Jdorama review: Hana Yori Dango Final

Title: Hana Yori Dango Final Release date: June 28, 2008 Genre: romantic comedy Cast: Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi Plot: After Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto) publicly announces his engagement to Tsukushi Makino (Inoue), his mother gives the couple a rare tiara called "The Smile of Venus." Unfortunately, it is stolen from the Tsukushi hotel room that night! Tsukasa and Makino set off on a worldwide trip to retrieve the tiara. With the help of F4, will they be able to save their impending marriage? What is good: The on-screen chemistry between Matsumoto and Inoue is amazing. You'd think they were a real couple! What is bad: There are a couple of things that aren't fully explained, though it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the movie very much. Letter rating: A Overall: Much like the two television seasons before the movie, the Japanese version of Hana Yori Dango has been amazing. All of the actors are immensely talented and, while the plot is a little wacky, it fits the show. It was interesting to see the rich boys actually traveling around the world and acting like adults. (Well, for the most part anyway.) I would have liked to have a little more closure with one of the F4 members but I suppose that mysterious aura is what made him so likeable in the first place. Also, I would have liked to have the head "bad guy" explained a little more explicitly. Though, perhaps if you have an intimate understanding of Japanese relationships, it doesn't need to be said. (It still would have been nice if they did say it.) Overall, this was an amazing series and an awesome ending to it. I even found myself crying toward the end of the movie. I'm not ready for it to end!

JDorama review: Zettai Kareshi

Title: Zettai Kareshi Also Known As: Absolute Boyfriend Broadcast date: 4/15/08 - 6/24/08 Genre: Romantic comedy Number of episodes: 11 Cast: Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Aibu Saki Plot: Riika (Aibu Saki) is terrible at love. One day, she finds herself strapped with a free trial for a new love robot, Night (Hayami Mokomichi). Despite Night's absolute devotion to her, Riika finds herself falling in love with her boss, Soshi (Mizushima Hiro). Which will Riika choose? What is good: Much like Ghost in the Shell, it has a "what does it mean to be human" theme wrapped up in the romance storyline. What is bad: How come Night can't willingly destroy property but he can go around telling everyone he's a robot even though Riika was explicitly told not to tell anyone? Letter rating: A- Overall: As a drama, I found it to be excellent. I was even crying during the final episode. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems. The robotic sound effects that Night makes when he blinks or turns his head get somewhat annoying after awhile. We know that he is a robot. We don't need to be reminded. We do need some continuity though. Why doesn't everyone else hear Night's blinking noise? Also, Riika is told very explicitly that Night is a secret and she is not to tell anyone that he is a robot. So what does Night do? Blab it to everyone. Even if no one believes him, why wouldn't he be programmed to not say he's a robot?

If you look past those few small problems, the show really is good. The actors do an excellent job, especially Hayami Mokomichi. This would be a great show for any romantic comedy fan.

Movie review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

My husband and I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall today. Here's the premise of the movie: Peter (Jason Segel) has been dating television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for the past five years. One day, Sarah suddenly breaks up with him. It turns out that she has been dating rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). In an attempt to forget about Sarah, Peter goes on a Hawaiian vacation, only to find out that Sarah and Aldous are at the exact same hotel. Peter befriends most of the hotel staff, including customer service rep Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis). With their help, he realizes that he is more than just "Sarah Marshall's boyfriend." I expected Sarah Marshall to be funny. However, I didn't expect it to be this funny. The script, which is absolutely brilliant, was written by Segel. There are also a few original songs he wrote for the movie as well. All of the actors gave amazing performances, though I have to admit that I loved Russell Brand the best. This isn't a movie that you can go see with your kids though. There are a lot of sex jokes and quite a few penis shots. (It is rated R, in case you weren't paying attention.) But if you are of age and have a good sense of humor, I think you will really enjoy the movie. I know I'll be buying the DVD the day it comes out.

Jdorama review: Nodame Cantabile Shinshun Special in Europe

Title: Nodame Cantabile Shinshun Special in EuropeBroadcast date: 1/4/08 - 1/5/08 Genre: Romantic Comedy Number of episodes: 2 Cast: Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi, Becky, Wentz Eiji Plot: Nodame and Chiaki have moved to Paris to continue their musical schooling. Chiaki competes in a conducting competition while Nodame tries to figure out what she wants to do with her talent. What is good: Watching both Nodame and Chiaki evolve into a true couple What is bad: The secondary characters aren't nearly as interesting as the ones from the series. Letter rating: A- Overall: This was a very good ending to the live action series. It has a definite ending that doesn't leave any questions beyond "where will their lives go now?" I thought that both Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi did fabulous jobs as Nodame and Chiaki. While I am now addicted to the show and would love to see more, the specials did give us a definite ending that I am happy with. I can definitely see myself watching the entire series over and over again.

JDorama review: Nodame Cantabile

Title: Nodame Cantabile Broadcast date: 10/16/06 - 12/25/06 Genre: Romantic Comedy Number of episodes: 11 Cast: Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi, Eita, Koide Keisuke, Takenaka Naoto Plot: Noda Megumi, despite her extremely unusual behavior, is a piano prodigy. However, she wants to become a kindergarten teacher. Chiaki Shinichi is a musical perfectionist and Nodame's (Noda's nickname) next door neighbor. Nodame falls madly in love with Chiaki but can he ever accept someone as strange as this girl? What is good: Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi both shine in their respective roles as Nodame and Chiaki What is bad: There wasn't anything particularly bad about the show. Letter rating: A Overall: From the first episode, I was hooked on this series. Besides having a good mix of comedic and romantic moments, there was some really good classical music. My favorite moment was when the S-Oke performed "Rhapsody in Blue." This is the first time that I have seen Ueno Juri (Nodame) and Tamaki Hiroshi (Chiaki) perform and, I must admit, I was impressed by their acting abilities. There are quite a few sight gags that require a lot from the actor. Both of them pulled it off very well. I'm looking forward to watching the specials as soon as I can.

JDorama review: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e

Title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Also known as: HanaKimi Translation: For You In Full Blossom Broadcast date: 7/3/07 - 9/18/07 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma Plot: Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki) is a Japanese girl living in America. When her idol, athlete Sano Izumi (Oguri Shun), stops competing in the high jump, she moves to Japan to attend his all-boy high school in order to make him jump again. What is good: Ikuta Toma steals absolutely every scene that he is in. What is bad: It seems that Oguri Shun can only play one type of character. Letter rating: A Overall: I really enjoyed watching HanaKimi. While I started watching the show because it starred Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma stole my heart. He was able to pull off goofy yet heart-warming at the same time. I'd like to see him in a ton of other projects. I was a little disappointed in Oguri Shun's performance. I've seen a couple of his roles now and they all seem to be exactly the same - a cute yet distant loner. It would be nice if we could try something a bit different for once. Sadly, I don't have much to say about Horikita's Ashiya. Sure, the character was determined and charismatic but she just didn't seem to come together totally. It was almost as if we, the audience, were missing something about her.

I would like to see a special episode though. I won't give away the ending for the show but it definitely leaves an opening for an awesome one-shot special. This is definitely a show that everyone should check out.

JDorama Review: Omiai Kekkon

Title: Omiai Kekkon Also known as: Arranged Marriage Broadcast date: 1/11/00 to 3/21/00 Number of episodes: 11 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Matsu Takako, Yusuke Santamaria, Sato Tamao, Kubozuka Yosuke, Kawahara Ayako, Imai Masayuki Plot: Nakatani Setsuko (Matsu Takako) is terrible at choosing a man for herself. Shortly after she quits her job as a flight attendant to marry her boyfriend, she finds out that he has gotten another girl pregnant. Depressed, she reluctantly agrees to go to a marriage meeting arranged by her parents. Hirose Koutaro (Yusuke Santamaria), pressured by his boss, meets with Setsuko. Can love truly form from a marriage meeting? What is good: The love square between Tanuma (Imai Masayuki), Mika (Sato Tamao), Ohata (Kubozuka Yosuke) and Kyoko (Kawahara Ayako) is frustrating but interesting to watch. What is bad: Both Setsuko and Koutaro are extremely annoying. Letter rating: D+ Overall: Yet another show that I randomly picked from a list of titles. While Omiai Kekkon wasn't a terrible show, it wasn't particularly good either. I found myself more interested in the secondary characters than I did in the primary. After watching the first few episodes, you can pretty much guess how the show will end for them. However, the secondary characters leave you guessing for awhile. Even in the last couple of episodes, you weren't sure which couples you'd end up with. Sure, there are some good moments for Setsuko and Koutaro but there aren't a lot of them. As for the ending of the show, they should have stopped at the credits instead of doing the little bit after the names finished rolling.

I can't recommend this series to anyone and still stay honest with myself. Perhaps, if you are a fan of one of the actors, you might find a little bit of enjoyment in it but you'd probably do better with a different series.

JDorama review: Tokkyu Tanaka San Go

Title: Tokkyu Tanaka San Go Also known as: Tanaka Express 3 Broadcast date: 4/13/07 - 6/22/07 Number of episodes: 11 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Tanaka Koki, Kuriyama Chiaki, Tsukamoto Takashi, Akiyama Ryuji, Kato Rosa, Hiraiwa Kami Plot: Tanaka Ichiro (Tanaka Koki) is a big talker. While he claims to be a "big shot," he is, in fact, a ronin-turned-freshman at a third-rate university. He accidentally meets Meguro Terumi (Kuriyama Chiaki) and declares her his "personal heroine." After befriending two tetsu (train fanatics), the three men find themselves trying their best to romance Terumi and her friends while finding their way in life. What is good: The writing was excellent. You learn a bit about the tetsu way without going completely overboard. What is bad: The first episode is pretty terrible. Letter rating: B+ Overall: This show was recommended to me by a friend. After watching the first episode, I thought maybe she had lost her mind or something. However, from the second episode on, I fell in love with the characters and their personalities. At first, Ichiro is extremely annoying but once you learn why he acts the way he does, it's difficult to dislike the guy. I'd love to really talk more about the show and why I enjoyed it but that really requires a lot of spoilers since the show revolves around the relationships of the three main characters. All I can say is watch it. Don't let the first episode fool you. This really is a great series.

Jdorama review: Kimi wa Petto

Title: Kimi wa Petto Also known as: You're My Pet Broadcast date: 4/9/03 - 6/18/03 Number of episodes: 10 Genre: Romantic Comedy Cast: Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun, Tanabe Seiichi Plot: Journalist Iwaya Sumire (Koyuki) has had a terrible day - her longtime boyfriend broke up with her and she got a demotion at work. On the way home, she finds an injured boy (Matsumoto Jun) in a cardboard box. After nursing him back to health, the boy claims that he will do anything in order to stay with her. So Iwaya takes him in as a pet and names him Momo, after the dog she owned when she was a child. What is good: MatsuJun is pretty cute as Momo. What is bad: The "ideal" man that all the girls want (Tanabe Seiichi) is a huge dork, whereas everyone calls him "cool." Letter rating: B Overall: Kimi wa Petto is a very cute show. However, there isn't a whole lot of depth to it. While you like the characters, there isn't anything to make you really feel for them. Iwaya seems to be stuck in this sadness, even when she's supposed to be happy. Takeshi shines when he takes on the Momo personality but is fairly dull as himself. This is something that you'd watch when you have nothing else to watch and you don't want to turn on your brain.

JDorama review: Hana Yori Dango 2 Returns

Title (romanji): Hana Yori Dango 2 Returns
Title (english): Boys Over Flowers 2 Returns
Broadcast date: 1/5/07 - 3/16/07
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: romantic comedy
Cast: Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi, Kato Natsuki
Plot: One year has passed since we last saw Makino Tsukushi (Inoue Mao). She still keeps in contact with most of F4, even though they have graduated.However, Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun), now going to business school in New York, has been distancing himself from F4 as well as Makino. When he returns to Japan, his mother announces his engagement to Okawahara Shigeru (Kato Natsuki). Then Hanazawa Rui (Oguri Shun) finds himself falling in love with Makino! Love shouldn't be this complicated!
What is good: Domyouji maturing as a man
What is bad: Mimasaka Akira gets the shaft this season.
Letter rating: A+

Overall: Another good season from everyone involved with the Hana Yori Dango drama. Matsumoto Jun does an amazing job bringing Domyouji's personal growth to the screen. The character has has such a drastic change from the beginning of the first season to the end of the second that I really believe a lesser actor would have screwed it up. Let's not forget Inoue Mao either! While Makino doesn't have the huge change that Domyouji does, she gets tossed around emotionally through the entire show. My heart broke every time Makino shed tears. Unfortunately, there isn't too much going on with the other characters. Hanazawa Rui is the same as ever. There is one episode dedicated to a past relationship of Nishikado Shojirou's (Matsuda Shota) and you get a tiny glimpse into the homelife of Mimasaka Akira (Abe Tsuyoshi) but that is it. Again, Nishikado and Mamasaka aren't the main characters in the series but it would be nice to know why they stick around Domyouji, especially with his major attitude problem. This is still my very favorite show. I'm sad that this will most likely be the end for it. At least it had a perfect ending.