J-Drama Review- Kaeru no Oujosama

I have been watching this drama for a while now (and it's over). Kaeru no Oujosama has the alternate title of The princess and the frog and from what is narrated in the drama, the story has a slightly different japanese version.
Kaeru no Oujosama is a musical drama that is an aural treat for all the jpop fans, especially those who like or want to hear older songs. The drama is quite recent (2012) but gives an oldish feeling because most of it happens in a small town.

Kaeru no Oujosama is the story of a city choir, the Chansons, who try to save the town's music hall from being scraped to build a waste treatment plant. Chansons, which was a four memeber female choir holds auditions and accepts new members to make them better. Amami Yuki plays Mio Kurasaka, the Chansons' coach from Broadway who is originally from Yume town. She helps everyone improve their lives and overcome their problems with music. Roughly, one episode is dedicated to each member's story with Amami Yuki, Yuko Oshima and the male lead (Zeruel) having more than one episode.

I like the drama because it is very touching and shows how music can make ordinary lives seem extraordinary. Amami Yuki is the driving force behind the Chansons and the drama. Her character and personality were certainly unique.

The Chansons start of as an amateur choir with no experience in singing or dancing but Mio trains them hard and keeps spotting gigs for them, making them quite good by the end of the show. There are instances when her Broadway past comes up but it keeps going underground again.

The best part of the drama is probably watching the transformations which can be very touching and inspiring. Through music, The Chansons give everyone in the choir as well as the town hope and teach them to believe in miracles. After watching the drama, I felt that music is such a powerful tool in bringing about positive change. These days, the music industry has become totally commercial with songs being released only to earn profits and achieve fame (not so much in Japan as in other countries). In these times, the drama shines more and makes us remember the true meaning of music.

The actors do their part well mostly because they need to sing more than act. Amami Yuki definitely remains the star of the show. Her experience in acting shines through here. The personalities of the characters in the choir was distinct and each came from a different background, adding to variety in the drama. Yuko Oshima's acting was a little bland but her singing was fine.

Kaeru no Oujosama kind of reminds me of GTO, I don't know why. It has the similar feel of one student discovering their potential in each episode under Onizuka/Amami's guidance. More than that, each GTO episode was a tear-jerker just like each Kaeru no Oujosama episode. This is a drama that has made me cry in a long time.

If you love j-pop, you'll love this drama. I knew a lot of songs in the drama but when I heard them in the context of the drama and the episodes, their meaning became clearer to me and I can appreciate them more now. The prime example of one of such songs is Dreams Come True's Nando Demo. I have heard this song so many times but when it features in the sixth episode, it brings a new meaning and angle to the lyric interpretation that I did not focus on. Other songs that I recognized included Momoe Yamaguchi's This is my trial, Playback, Imitation Gold, Yokosuka story, Yumi Matsutoya's Hello my frind, Chage and Aska's Yah yah yah, , Kome Kome Club's Romantic flight, Princess Princess' M, Sugar's Wedding Bell and some others that I am forgetting. A lot of the songs are from the 80s, 70s time period sung in show choir style. Songs I liked but hadn't listened to earlier were Kaze ni naritai (which I found better than the original), Miagetegoran yoru no hoshii etc.

The story wasn't wildly original or anything. We've seen these kind of stories many times. But, the interpretation and script stood out. The songs were appropriate and well-placed. Character development was the strongest point of this drama. The characterisation was strong as well. The setting was a little bland and quiet. I know it is a small town but there are hardly any people on the streets (a total contrast toTokyo). The script, in fact was well done. The ideas, development and lines were crafted well to appeal emotionally to the audience- japanese excel at these kinds of things.

Before I wind up, I want to mention the tale of the princess and the frog. As far as I know it, the princess kisses the frog and it transforms into a prince. But in the drama, the princess calls the frog to the palace but repulsed by its ugliness, slams it on the wall. That instant, it becomes a prince. This kind of behavior is often comapred to Mio Kurasaka's harsh words that actually help the members become better.

Overall, I quite liked the drama probably because I like j-pop. This year, there have been a lot of mediocre releases and Kaeru no Oujosama seems better to most. I am watching Rich man, poor woman currently and I'll review it sometime in the future when it ends. Despite the good plot and acting, the drama did not have stellar ratings or anything. Nevertheless, for anyone looking for inspiration or wanting to break the monotony of romance dramas, Kaeru no Oujosama is a welcome change. Needless to say, it is a must watch for j-pop fans.

Story-4/5
Acting-4/5
Script-4.6/5
Music- 4.6/5
Overall- 4.5/5

Pros

Refreshing
Touching
Amami's acting'
Character development
Music

Cons

Typical story
Some actors lack experience/ do not act all that well

Drama review- Otomen

Otomen is a drama adapted from the manga by Aya Kanno. It covers the story up to volume 9 or 10. I have read the manga too and it is currently ongoing.

Otomen centres around Asuka Masamune- a high school boy who looks manly on the outside and is also the captain of the school kendo (a type of martial art with wooden swords) team and kendo champion. However, his real personality is nothing like this. He likes to cook, sew, read shojo manga and loves sweet things (I don't think this is a feminine attribute though) and sparkly and cute stuff in general. When he instantly falls for the transfer student Miyakozuka Ryo, his secret is in danger of being exposed. Since the name of the story is Otomen and not otoman, strangely all of Asuka's friends are otomen. Juta Tachibana, his close friend and playboy is in fact a shojo manga writer who writes the love story of Asuka and Ryo. The manga is a superhit and both Ryo and Asuka are fans (they don't know it is about them). His kendo rival Tonomine is an otomen with interest in makeup. Another member of his kendo club is also an otomen with a feminine appearence.

I have to say, there is hardly any romance in this drama. Ryo does not feel romantically towards Asuka until very late in the drama. There is no kiss and the one hug that happens is in the last scene of the last episode. (Sigh) This drama is mainly about friendship and the problems affecting otomen in Japanese society and in a sense, Asuka, rather than Ryo is the main character.

I really loved the characters who have so much depth.  Most characters also look like their manga counterparts (especially Tonomine- perfect casting). They stick together with each other and you find such unlikely friendships blossoming (like Tonomine-Tachibana). The episodes are quite interesting and it is difficult to get bored, just don't start watching expecting a drama with a lot of romance. The relationship between Ryo and Asuka for most part remains friendship.

The main thing was that while these guys have some slightly unusual interests, they did not seem girly to me in any sense. I mean how can cooking, makeup and liking sweet things classified as girly? So many cooks, makeup artists and pattissers (okay, I don't know the spelling) are men. No one accuses them of being girly.

There are funny parts and touching parts in this drama. This is a great watch is you want some light comedy or just something interesting. The episodes are short and there are not too many.

Ratings-

Story-4.7
Acting-4.3
Direction-4
Visual- 4.1

Pros
Short episodes and tight storyline
Interesting characters

Cons
Kaho was a really bad choice for Ryo (there is no physical similarity and she was just too feminine to be a tomboy. I didn't think she acted too well, either)

Galileo drama review

In "Galileo," Fukuyama Masaharu plays a genius physicist and university associate professor, Yukawa Manabu, who solves difficult mysteries. Affectionately known as Tantei Galileo ("Detective Galileo"), Yukawa is brilliant, an all-round sportsman, tall and handsome but eccentric. Yukawa's partner is a rookie cop, Utsumi Kaoru (Shibasaki Kou), a hot-blooded woman with a strong sense of justice.-- jade_frost (from Dramawiki)

Fukyama Masaharu was my main motivation behind seeing this drama. I first found out about this drama through the song Kiss shite by KOH+ (which is a temporary unit formed by Kou Shibasaki and Fukuyama Masaharu). That song is really a misfit for this drama, by the way. It is a cheerful, cutesy electropop song while this drama is hardcore mystery and thriller.

The mysteries are tied to seemingly supernatural and impossible things. The solutions to the problems are always ingenious. Fukuyama Masaharu's acting is perfect. You can almost believe that he is really a cold physics professor. I have coopied the following table from dramawiki. It shows what phenomenon the mystery is related to in the brackets and also the viewership rating.

Episode	Title	Subtitle	Ratings (Kanto)	Ratings (Kansai)	Ratings (Nationwide)
01	Burns	Weirdo Genius Scientist	24.7	22.8	??.?
02	Floats (Astral Projection)	The Mystery of the OL Murdere and the Flying Boy!	22.1	23.8	??.?
03	Rattles (Poltergeist)	A Missing Husband and the Dark House Cursed by a Ghost!	21.3	21.7	??.?
04	Rots (Necrosis)	Dangerous Seduction of the Handsome Prodigal Killer	23.6	24.8	??.?
05	Strangles (Asphyxia)	The Mystery of the Fireball and the Perfect Closed-room Murder	22.9	24.0	??.?
06	Dreams (Fantasy)	Future Love and a Long Night Together	21.4	21.5	??.?
07	Predicts (Premonition)	The Beautiful Wife's Favorite Murder Device of Horror	21.9	21.3	??.?
08	Sees (Spiritual Sight)	The Ghost who Notified Her Sister of the Murder	19.9	20.4	??.?
09	Bursts (Explosion), Part 1	Serial Murders Set Up by the Devil	21.7	22.3	??.?
10	Bursts (Explosion), Part 2	KISS Me on Christmas Eve!	19.6	21.9	??.?
Average	--	--	22.0	22.4	??

I have long been looking for anime, manga and drama with smart mysteries, like detective conan or Kindaichi case files. I even watched Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato De and Kimi wa Hanin Ja nai yo ne? but they fell short of my expectations. For fans of mystery, Galileo is a treat. It doesn't have too much humour though. There is a bit of romantic tension (or maybe I imagined it) between Manabu and Kaoru, but rest assured, it leads nowhere.

My only criticism was that this drama was a bit too one-tracked. Every minute in the episode was devoted to the mystery. No flashbacks on mysterious pasts of the main characters (though Kaoru lies about hers), no romance and no comedic relief. There weren't even any goofy supporting characters. The episodes follow a set pattern.

Overall, this is an enjoyable drama for those who enjoy scientific mysteries and interesting characters.

Pros
Good acting
Script is intelligent
No filler episodes

Cons
No romance, flashbacks or comedy to make the drama 'lighter'

Drama review Mukodono 2003

Yuichiro Sakuraba is an ultra-famous rock star in Japan. His latest commerical, featuring a kiss scene has become a regular fixation on the screens across the nation. He is an idol and has legions of female fans squaling over him. However, he decides to get married. In the japanese idol world, marriage is not a simple thing. If he gets married, that means his female fans will regard him as 'taken', thus reducing his popularity. So, his manager decides that the marrriage will remain a secret. (synopsis written by me as I couldn't find any good one on the internet)

The family he has married into consists of his wife and her four sisters and old father. Each sister is different from the other and interesting. Below is a pic of the 'family' including Yuichiro. I will explain who is who.

At the left is Yuichiro's father-in-law, who is a gynaecologist who practices in his house. He is also a super cook who can cook almost everything.

Next (second from left) is Toko. She is actually an adopted sister and not Mamoru-san (the father-in-law)'s real daughter. She is 40 and works as a police detective.

At the extreme right is Akira, a high school girl. She is the youngest of the sisters.

Next to her is Kitae, who is an air hostess.

Next to Kitae (third from right) is Nishie, who is Kitae's twin sister (though they look nothing like twins). She is a paediatric doctor at a hospital. Next to her is Minami, Yuichiro's wife played by Sakai Noriko. Minami is a librarian.

Each episode is dedicated to a sister but Toko has 2 and other female characters such as Yuichiro's manager Sujiyama san, co-actress Hikari and mother have one. Although I initially expected Mukodono to be a comedy-type drama, it is actually a very emotional drama. I ended up crying in every episode. But it is not sad, rather it is very touching and explains the importance of friendship and family.

Nishie (played by Ryoko Shinohara) was my favorite sister because of her no-nonsense personality and deep emotional past. I also liked Toko (the detective) and her episodes were the best. She has an energetic and upbeat personality and is really optimistic for someone her age.

This drama is easy to like. It is emotional without being intense. I am sure you will fall in love with each one of the sisters. They are all so lovable. There were no filler episodes. If you are someone who is tired of being emotionally involved in a drama, just to see the characters die in the end, this will be a welcome change as this drama has a happy ending.

Pros
Characters are enjoyable
Good acting
Unique genre (family) with a strong script
Noriko Sakai looks really good!

Cons
Nagase Tomoya's acting is a really overdone
He doesn't look very good in the drama, either, at least for most of the part.
First two episodes are boring

Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake drama review

A touching love story about a girl Kano Masaki (Fukada) who contracted HIV after selling her body in order to earn money for the concert of a famous composer Ishikawa Keigo (Kaneshiro). After the concert, Keigo saw Masaki chasing after his van. She was drenched, and thus Keigo took her to his apartment, where they spent the night.

Kyoko Fukada was only 17 when she did this role, so physically, she fits into the character's role. Her performance is quite good, especially in the end, but she seems a bit whiny and overacts in the the beginning. Kaneshiro's acting is much better. I also felt that he was a perfect fit for the role of a reclusive superstar.

Like all Japanese romance dramas, this one will make you cry from beginning to end. Also, (maybe this is a spolier), the end is tragic, as expected of a drama like this. But really, any j-drama fan would never good into a drama like this expecting a happy ending. The very first line of the synopsis states that she contracts AIDS, so expecting her to live would be unrealistic.

The drama potrays the struggles faced by those with AIDS. They are rejected and feared by everyone and end up being alone. The romance was also well done, though initially the drama focused more on Masaki's problems after contracting AIDS. It creates trouble for her family and she starts feeling like she is a burden on everyone.

The gradual acceptance and help offered by those around her is the highlight of this drama. This drama will make you think about AIDS differently and be sympathetic towards those with diseases.

The songs used in this drama are really beautiful, especially the opening (I for You by LUNA SEA). The opening captures the essence of the drama in the best possible way.  In The Sky by Shizuka Kudo is also very good.

Pros
Touching, a total tearjerker
Acting is realistic

Cons
Some situations are quite cliched
Too sad

NOTE- Pictures were taken from Google image search and do not belong to me.

J-Drama review- Seigi no Mikata

Seigi no Mikata (正義の味方^?, Ally of Justice) is a story first published by Shueisha as a manga, and then made into a short-running TV drama in 2008 by Nihon Television, directed by Satoru Nakajima. The story is about a 15-year-old girl named Yoko, who is being tormented by her older sister Makiko. Only Yoko and her parents know her sister's true nature, while other people are fooled by her unbelievable good luck.

15-year-old Yoko is constantly tormented by her self-centered and fiendish older sister Makiko, who works for a government office after having graduated from a famous university. But despite her ill nature, Makiko's actions tend to somehow make things better for those around her, causing others to praise her as an "ally of justice."

Because of her sister's attitude, Yoko longs to be free. She decides to get her sister married so she will move out. However her plan backfires. There is also a boy called Riku who always teases her because he has a major crush on her. He becomes one of her closest confidants.

Makiko eventually reveals her true nature to her husband, Naoki, who decides to get a divorce.

Meanwhile a close friend of Riku's, Chika, tells Yoko that he is about to move away. Her friends attempt to get Yoko to confess through a live T.V. program, but her sister storms in and starts yelling at her, right before Yoko confessed and when she (Makiko) is taken away by security.

A few days, Naoki and his parents arrive to talk with Makiko. As the divorce is about to be finalized,
Makiko tells everyone that she is pregnant. The series ends with Yoko finally talking to Riku before he went to Osaka and Makiko giving birth to a baby. Yoko is the one left caring for it.

Now for the review- It was an okay drama. What was good was that the story was interesting. The younger sister's characters and romance and quite good though her love became a disappointment in the end. The character of the elder sister's husband was also very nice and polar opposite of the elder sister's character.

The biggest problem with this series was the elder sister. Her personality was extremely unlikeable and at times, she feels more like a villian than a heroine. The fact that Yamada Yu did her role made matters worse. Yamada Yu is not visually pleasing as one might have expected the elder sister to be. She is totally stone-faced except for some fake and childish expressions she shows in the series. I still cannnot believe that Yamada Yu won an award for this.

The younger sister blames her older sister for her misfortunes but it really is her fault for listening to her older sister like a puppy. The older sister once doesn't say very harsh words or threaten her. There was virtually no comedy in the drama. If the drama makers were relying on the cruelty of the elder sister to make the viewes laugh, they have failed terribly.

A drama worth skipping and I am not sure why I ended up watching it.

Pros- Everyone except Yamada Yu acts well
Mother-in-law brings much needed variety to this show
Riku and Yoko's romance

Cons- Yamada Yu's poor acting and lack of visual apppeal
Boring storyline which becomes extremely repetitive and predictable
Weakness of the younger sister

Drama review- Hotaru no Hikari season 1&2

Hotaru no Hikari is a popular drama starring actress Ayase Haruka and actor Naohito Fujiki in the main roles. It is based on a popular josei manga of the same name. It has a second season too.

Ayase Haruka starring as Amemiya Hotaru is an average office lady with a decent amount of elegance. She works very hard at office and most of of co workers consider her a mature and elegant lady. But when Hotaru gets home, she changes into her jerseys, sits on the porch and drinks beer from cans. Furthurmore, she keeps her house in a terrible mess, sleeps wrapped in newspapers and eats preserved food. Her lifestyle undergoes some change when her manager (bucho) movies into the house with her. The house is the manager's father's property. Bucho (manager) is in the process of divorcing his wife but does not tell Hotaru about this. They make a cohabitation treaty and decide to stay together. Hotaru can be her true himono onna (dried fish woman) self with bucho. She also develops a liking for Teshima who wroks with her. The manager helps her make her way to his heart which trying desperately to hide the secret of their staying together.

The drama has lots of comedy with Ayase Haruka doing goofy expressions. Ayase Haruka is at her best here. Her acting skills fitted very well into the character. I saw Naohito Fujiki's G@me earlier in which his acting disappointed me. Here however, he shows me a completely different side. His acting is just as good as Ayase Haruka if not better. The characters fit well together. Even if the pairing didn't have much chemistry, it went on well. The house and many other backdrops are beautiful.

Most actors and actresses act well in the series. The comedy is refreshing with a unique storyline. Hotaru's personality is unique and even though different from Bucho's, it fits well with him. Ayase Haruka is mostly kawaii (cute) with a sweetened voice and lots of clumsiness and comic dialogues. Her monologues are entertaining.  Along with the protagonist's romance, the side characters' romance stories go on as well. In the first season it is Yuuka and in the second it is Yamada nee san.

The second season focuses on Hotaru's marriage. She comes back from Hong Kong after three years. During these years, she never once phoned or wrote to Bucho. He is angry in the beginning but towards the end of the first episode, proposes marriage. However, Hotaru doesn't know what marriage should be like. In this season Yamada, Hotaru's senior and Seichi's Takano's friend get married after a rocky relationship. There are new characters in the second season with Yamada, Takano and his friend being the only ones from the previous season. Hotaru faces many difficulties and Takano even withdraws his proposal for marriage. But in the end, they get married.

The second season was as good as the first one. Both had the same problem- They beat around the bush too much. In the first season, Hotaru was busy with Teshima and confessed to Bucho only in the last scene of the last episode. Much like that, in this season too she focuses on work and daily life and gets married only in the last episode.

The second season had more merits than the first one. While the first season is entertaining, it is disappointing since Hotaru beats around the bush and never confesses to Takano. In the second season however, their romantic relationship is given more importance. They clear hurdles and progress together. Takano manages to pick up some of Hotaru's habits like sleeping on the porch with newspapers in place of bedsheets. In the end, he leaves for Taiwan but Hotaru doesn't accompany him. He comes back and gives her the marriage paper after one year but she leaves it in her room and the cat poops on it. She promises to bring another one the following day. The drama ends at that but it didn't leave any ambiguous ending. Knowing Hotaru, she'll probably get another marriage paper and of she fails Takano is there for her.

The music for both the season was horrible. The first theme was Yokogao by aiko and the seocond one was Kimi ga iru by Ikimonogakari. I couldn't even hear the second one, it was hardply featured. The first one though genric was played in the last scenes of the first episode so, it has some sentimental value. But overall, the songs were terrible.

The first season is more or less incomplete without the second season that is why I watched them continuously. The first season ends with confession and leaves a question about their future together in the viewers mind. If you want to complete the journey and be satisfied, I recommend the second season too. The pros for the second season are much like the cons. Hotaru remains a himono oonna with too many monologues and clumsiness till the end. Her senior Yamada says it is okay to be a himono onna as long as she remains cute. Even though after the second season, you feel like you've got an overdose of Hotaru, it is still fun watching.

Overall, one of the best romantic comedy dramas. I enjoyed the comedy. The romance was quite slow but okay. The actors and actresses acted well with proper script, direction, story and backdrops. I have started to like josei dramas. Nodame Cantabile, Kimi wa petto, Hotaru no hikari, Gokusen and many other wonderful dramas have been adapted from josei mangas. Viva josei manga!

Characters-4.5/5
Story-4.2/5
Acting-4.5/5
Script- 4.3/5
Music-3/5
Overall-4.4/5

Pros

Entertaining
Comedy
Characterisation and development
Acting
Backdrops
Second season that completes the story
Ending

Cons

Might get repetitive after the second season
Beats around the bush too much especially in the first season

Drama Review- Nobuta wo produce

Nobuko Kotani is a shy, reclusive girl who doesn't fit into her school. Her fringe is forever covering her eyes and she has no social skills. To make matters worse, she is picked on by other students. Shuji is a teenager who is searching for the meaning of youth and teenage life. He is pretty popular but thinks of it as shallow. He wants to make the most out of his teenage life. Akira, is Shuji's sidekick who gets along with everyone except Shuji. Shuji finds his optimism irritating and his habit of poking his nose into everything quite annoying. When the boys set their eyes on Nobuko Kotani referred to as Nobuta (pig), they decide to reform her and make her the most popular girl in school. The decide to produce her (like a music producer) to make an image for her and make her popular. Nobuko has no problem and she decides to ride along. Shuji however, doesn't want to be seen with Nobuta fearing that he might lose his popularity. Shuji and Akira give her lessons on the terrace.

The drama is basically a friendship and youth drama. Kamenashi Kazuya didn't act too well and there wasn't much acting to do in Maki's role. Yamashita Tomoshisa was the only one who acted well because his character was significantly different from the other two. While producing Nobuta, Shuji and Akira become close friends. Nobuta becomes more sociable and starts cutting her fringe. There are some common teenage problems like popularity, bullying, jealousy etc. depicted in the drama.

In the end, Shuji leaves school because his father is moving to Tokyo. Akira and Nobuta are left behind. Nobuta tells Akira to follow him to Tokyo because Shuji and Akira are best friends and need to be together. She becomes popular in school and says she can manage on her own. Akira obeys her and Shuji and Akira end up in the same school in the end. Nobuta remains in the same school but makes friends and remembers Shuji and Akira occassionally.

The drama was mediocre at best in my opinion. It is not much different from all the youth dramas out there. My boss, my hero is a much better version of Nobuta wo produce. It had an all star cast therefore, received good viewership ratings. Most actors despite being famous didn't act well.

The theme song, Seishun Amigo sung by Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomoshisa sold over a million. The B sides Kizuna and Colourful were insert songs of Gokusen 2 and Dragon Zakura respectively in which the actors had main roles. Due to over promotion, the single sold well. The theme song is not very prominent in the drama.

Story-3.5/5
Characters-3.6/5
Acting-3.5/5
Script-4/5
Music-3.4/5
Overall-3.5/5

Pros

Yamashita Tomoshisa
Theme
All star cast

Cons

Acting
Stereotypical
Boring at some points because of bad acting and dull characters
Ending

Drama review- Atashinchi no danshi

Atashinchi no danshi is a drama starring popular actress Maki Horikita. It had around 10% viewership.

Maki Horikita is a poor girl who lives in temporary tents with other poor people stealing food and visiting cybercafes. Her father abandoned her while she was young and left her a huge debt to pay. She is frequently hounded by loan sharks. One day, while running from creditors, she reaches an abandoned construction site where a rich man lands from his private jet and pays her loan. In exchange, she has to be his wife until his death after two months. Believing that this shouldn't be hard, she agrees. Only after his death does she discover that the contract she signed is ten feet long with many more details. He had adopted six sons each with a different personality. Maki Horikita's job includes looking after these rebellious youngsters, forcing them to eat together at the table, get along with each other, stamp their fingers, play games and discover the treasure that is hidden in Trick heart castle which is where they live.

One striking feature about this drama is the beautiful backdrops. Trick Heart castle's interiors as well as exteriors are eye candy. Almost all actors are good looking which makes this drama a visual treat. Since the director is the same person who directed Hana Kimi also starring Maki, the backdrops, style and everything is similar to it but inferior in a sense. The script is okay but Maki Horikita's acting is stiff.

The story progresses quite well with each member's family background, past experiences and interests being shown. Sho, has a son. The kid is supersmart and the oldest one was a biker. They learn to work with each other despite differences and make a loving family. Maki faces challenges but she overcomes these. Some sons stay with her just for the inheritance but later, they become attached to each other.

In the end, the siblings discover that Chisato is not their mother but the real daughter of the president and the marriage contract is fake. Many propose to her but she rejects. In a sense, she is their sister (step sister). The vice president decides to takeover the trick heart castle and capture the treasure. Chisato and the six men discover the treasure just in time. The treasure is a room full of gold biscuits and a story book which tells the touching story of seven knights who prevented the take over of Trick heart castle and discovered the most precious treasure called 'family'. The vice president, defeated by the president's foresight, gives up on the treasure. All the seven siblings go their seperate ways. Soem go back to their original parents with only Chisato remaining in the castle. Later, they all come back because they have become attached to their family.

It is a modern day Kamen Rider with a family twist. The ending especially was a little childish. The drama is a family drama.

Overall, okay for light entertainment but don't expect anything great and groundbreaking. A good drama for families to watch especially those with teenage kids.

Acting-3.6/5
Backdrops-4.4/5
Script-4/5
Characters-4/5
Story-4.2/5
Overall-4/5

Pros

Ending
Beautiful scenes
Theme
Characters

Cons

Maki Horikita's acting
Stereotypical family drama
Childish and inconsistent

J-Drama review- Celeb to Binbo Taro

Taro Sato (Yusuke Kamiji) has been poor all his life. Since the death of his wife, his situation has become even more desperate as he has to raise his three kids by himself and has no real marketable skills. So when he applies for a job that he doesn't expect to get, as a chauffeur to a rich young woman, he's surprised when he does. His employer is Alice (Aya Ueto), your usual spoiled rich kid. Her father is a hotel magnate and her mother a popular actress. She's never wanted for anything her whole life and expects to get everything she wants. She and Taro have nothing in common, and, at least in the beginning, all they do is get on each other's nerves.

The drama stars Ueto Aya who is a very popular actress in Japan though I find her acting mediocre and Yusuke Kamiji, who is the guy you can see with Ayumi Hamasaki in her tours.

The drama is okay. It has an interesting start. The events take make unexpected turns. The last few episodes are especially good. The transformation of Alice from a selfish, rich, spoilt girl to a humble and caring person shows that every one can change. The drama was nothing spectacular. It had its share of good scenes and its share of boring scenes. The excessive potrayl of Taro's poverty was not so good. I mean, we know he is poor, no need to overemphasize it. The realtionship of Alice and Gotoda is one of the focal points of this story. The addition of friendly and caring side characters gives this drama a good atmosphere and makes it more watchable.

I would not strongly recommend watching this drama if you are looking for something great. It is actually mediocre. If you find yourself genuinely interested in the story or want to see Aya Ueto in many beautiful dresses, watch this drama.

Ratings
Plot-4
Characters-2
Actors-2.5
Script-3
Direction-3

Pros- Good character development
Eye candy settings and dresses

Cons- Cliched plot
Mediocre acting
Somewhat disappointing since it doesn't go where it seemed to be going

J-dorama review- Kimi Hanin Janai yo Ne?

Morita Sakura is a peculiar "freeter" (freelance part-timer) who dreams of becoming a mystery novel writer. While switching between various jobs throughout the series, she also becomes an assistant to Officer Udagawa, a detective who discovers her excellent memory and reasoning skills. On the other hand, Udagawa (who has just joined the police ranks through his father's connections) is fairly inept and has a tendency to fall in love with female suspects.

Kimi Hanin Janai yo ne stars Kaname Jun who has acted in popular dramas before and Kanjiya Shihori who is also quite famous in the acting world.

The drama started out well. The fact that Morita Sakura is an aspiring novelist whose novels are always rejected by the editor, provided an interesting change from the usual detectives. Udagawa does have some sense but he usually is unable to get enough proof to prove his point. His character seems rather unrealistic at times, especially the fact that he is so gullible. The two make a terrible team, with Sakura doing everything and Udagawa present there just as her sidekick.

The first epiosde was somewhat good but the subsequent episodes were just copies of the first. The person Udagawa falls in love with always turns out to be thr criminal which was very annoying. Since the criminal is revealed within the first few minutes of the episode, there is not much left to find out. As a viewer, I found this a serious flaw. The mysteries are not  complex like the ones in Galileo or Detective Conan. I could solve these mysteries easily.

Kimi Hanin Janai yo Ne? is a drama  worth skipping. As a mystery drama it gets no points. The criminals are obvious, how they did it is too easy to figure out, the motives of all the criminals are pathetically weak and the characters are pretty boring. There is an attempt to spruce up the plot by using fragments of memory that Sakura cannot remember. It succesfully builds towards a climax but ends in an anti-climax in the last episode. The ending, though happy, was thoroughly disappointing.

A true waste of time.

Ratings
Plot-3
Script-3
Actors-4
Characters-2
Direction-3

Pros- Started off well
Unusual occupation (aspiring novelist) for a detective story

Cons- Kaname Jun does not act well
Unrealistic characters
All criminals have extremely weak motives
Not much suspense
It is neither mentally or emotionaly satisfying

Movie Review- Yellow tears

Yellow tears is a movie starring all the five members of Arashi as the main characters. It is based on the manga 'The young ones' by Shinji Nagashima.

The story follows the experiences of four friends- a manga artist (Ninomiya Kaunari), an author (Sho Sakurai), A singer/composer (Aiba Masaki) and a painter (Ohno Satoshi) who decide to spend the summer of 1963 together in Ninomiya's house. All four have it hard trying to break into the artistic world. Ninomiya wants to write literary manga for children which is constantly rejected by his editor who thinks it won't sell. Sho Sakurai can't write a good novel. Aiba Masaki enters singing contests but can't seem to win and Ohno Satoshi paints well but is dissuaded by a tragic incident. All four of them decide to live at Ninomiya's house in the summer while trying to follow their dreams. They have to pawn the guitar, fountain pen, painting and clothes to eat. It follows the hardships of their life.

Ninomiya Kazunari gets the main role. Sho Sakurai, Aiba Masaki and Ohno Satoshi have a lot of role too. I was disappointed to know that Matsumoto Jun is only a side character. Kashii Yu is another side character who is Aiba Masaki's lover in the beginning but gets married to Matsujun in the end.

The series is realistic and I should warn viewers that the ending is not good. It maintains a lull and peaceful atmosphere, much like a lullaby. It vibrates with 1960s elements. I was surprised to see Arashi starring in a realistic and old movie like this. The songs resemble Kyu Sakamoto's style. Only enka was missing from the movie. There is nothing comic or modern about this movie at all. Its the kind of film you'd expect Hibari Misora not Arashi to act in.

Most of the series follows the protagonist's struggles and conflicts with reality. One thing I noticed was that none of the protagonists had any sense of business, commerciality or promotion. The singer just composed songs without thinking about recording deals, the painter paints without thinking of selling paintings or holding exhibitions and the author gets nowhere near completing his novel etc. Such poverty according to me is unrealistic but since the protagonists are not enterprising and cannot think of business, it is only obvious that they remain poor. The movie is rather pessimistic.

Aiba Masaki falls in love with Kashii Yu but later falls out of it. Ninomiya's ex girlfriend marries another man, the waitress Sho had a crush on marries someone in her home town. Most of the time, the protagonists live in poverty, trying to freeload on each other. However, their friendship is quite deep and they never blame each other. They decide to get serious in the middle of the movie but in the end, they give up on their dreams. Sho's favourite french novelist's saying- 'Life never deceives man. Life has never deceived man.' appears many times in the movie. Matsumoto Jun is a part timer who helps these four artists occassionally. He appears rarely in the movie.

Spoilers- In the end, they end up going their seperate ways after Ninomiya's mother dies and the others write him a touching letter. Shinkasen arrives in Japan and Olympics is hosted. A year later, they have a meeting in the 'ship' (a cafe). Sakurai Sho becomes a door to door salesman, Ohno Satoshi becomes a club manager in Alaska, Aiba Masaki becomes a construction worker and Nonomiya is the only one who follows his dream and continues to create manga he likes. The series was quite pessimistic. It is hard to believe that none of them succeeded especially after the writer shows their dedication to their craft.

Overall, a very realistic/pessimistic movie. Fans of Honey and clover might like it. It is rather oldish and viewers might find it hard to relate to a 1963 movie. Shinji Nagashima's works are based on the hard life of mangakas. He was Osamu Tezuka's assistant at one time. The movie is sleep inducing (boring) and very slow moving. The ending just put me off. Next time I hope Arashi acts in something better which does justice to their acting skills.

Characters- 4/5
Acting-3.4/5
Script- 3.5/5
Story- 3.6/5
Overall-3.7/5

Pros

Realistic Characters
Unique story
Theme

Cons

Ending
Boring/hard to relate to
Slow paced
Matsumoto Jun had very little role
No good songs
Pessimistic

Drama Review- Yukan Club

Yukan Club is a popular shoujo manga and one of the best selling shoujos. It has not been liscenced but a drama adaptation was made. An anime was also created.
I started reading the manga but the illustrations are bad and all the chapters have not been scanned. Therefore, I decided to watch the drama.
The drama stars Kat tun's Akanishi Jin and Taguchi Junnosuke. Actresses Minami and Kashii Yu also act in the drama. Popular model Emi Suzuki of chinese origin acted in the drama too. It had around 12% ratings. Not too high. Akanishi Jin, Kashii Yu and Junnosuke Taguchi won awards for their performance in the drama.

The drama is about the life of six elites- son of the chief police inspector (Akanishi Jin), daughter of a single jewellery designer mother (Emi Suzuki), son of a hospital owner (Yokoyama Yu), daughtr of the Kenbishi corporarion's owner (Minami), son of the Swedish ambassador (Taguchi Junnosuke) and daughter of a popular artist and tea ceremony queen (Kashii Yu) who form a club to solve mysteries in the free time called Yukan Club (Leisure club).

Compared to dumb rich people like Tsukasa of HYD, these six are pretty smart. They solve complicated mysteries for killing time and sometimes to help people. Each have their own strenghts, weaknesses and motives.

The series incorporates supernatural elements with ghosts appearing in two episodes of the 10 episode drama. There is very little romance in the series and it is shallow. It is mainly a mystery series. The idea of six rich elites solving mysteries was unique. The mysteries are more of thrillers since they don't require much logic. Each character has a unique personality that somehow fits into mystery solving.

The mysteries are more realistic and do not seem to be cooked up just for the sake of the detectives solving them (unlike mystery mangas like Case closed, Kindaichi and Poirot). They are common issues like corruption, kidnapping, gambling etc. which are seen in society.

The members of the club with exception of one or two are generally bad at studying. They are the student council because they are popular in school. They have a private room with the sign 'Yukan Club' outside the door. The school somewhat looks like Trick heart castle from Atashinchi no danshi. The settings and backdrops were very beautiful and like Atashinchi no danshi. I think both dramas were shot in the same studio.

The script was decent and most characters acted well except Emi Suzuki who was stiff. The supporting characters were just as strong as the main characters. Chief inspector Tokimune and Kenbishi chairman Mansaku and his wife were among the most amusing side characters. The mysteries with the exception of the last one were not very serious and were there just to pass time.

Kat tun recorded the song 'Keep the faith' for the drama which became a #1 hit. The song plays only during the ending or some important scene. The series has a lot of comedy. It is light hearted.

Overall, a good drama for teens to watch. Good for light entertainment otherwise but nothing memorable. The series never gets serious. I want to read the manga. I hope it is liscenced soon. The story is a break from monotonous detectives, private eyes, love dramas and soap operas.

Acting- 4.3/5
Cast-3.2/5
Story-4.4/5
Backgrounds-4.4/5
Characters- 4.5/5
Overall-4.2/5

Pros

Acting
Unique Story
Characters
Backgrounds

Cons

Nothing memorable
The theme song didn't fit well
Some actors were stiff
Worse than the manga (from what I heard)

Japanese Movie review- Swing Girls

Set in present-day Japan, Swing Girls is the story of girls who meet and are deeply fascinated by jazz. The heroine is a very typical Japanese teenager. Her character is suggestive of the hidden problem of today children. She lacks any special interests or motivation and dislikes making any effort. But when she discovers jazz, she discovers something she can be absorbed in and begins to transform herself. At first, she is not able to even make a noise. But she and her friends practice and come to be able to play their instruments. They slowly come to be fond of jazz and take part in a music competition.

Swing Girls was quite popular in Japan when it was released. It stars Juri Ueno, Kanjiya Shiori, Hiraoka Yuta, Motokariya Yuika and Yukari Toyoshima.

When I started watching the movie, I was immediately hooked to it. The goofy personalities of the characters is lovable. The way everything goes wrong in the beginning when the girls go to deliver lunches to the brass band is also hilarious. But the real fun starts after that, when they practice for the brass band. One of them blows bubbles with the trumpet instead of playing it! Through practice and hard work, they start showing some promise, but when the band returns, they have to give up. Undettered, Juri Uueno decides that she will make her own jazz Big Band.

The best thing about this movie was the comedy. You can't watch this movie without laughing all the time. The humour was what I loved the most about this movie and what kept me watching. The actors don't act too well which was one weak point. I have seen better from Juri Ueno in Nodame Cantabille. The actor (Hiraoka Yuta) seems too lost throughout the movie. I guess it is because this movie was a very early work of many of these artists and they have become better now.

The jazz instrumentals that they play in the end are quite nice and I love their body language which makes jazz seem more interesting. Their interpretation of jazz as loud and cheerful opposed to slow and melancholy shows the energy of youth.

Overall a great movie to watch and well worth its popularity.

Ratting

Characters-4
Acting-3
Cast-3.5
Direction-4
Script-4.7
Plot-4.3

Overall-4.2

Pros- Humour
Interesting characters

Cons- Poor acting

Movie Review- G@me

G@me is a 2003 thriller film starring Yukie Nakama and Naohito Fujiki as the protagonists. The movie received generally positive feedback. It was based on a thriller novel by Keigo Higashino.

The story revolves around the kidnapping of Yukie Nakama who is the daughter of Katsuragi, the famous vice president of Mikado beer. Naohito Fujiki is an employee in an advertising firm who is given the responsibility of designing a promotion plan for a new variety of beer produced by Mikado. Katsuragi coldly disapproves of his plan. To take revenge, Naohito plans to kidnap his daughter whom he sees sneaking out of the house that night. Yukie Nakama plays along because she wants the money.

The film is categorised as thriller and lives up to it. There are a lot of romantic elements in the story. There are several sub plots woven into the movie and it always has some shocking relevation to make. The whole kidnapping and sub plots are treated as games.
Just when the movie seems to be coming to an end, another shocking fact is revealed. However, due to Naohito Fujiki's stoic acting, nothing makes an impact. Yukie Nakama acts well for the role but this is not one of her great projects. The story (plot) is good. Katsuragi is clearly the best actor because he acts like he should.

The romance seems a little fake especially at the beginning. Yukie Nakama looks good, as always. I am a fan of Yukie Nakama and I saw the movie because she is acting in it. The movie is not very long (around 112 min.). The plot is what keeps the movie going. Still, the impact of twists and turns was minimised.

Another problem was the greatest problem faced by japanese movies- ambiguous ending. These kinds of endings work well for horror not for romance. Just when everything seems to be right, the ending suddenly takes a turn for the worse and Naohito Fujiki says 'game over'. It really annoyed me to see a stupid end like this to their romance. The romance is an important element of the storyline.

Overall, this movie was nothign great or even good. Okay for light entertainment but nothing more. The cast is what made this movie sell.

Acting- 3.9/5
Story-4.2/5
Music- 3/5
Characters- 4/5
Overall-3.5/5

Japanese movie review- Kamikaze girls

Kamikaze girls is a 110+ minutes long movie based on a light novel by Novala Takemoto. It was translated into english, made into a movie and manga.

The story takes place in Shimotsuma, a rural town in Japan. The novel was originally titled 'Shimotsuma story'. It begins with a girl named Momoko (played by Kyoko Fukada), a gothic lolita on her way to Tokyo to buy gothic lolits clothes. She is realistic and doesn't believe inf riendship. She wishes that she was born in France in Rococo era. She is told by locals that the local supermarket sells cheap clothes but she considers those clothes inferior. She travels to Tokyo (which is a long way from Shimotsuma) just to buy gothic lolita clothes from her favourite designer- Baby, the stars shine bright. While waiting at the station, she tells the story of her strange childhood. She was born to a cowardly gang member and a flirtateous woman. Since her earliest days, she learned to accept life as it came and analyze human psychology. She realises that human beings deceive others because they seek happiness. When she was in middle school, her mother divorced her father. She discovered her fancy for gothic lolits clothing when she began high school. Her father ran a popular fake designer clothes business which collapsed due to legal issues. Now, he is penniless and she lives with her grandmother who was in a bike gang.

Gothic lolita clothes are expensive so, after her father's bankrupcy, she decides to sell his fake clothes secretly. She posts information about it on a site and a girl who is interested in those clothes immediately responds. On meeting her, Momoko realises that Ichiko (played by Anna Tsuchiya) is a delinquent in a popular bike gang in Shimotsuma. Momoko is comepletely different from Momoko who is polite and sophisticated. Momoko spits often, talks too much, uses inappropriate language, is simple minded, picks up fights easily but is naive and pure at heart. After buying a coat at a super low price, Ichiko starts coming to Momoko's house everyday. A series of events follows and Ichiko and Momoko become good friends despite their differences in attitude.
Momoko is good at all the things Ichigo wants to do like being cool, winning at pachinko, fighting etc. Ichigo tells Momoko about Akimi, the gang leader. Ichigo was a timid girl in junior high who was often bullied. One day while crying, she met Akimi who changed her life. She decided to join the motorcycle gang (although she reides a scooter). Akimi gets married to Ichigo;s first love and Momoko comes to console her. In the end, Momoko becomes a part time worker for her favourite saloon, Baby, the stars shine bright and Ichiko leaves the gang and becomes a sole biker. She also becomes a famous model for some time. They stay friends forever.

A nice movie about friendship. Anna Tsuchiya fits well into the role. Kyoko Fukada acts okay but the role didn't fit her too well. The character development is believable and the story manages to convince the viewer of the power of their friendship in just about two hours. Some movies go on for three hours and still never manage to convince the viewer of what is being depicted (especially romantic relationships). The costumes were nice. Kyoko Fukada could've used more make up. She looked plain. Anna Tsuchiya was looking good with that dark lipstick and coloured hair. Both acted fairly well. It depicts japanese pop culture and sub cultures like lolita, yanki and yakuza. Westerners might find all this difficult to understand.

The story is fictitious and very obviously so. Lots of things in the story are unrealistic. Some comical scenes, family stories, state of school are unrealistic and the viewer knows that they cannot be true. The backgrounds could've been better. Some scenes were grotesque. Asthetics was lacking. The costumes were good. They should've been complemented by good side characters and backdrops. The side characters were especially unrealistic. Comedy in the series was limited. It had more feelings of friendship, trust and emotions like that.

The ending unlike most tragic japanese movies (taiyou no uta, crying out love in the middle of the world, Ring series, yomigaeri and an endless list) was happy.  But it leaves me uncertain about their future. I liked the way the screenwriter gave Ichigo a lucrative job. Modelling fitted her well. But she quits and becomes a biker. Although that was what she always wanted to do, it leaves the viewer uncertain about her future. It is not a decent occupation. How long can she be a biker? There is some childishness and immaturity here. It perfectly fits into the category 'chick flick' animed at slightly younger audience.

Overall, an enjoyable movie. Not all that memorable and touching or comic but wonderful for light entertaiment. A good movie to enjoy when there's nothing to do or share with friends.

Acting- 4.1/5
Characters-4.2/5
Music- 3.4/5
Story- 4.5/5
Overall- 4.2/5

Drama Review- Dragon Zakura

Dragon Zakura is a popular drama about a lawyer Sakuragi Kenji who was a racer in high school. His law practice is not successful due to his background and lack of career achievements. In the beginning, he takes on the case of rescuing Ryuzan High- a school with an average score of 36 from bankruptcy. When all else fails, he decides to create a special class with five students and send then all the Todai (Tokyo University)- the best university in Japan and it is considered impossible to get in, even for bright students.

His special class consists of Yuusuke (Yamashita Tomoshisa)- a boy with terrible grades whose father abandons his mother and leaves them a 3 million yen debt. Sakuragi pays the debt in exchange of Yuusuke's agreement that he will be a part of the special class. Yuusuke's friends Mizuno and Ogata (Koike Teppei) and girlfriend (Yui Aragaki) also join the special class along with Kobayashi who is a fashion-conscious girl. Later, Okuno Ichirou who is a meek guy with a twin in Shumeikan (a good school) also joins teh special class.

The drama mainly focuses on teaching students using unconventional teaching methods. Sakuragi is a cold-hearted person and none of the students like him. The drama aims to show that nothing is impossible and even idiots (as he calls them) can get into Todai. Despite this, the drama is very realistic and sometimes this leads to the drama being pessimistic and not having a happy ending in many episodes.

This drama can inspire anyone who is studying for exams, college entrance etc. to study better. I felt very inspired to study after watching it. It is worth seeing, even though it has minor flaws.

Characters-4.6
Setting-3
Plot-4.3
Direction-4
Dialogue-4

Pros- Inspiring and shows the reality
Characters are easy to relate to
Interesting minor characters
Good actors who do their roles well

Cons- Too realistic at times (yes I know I gave that one as a pro too but whether realism is good or not depends on different viewpoints)

Drama review- Edison no Haha

Edison no Haha is a drama roughly based on the life of inventor Thomas Edison who was considered a troublesome child at school because he asked so many questions to which even the teachers did not know the answer. He was kicked out (or dropped put) of school but was able to become great due to his mother's support and encouragement.

Edison no haha starts with the Nobel Prize ceremony where a Japanese man is getting the Nobel prize for science. His mother watches him in the audience and her eyes are filled with tears of joy. He thanks her and she runs up to the stage and hugs him. Then, she wakes up. It is all a dream.

Hanafusa Aoi is a single mother who divorced her husband and is looking after her seven year old son Hanafusa Kento- a curious child who wants to know the reasons behind everything. Even though he is so young, he reads complex books on science and technology due to which Aoi is convinced that he will be a great inventor in the future. He is about to start a new school because Aoi has moved after her divorce from Akita to Tokyo.

The drama follows the school life of Kento and how he is labelled as a problem child and the other parents want him to be removed from the school due to his dangerous behaviour (failed science experiments). However, his classmates love him because his curiousity gives them a lot of information which would otherwise have been unknown to them. His teacher (played by Ito Misaki) is initailly does not like him but she grows to love him and stands on his side when the PTA wants him expelled from the school.

The drama is very touching and aims to bring out the stangant and bookish nature of the education system. Kids with high abilities are often labelled as a problem because teachers lack the ability and knowledge to handle them. This is the reason why many scientists are lost. However, open-mindedness and acceptance along with the will to satisfy the curiosity of such children can benefit the whole class and probably the world (as the drama shows).

Hanafusa Kento's role is very well played by Shimizu Yuya considering he is so young. Sakai Maki also fits very well into the role of Kento's mother. Tanihara Shosuke's acting is average but still enjoyable. Misaki Ito acts terribly, overacting througout the drama which makes the drama appear superficial and fictional.

The settings were nothing too eye-catching or amazing. Overall, it was okay, but it failed to pack a 'punch' the way Gokusen had.

Rating
Story-3.4
Plot-3
Acting-3.6
Characters-4
Direction-3
Settings-3

Pros- Shimizu Yuya's acting is very good
Cons- Misaki Ito destroys the drama.

Drama Review- 101st marriage proposal

This is a very old drama released in 1991. It had very high vieweship ratings (around 36%) and became a defining japanese drama. The theme song is 'Say Yes' by Change and Aska which became one of the best selling singles in japanese music history. This song fits the theme of the drama very well and is a great song that is worth buying. It became the best selling single for Chage and Aska.

The story is about a man called Hoshino san (Takeda Tetsuya) a supervisor for a construction company who has not got a promotion for twenty years. He lives with his brother. His love luck is as bad as it can get. He has gone through 99 omiai or arranged dates with the intention of marriage but has been rejected everytime. His confidence is not existant and he gives up too easily. He meets Kaoru Yabuki, cellist at his 100th omiai and knows that it would fail. She is beautiful and graceful and cannot forget her dead fiance. However, when he tells her of his terrible luck, she encourages him to keep going and never give up. He mistakes it for love but she rejects him over the phone the next day. However, he doesn't give up and keeps pursuing her to the end. She finally agrees for marriage but breaks the engagement on seeing someone who looks like her dead fiance. Still, he keeps going and in the end manages to capture her heart. The last scene is great! He ends up losing his bonus, promotion and job all for Kaoru but she marries him in the end as a jobless man who failed in law entrance.

I will start with the pros as usual. The story was good. I loved the second episode when he loses money in horse racing for Kaoru. It was touching. All the love scenes in the drama were great. It was very touching and emotional and felt like true love. The last scene was excellent and gave a meaning to this drama. However, when they return to normal life, it seems like a dream. It is not sustained and doesn't influence their life.

Hoshino's brother and Karou's sister could make a good couple but did not fall in love. Fujii san was just a test for their love.
Hoshino san's character is good as he is selfless and considerate. Karou seems to be fluctuating always and she cries for almost everything which seems rather absurd. She is also a little selfish. Naoto was bad in the beginning and became good. His role was done well. Momoko san is the cupid who always tells Hoshino to pursue Kaoru.

I like how Hoshino sacrifices everything for the sake of love and never gives up. From his side, the love seems true. But Kaoru takes a long time to make up her mind but in the end, leads to an unforgettable ending. I don't want to spoil the fun by giving a description of the ending.


The theme 'Say Yes' is the saving grace of this drama. Whenever this songs plays, the moment suddenly becomes special. It plays during all the touching scenes.

As for cons, the actress was terrible. She cried too much which is very irritating. She cries for things that are trivial. She looks blank sometimes too. The actor was nothing great but at least lived up to the role. The two were an unlikely pair. Their faces were not in the least similar. The side characters were better at acting than the main ones.
The characters were realistic and three dimensional. The story is easy to relate to. It maintains a good pace and keeps going well till the last episode. I didn't like episodes 7-10 but these are some important episodes in the course of the drama.

I watched Kekkon dekinai otoko, kurosagi, Abarenbo mama, Beach boys and this drama together and this one clearly had the best ending. TThe ending is what makes this one unforgettable and the others inferior. The ending is an examples of true love where the female lead marries a bankrupt male lead with no job prospects or great looks for love. The last scene was not a church or something grand. It looked like a poor, cheap wedding but that's what makes it unique and unforgettable.


Story- 4.4/5
Acting 4.1/5
Setting- 4/5
Script- 4.2/5
Overall- 4.1/5

Might be good for people who can't get married for a long time and even those who are married. Generally targeted at older audience even though it contains no adult content. It is an inspirational drama worth watching.

Pros

Story/ script
Ending
Theme song 'Say Yes'
Realistic and three dimensional characters

Cons

Inconsistency
Acting