JDorama review: Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi Dake

Title: Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi Dake Also known as: God, Please Give Me More Time Broadcast dates: 7/7/98 - 9/22/98 Number of episodes: 12 Genre: Drama Cast: Kaneshiro Takeshi, Fukada Kyoko Plot: Kano Masako (Fukada) contracts HIV after prostituting herself in order to buy tickets for a concert featuring her favorite composer, Ishikawa Keigo (Kaneshiro). Keigo, who lost his previous lover to death, finds the will to live again when he meets the high school girl. What is good: Some parts of the story bring out a deep emotional response. What is bad: The writers couldn't really decide whose story this was. Letter rating: C

I don't normally watch depressing dramas. However, I am a big fan of Fukada Kyoko so I wanted to watch some of her older works.

To be honest, I'm not really sure where to begin this review. While the show did have some very emotionally moving pieces, there were so many wrong parts that didn't make the show, as a whole, worth watching. Masaki is 17 years old, which puts her in the 'selfish teenager' age group. Throughout the entire show, everything she does is nothing but selfish acts. Even when she claims she is thinking about someone else's well-being (mostly in the "I'm such a burden!" sense), that's not the truth. The worst part is that Kamisama isn't Masaki's story. It's Keigo's.

I'm sure that tons of people will protest that fact. But, if you have watched the show, think about it. Masaki rarely does anything in the entire series. Everything she does is a reaction to Keigo. Kamisama is the story of Keigo learning how to love again after the death of his previous lover. Masaki is just the path he takes to get there.

Taking that into account, it is a very good story. Unfortunately, the writers decided to focus on Masaki and her plight with HIV. I know that the story takes place in the late 90s and things have changed a ton since then. However, HIV was discovered in the early 80s. In the show, they treat the disease like it is a brand new illness. The writers also do an awful job at showing how much time has progressed in the series. While we know that Masaki was in high school in episode one and there is a THREE YEARS LATER in episode nine, there isn't anything in any of the other episodes to show us how much time has passed. Characters are always referencing how little time Masaki has left to live but there are few signs showing how long she lived.

At the end, I wouldn't recommend watching Kamisama. Maybe if you feel like watching something super sad, it might fill the void. Just keep in mind that the show has a very slow pace and there is a lot of crap to put up with before you get to the final episode, which is sadly the best part of the whole series.

Jmovie review: Kagen no Tsuki

Title: Kagen no Tsuki Also known as: Last Quarter Release date: 2004 Genre: Supernatural romance Cast: Kuriyama Chiaki, Narimiya Hiroki, Kurokawa Tomoka, Ochiai Motoki, Hyde Plot: As Mizuki (Kuriyama) turns 19, she finds out that her boyfriend, Tomoki (Narimiya), has been cheating on her. Running away from her heartache, she comes upon an abandoned estate. Inside she finds a mysterious guitar player named Adam (Hyde), who claims to know her. During the last quarter of the moon, Adam tells Mizuki that he must leave. Desperate to stay with him, Mizuki races to find him, only to be hit by a car. Two schoolchildren (Kurokawa and Ochiai) soon find the estate with a mysterious girl who cannot leave. What is the connection between the house, Adam, and Mizuki? What is good: Kuriyama is a very good actress. What is bad: The story dragged a lot. Letter rating: C Overall: I mostly rented this movie because Hyde is in it. I didn't realize that both Kuriyama and Narimiya were in it as well. Despite all of the talent in the film, it was still very difficult to watch. The pacing was extremely slow. It takes a long time for the characters to come to relatively easy conclusions and some things that don't need to explained are over explained. If you are a fan of the actors, it's a nice way to spend a couple of hours. Otherwise, feel free to overlook this without a second thought.

JDorama review: Zettai Kareshi Special

Title: Zettai Kareshi Also Known As: Absolute Boyfriend Broadcast date: 3/24/09 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Aibu Saki Plot: Shortly after Riiko (Aibu) and Soshi (Mizushima) get called back from Paris to open a new store, Riiko finds that Night has been resurrected by a new Kronos Heaven employee. Will Night destroy the couple's engagement? What is good: It's nice seeing these characters come to life again. What is bad: The story was completely unnecessary. Letter rating: B- Overall: When the series ended, I felt like I needed more closure to the story. This isn't what the audience needed. While it felt like Night's character had more to him, he was used throughout the entire special. It was wonderful seeing the characters on screen and interacting again. However, it's akin to taking that last extra bite of cake. Yeah, it was tasty but now you feel nauseous.

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.

JDorama review: First Kiss

Title: First Kiss Broadcast date: 7/9/07 - 9/17/07 Genre: Romance Number of episodes: 11 Cast: Inoue Mao, Ito Hideaki, Hiraoka Yuta, Matsuyuki Yasuko, Gekidan Hitori, Abe Sadao Plot: Mio (Inoue Mao) is a young girl with a heart condition. She agrees to a complicated surgery that will either save or kill her. Before the surgery, she visits her older brother Kazuki (Ito Hideaki) for one last summer of fun. He promises to help her find her first love in order to show her that life isn't as bad as she thinks it is. What is good: All of the actors did a great job. What is bad: The show has an extremely slow start. Letter rating: C+ Overall: I started watching this show months ago. After the first three episodes, I just couldn't bring myself to watch more of it. It wasn't until I decided that I had to finish it that I sat through the rest of the episodes. I really enjoyed the acting in the show but I felt bad that the material they were given wasn't very good. The Mio character spends a majority of the time as a spoiled little girl and even when she learns that she's being a bitch, she still doesn't want to change her ways. Her brother, Kazu, mostly caters to her every whim and when he decides to stand up against her, he feels overly guilty about it. The show did get a bit better toward the end though it's really not worth sitting through the first half of the series just to get to it.

Jmovie review: Honey & Clover

Title: Honey & Clover Release date: 7/22/06 Genre: Romance, Slice of Life Cast: Sakurai Sho, Aoi Yuu, Seki Megumi, Kase Ryo, Iseya Yusuke Plot: A group of art students try to make sense of life and love. What is good: The acting isn't terrible. What is bad: It takes a long time for the movie to get even vaguely intersting. Letter rating: C- Overall: I haven't read the manga that this movie is based on but I have seen the anime adaptation, which I thought was mind-numbingly boring. The movie is pretty much the same. There were some minor changes from the anime version. I chalk this up to the fact that the movie is only about 2 hours long while the anime ran for 26 half-hour episodes. Either way, I'm guessing the source material is as boring as the two adaptations. We aren't given any real reason to care about these characters or why we should be pulling for them to be successful in their lives. When the characters begin to get interesting, they all stop talking to each other, tossing us back to not caring anymore. This much be fairly popular in Japan since there will be a drama series starting next year. I can only hope that the drama will give a little more oomph to the characters.

Jdorama review: Maison Ikkoku

Title: Maison Ikkoku Broadcast date: 5/12/07 Genre: Romance Cast: Itoh Misaki, Nakabayashi Taiki, Kishimoto Kayoko, Kishibe Ittoku, Takahashi Yumiko Plot: Godai (Nakabayashi Taiki) is a rounin, a student who has failed his college entrance exams, with obnoxious neighbors distracting him from studying. When Otonashi Kyoko (Itoh Misaki) becomes the new apartment building manager and moves in, Godai falls in love with her at first sight. He hopes to pass his college entrance exam so he can win her heart. What is good: It stays true to the anime. What is bad: It is boring. Letter rating: D Overall: I did not like the Maison Ikkoku anime. While I generally like romance stories, this seemed to be about people who were either complete losers or completely oblivious to the world around them. This drama sticks close to that synopsis. Very little got accomplished in this two hour drama. We were introduced to some characters and one plotline was completed. Everything else is left hanging. It felt like this was a prologue to a new series or possibly the beginning of a series of specials.

I wish there would have been a bit more external conflict in the series. As it is, almost all of the conflict in the story takes place within Godai. Even the annoying neighbors don't present any real conflict since Godai just lets them walk all over him. If you are a fan of Maison Ikkoku, you might enjoy this but don't expect to get any resolution out of it.

Jmovie review: Nana 2

Title: Nana 2 Release date: 12/9/06 Genre: Romance, Slice of Life Cast: Nakashima Mika, Ichikawa Yui, Kyo Nobuo, Tamayama Tetsuji, Narimiya Hiroki, Hongo Kanata, Maruyama Tomomi Plot: Komatsu Nana/Hachiko (Ichikawa Yui) finds herself trapped in a love triangle with Trapnest's Takumi (Tamayama Tetsuji) and Black Stones' Nobu (Narimiya Hiroki). When she finds out she is pregnant, it devastates her best friend and roommate, Osaki Nana (Nakashima Mika). Can any of them find happiness in their lives after this? What is good: Nakashima Mika is still the perfect choice to play Osaki Nana. What is bad: The actors for Hachi, Shin and Ren were all replaced. Letter rating: B- Overall: I was really looking forward to seeing how the movie would handle a lot of the issues in this part of the storyline. The script seemed to be very good but the change in casting was a big distraction. In my opinion, Miyazaki Aoi was perfect as Hachi. Ichikawa Yui wasn't able to bring the same naviete and innocence to the character. I understand that Miyazaki Aoi didn't want to tarnish her image with the delicate issues dealt with in the second movie. However, she should have read through the manga to see what the future of her character was before accepting the role in the first movie. Considering how popular the NANA franchise is, I don't understand why she would have thought that the story would have stopped with the first movie. I also understand that the change in Shin's actor was due to Matsuyama Ken'ichi being too old for the role. While this is more understandable, since Shin has a larger role in this movie, it was difficult to accept the new actor as Shin.

While this wasn't a terrible movie by any means, it wasn't nearly as good as the first one. You're left expecting more from the actors, more from the two bands and more from the characters. If you watched the first movie, you'll probably want to watch the second movie to finish the experience. Just don't expect a whole lot from it.

Jmovie review: Nana

Title: Nana Release date: 9/3/05 Genre: Romance, Slice of Life Cast: Nakashima Mika, Miyazaki Aoi, Matsuda Ryuhei, Matsuyama Ken'ichi, Narimiya Hiroki, Maruyama Tomomi Plot: The story of the lives and loves of two Nanas. Osaki Nana (Nakashima Mika) is a punk princess determined to make her way to the top of the Tokyo rock scene. Komatsu Nana (Miyazaki Aoi) is a naive girl following her boyfriend to Tokyo in the hopes of marriage. The girls meet on a train in the middle of a snowstorm. Little did they know how intertwined their lives would become from that one fateful meeting. What is good: The emotional rollercoaster that is the girls' lives. What is bad: Since this movie only takes us about halfway through the Nana storyline, the ending seems a little abrupt. Letter rating: A Overall: I adore the Nana franchise. On one hand, I wish I could rock like Osaki Nana but on the other hand, I wish I knew how to be the "perfect" housewife like Komatsu Nana. I watched the movie before watching the entire anime series so it really was this version of the story that I fell in love with. Nakashima Mika was the perfect choice to play singer Osaki Nana and I thought that Miyazaki Aoi did a really good job bringing the innocence and puppy-dog characterization that is Komatsu Nana. While I didn't like the Trapnest songs very much, I did enjoy GLAMOROUS SKY, the movie's theme song which was written by Hyde of L'arc~en~Ciel fame. This is definitely a girly movie but I think any girl who has ever loved a boy before would love this movie.

JDorama review: Long Love Letter ~ Drifting Classroom

Title (romanji): Rongu Rabureta ~ Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu
Title (english): Long Love Letter ~ Drifting Classroom
Broadcast date: 1/9/02 - 3/20/02
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: Science fiction, romance
Cast: Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke
Plot: Misaki Yuka (Tokiwa Takako) is beginning a new relationship with Asami Akio (Kubozuka Yosuke). After accidentally losing his phone, Asami loses contact with Misaki. One year later, the two meet again. Asami is a high school teacher while Misaki is working at her family's flower shop. Misaki visits the high school to collect a debt from one of the teachers when Asami sees her and the two argue. Suddenly, the ground shakes and the entire school is transported somewhere completely different.
What is good: All of the actors do an amazing job. Considering a majority of the cast are high school students, this says a lot about their ability. Their emotions come across loud and clear. What is bad: Since this is science fiction, the audience is asked to make quite a few leaps of faith. As a result, some of the 'science' part gets a bit muddled when Asami tries to explain what has happened to them. Also, the ending brings up more questions than it answers. You're left with a "wtf just happened" feeling.
Letter rating: B

Overall: I really liked this series. Sure, there were times when I thought that the writing was a bit weird. Some of the science stuff seemed very made up but this didn't detract from the show a whole lot. It was more about what these people were going through and how they were feeling. What actually got them into that situation felt like a sub-plot instead of the main plotline. I just wish the ending answered THE question than ran through the entire series. Instead, it opened up a whole new bucket of questions. This is a series I would recommend to someone a bit more familiar with Japanese culture. Especially since a lot of it deals with how people interact with those around them.