shove those two talento who cannot act down the throat of the Japanese public, surely they can push Fukuda Saki who is so much better?
Turns out Fukuda Saki was apparently a diva during the shoot of Sakura no Sono, a movie that's been on my to watch queue for ages. Of course this all makes sense because Erika-sama is still popular and getting main roles despite her betsuni incident and reputation. The article says that its difficult to barter Fukuda Saki with other talents so its obvious that her only main role recently was in IS which was with the overpushed Gouriki from the same agency.
Article finishes by saying that Takei and Gouriki have been warned to be nice to everybody which reminds me of reading about how Fukada Kyoko is like super nice on set. Lesson of the day for Japanese talent, unless you are a johnny or have one of those faces that Japanese women worship, be nice to everyone.
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Legend of Galactic Heroes anime remake???!!!
Just saw this post at Jin115 and I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm pretty sure アニメ化 means making an anime version and there's already a classic 100+ episode series which I dearly love. I could watch it again and again and again. Its the greatest anime series ever along with Macross. How do you improve on perfection? Will today's anime viewer be even interested in a smartly written, grey area political drama with a huge cast of characters?
The one good thing is at least people will now know the name of the series. I hope Yang Wenli will not get his own harem of female generals and little sister/maid. I'm not really excited cause the anime is so perfect but I'd rather watch an anime try to improve on perfection rather than your usual interesting light novel premise that descends into generic harem anime series. I predict its going to fizzle out cause if the awesome Guin Saga can't even get a 2nd season, what hope does LoGH have unless all the generals turn into your stereotypical female harem?
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S -Saigo no Keikan- ep 1
Saigo no Keikan is a tokusatsu show masquerading as a cop dorama. There is not even an ounch of realism or excitement in this show. Contrived things happen so that certain characters can do and say certain things that are suppose to be cool to 6 year old boys and really aren't if the 6 year old thinks about it. Saigo no Keikan has got the kind of dumbed down dialogue and stereotypes to make it easily understandable for kids and I'm pretty sure the source material was a seinen manga. I want to make fun of this show but its just too easy. Run very far away from this and rewatch Gonzo, Rinjo and Gaiji Keisatsu.
Edit: The Ravine of Goodbye is available on the net with English subs!
My favourite movie from the Japanese Film Festival. Great story, acting with a raw and unflinching story. The Ravine of Goodby straddles the line between artsy and entertaining well. Don't go in expecting light entertainment. Highly recommended.
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Isharyou Bengoshi Ep 4
This is such a weird domestic violence (DV) episode. Husband gets abused by wife and what does the lawyer do? Send him back to get whacked by the wife so that they can get evidence of the abuse. I wonder what would happen if he send a wife back to her abusive husband? Imagine the wife coming back to the office with a bandage around her head and her lawyer going, "Good job! Now we have evidence!"
All good until the long suffering husband is about to win and we get some stupid excuse for all the violence about the wife being lonely and needing money to keep up with her new rich friends. I want to see a dorama where an abusive husband gets away with it in the end with such a flimsy excuse! Serious, WTF. This reminds me of something Sakamoto Yuji said near the end of his interview I am still translating about glorifying people who have done evil things.
I'll keep watching cause Japanese divorce law is so amusing but this episode was just fucked up. Somehow our expert lawyer doesn't think that a wife who can treat another human being that way doesn't have deeper issues. Why isn't the family association of Japan complaining about this show teaching people to get the most from a divorce?
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Jmovie review: R100
From Matsumoto Hitoshi, the writer and director of the awesome Scabbard Samurai comes the most 'WTF did I just watch' movie of the year, R100. Omori Nao (security guy from Link) is a mild mannered furniture and upholstery salesman who signs up for this one year S&M play with this club called bondage. Basically anytime and anywhere during the year Omori Nao will can be assaulted by any of the club's girls.
R100 is similar to Sono Sion's Why don't you Play in Hell in that its a self aware film that is trying to say certain things by breaking the fourth wall with one big exception; R100 is a very slow movie that is not even half as fun. I can see that Matsumoto Hitoshi purposely made it bland with the drab colours and lack of titillation despite the subject matter but whatever he was trying to say made it boring for me with pacing issues and a nonsensical story that that the censors in the film were happy to point out. The only good thing about R100 is that its made me appreciate Why don't you Play in Hell more which was a much better attempt at a self aware movie.
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Kinkyuu Torishirabe Shitsu ep 1
I found the fact that Amami Yuki's character was angry the hostage taker was shot when clearly the hostage who had run out from the bus was in danger. Yes, she could have possibly continued to talk him down but he could have easily killed Amami Yuki or worse, the hostage. Anyway, the first scene establishes we have our maverick investigator who does not follow the take out hostage taker as soon as a clear shot is available and without endangering the hostages. (Which I assume is in the SIT handbook)
So turns out the gimmick of the this dorama is a special emergency interrogation team meaning I expect to see not your everyday jdorama interrogation scenes.
Nope. The writer realises that since this dorama is about this emergency interrogation room, he better write in a meaningless 'interrogation' where we find out about Moriyama's motive (instead of the cops just reading his case file) and Amami Yuki gets to cry and basically call Moriyama a bad boy. WTF is the point of all that besides the writer feeling to need to write some powerful scene for Amami Yuki but it just make sense in the context of the story? Where is the purpose of this emergency interrogation team as apposed to letting your regular investigation team who have been investigating a case do the interrogating? The stupidity and inconsistency in non-WOW and NHK police shows just continues to astound me. Watching crap like this just pisses me off. Now, more than ever, Japan needs a Ministry of Common Sense to prevent stuff like this from airing.
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Rewatching Shinsengumi!
I could have sworn I wrote a review for Shinsengumi! since it was the first taiga dorama that I ever completed but it didn't show up in the search box. Hhhmm, on further inspection, I didn't even write about Musashi either which I liked as well. Anyways, the reason I rewatched Shinsengumi! was in preparation for Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin which is an alternate reality telling of the Sakamoto Ryoma and Shinsengumi story. Its my 2nd most anticipated game of the year but the huge number of characters is so intimidating.
I wanted to put faces to names that I will encounter in the game but frankly, outside of the main characters, I had a hard time with remembering names. The first time I watched Shinsengumi many years ago, I really enjoyed the Kondo Isami, Hijikata and Yamanami dynamic. You've got your leader flanked by his two advisors, the street smart Hijikata who is not afraid to play bad cop and the well read Yamanami.
On second viewing, Shinsengumi! plays to me more like a Hijikata as the ultimate puppeteer show. Mitani Koki in turning Kondo Isami into a saint, as transferred all the blame and guile onto Hijikata thus turning our ultra good guy main character into a puppet that was used by kingmaker Hijikata.
While I was half-rewatching Shinsengumi while half-playing Sen no Kiseki (I'll not be able to finish this game before Ishin arrives), its more obvious how Mitani Koki writes an honourable out for ever killing and seppuku that happens. I guess its the unwritten rule in taiga doramas that famous historical figures must be presented in the best light unless they were historically reviled. Every backstabbing, power struggle move can be justified as doing it for love of country/Shogun/Emperor and every bad guy is just doing it for his own interests.
As much as Mitani Koki can dramatise the story, he cannot change the actions and deaths of the Shinsengumi and I found myself thinking more of what actually could have happened instead of what was presented to me on screen. Don't take it as me noticing the flaws of Shinsengumi! the second time. Mitani Koki has crafted a very enjoyable show with colourful characters but it played to me more as a work of historical fiction the second time.
The stand out performances for me are Yamamoto Koji as the mastermind Hijikata, Fujiwara Tatsuwa as the child-like yet deadly Okita Soji who has an interesting character arc, Sato Koichi as Kamo 'I don't give a damn' Serizawa, Suzuki Kyoka Oume and course Eguchi Yosuke as Sakamoto Ryoma. I really enjoyed Euchi Yosuke and Uchino Masaaki's portrayal of the unkempt and enigmatic Ryoma and I found it very hard to get into Masaharu Fukuyama's stiff Ryoma in Ryoma Den. Still a fun, must watch show the second time around.
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