Summer Drama 2008

Some drama that I've picked up to watch over the summer (at the moment) include:

01. Ando Natsu
02. Shibatora
03. Monster Parent
04. Seigi no Mikata
05. Code Blue
06. Lotto 6 de San-oku Ni-senman En Ateta Otoko
07. Maou
08. Yasuko to Kenji
09. Tomorrow
10. Walkin' Butterfly
11. Here is Greenwood

I've only really watched Maou, Code Blue, Seigi no Mikata and bits & pieces of Ando Natsu, Lotto, Monster Parent, & Shibatora. I can say that I like Seigi no Mikata and Maou best at the moment, followed by Shibatora. Maybe I'm just in the mood for some silly comedy this summer so that's why Seigi no Mikata and Shibatora agree with me. Maou is a thriller and I love thrillers. At first I was worried that it wasn't going to be good, but the drama was surprisingly well done so I really can't wait for each episode now. The rest of the drama, I'm only watching 'cause of the actors in there so if the story doesn't appeal to me, I'll most likely drop most of them.

For the dramas I'm watching so far already, here are some thoughts I have after viewing first episode of the series...

* Maou *

A very nicely done piece. I haven't seen the Korean version yet, which I bet is spectacular in its own right, but the Japanese version is not too bad at all. Ono Satoshi and Ikuta Toma put out really great performances and the way the drama is directed and produced is very nice. I really recommend watching this series if one is into thrillers.

* Seigi no Mikata *

Extremely funny like hysterically-so. This is what a summer drama means for me: fun, silliness, extreme behaviors, and colorful cinematography. The story is about 16 year-old Kanata Yoko who is a slave to her older, demonic sister, Makiko, and the only poor, living soul who knows of her sister's real, true self. The rest of the world thinks that Makiko is an "ally of justice" because all her actions -- despite containing malice or a hint of evilness -- always ends up helping those around her. I was hooked on the first episode so I suspect that I'll continue watching it. Mukai Osamu plays the suave, handsome, and kind Yoshikawa Naoki while Yamada Yu plays the devilish, arrogant, and ill-natured Nakata Makiko. I have to say that Mukai Osamu's recent roles are pretty hot, because it takes him out of the skinny, geeky-looking appearance he's established himself with and into more masculine-looking roles. For instance, he was the skinny glasses-wearing playboy in Nodame Cantabile -- did not find him too attractive in that drama -- and then he was the glasses-free but meek kindergarten teacher in Abarenbo Mama, then back to skinny & glasses as Mayama in Honey & Clover, then onto glasses-free rough-talking Tomekichi in Osen, and now really smokin' hot Yoshikawa Naoki in Seigi no Mikata. I really liked him as Tomekichi in Osen 'cause it was a different type of character for him to play and made him much more versatile in my book. Yoshikawa is also a different type of character for him to play in my opinion and I'm beginning to see him as more than the skinny boy with glasses.

* Code Blue *

A bit ... blah in my opinion. For some reason, a medical drama with a bunch of young actors -- despite their experience -- really doesn't match well, in my opinion. The story is somewhat interesting, though I cannot help but feel that it is a Japanese version of Grey's Anatomy in a way -- minus the inappropriate sex. Yamapi's character, Aizawa, is the genius of the bunch, but somewhat cold-blooded-almost in appearance. For some reason, the cold blooded-like look suited him better in Kurosagi than in this drama. I've only seen him act with two types of faces: cool & cold plus tormented, or laid-back comical. I haven't really seen him act in any other way, so maybe that's why he hasn't really impressed me at all with this drama so far. Aragaki Yui, Toda Erika, and Asari Yosuke are acting their parts pretty well, though no one has particularly impressed me yet either. As I suspected, ratings did drop this week and it's not surprising. The drama does not move particularly fast or slow, but it is not exactly the most interesting thing to watch in the world. If someone was pretty hyped about this drama before it came out, I have a feeling that some of those people are now somewhat disappointed with how it's going. I'm probably going to continue watching it, just because I have a habit of finishing drama that I see 50/50 chance of being good, or I'm familiar with the story so I want to continue watching it (e.g. Zettai Kareshi despite the first seven episodes of torture.

* Monster Parent *

Why am I watching this? Because Yonekura Ryoko is in it and I love her. However, compared to Koshonin from two seasons ago, this one kind of pales in comparison at the moment. Not every Yonekura drama is good, but Koshonin was one of the best I've seen thus far. Anyway, Monster Parent is about a corporate business lawyer who gets sent to defend schools from the so-called "monster parents" and their bullying of teaching staff. The story is a bit ridiculous to begin with -- though there are probably terrible parents like the ones shown in the drama -- the drama itself is kind of hard to adapt to in the beginning. I'm having a hard time following, but I've only really been skimming the story so maybe I'll give it another shot before I decided whether to stop watching or continue. It's interesting though... in Koshonin, they used the term "monster children" and in this drama, "monster parent" is used.

* Shibatora *

Another manga-based story, but a pretty comical and cute one. Koike Teppei plays the child-faced policeman who is promoted to become a rookie detective. He also has the ability to see things before they happen at a crime scene. Like a manga, the story is humorous and cute to begin with and silliness is expected so for anyone into "silly," this drama is one for you. Ohgo Suzuka, the girl who played young Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha, is the female lead in this drama and she is a great actress. Though I swear... she seems to always be playing an angry chick or a bullied and tormented girl in most of the drama I've seen her in recently. Fujiki Naohito plays a sort of tough guy who owns a boutique and it's really different from other roles I've seen him in. I haven't exactly even finished watching the first episode yet, but from what I've seen, I like so far.

* Tomorrow *

Out of the two medical dramas out this season, I find that "Tomorrow" is the better one over Code Blue. Seasoned veterans Takenouchi Yutaka and Kanno Miho play a retired doctor and young nurse in this drama and their performances are really outstanding. The story is about a 35 year-old man, Moriyama Kohei, who retired from his career as a surgeon after an incident that happened eight years ago and is now working at a governmental office. He meets 28 year-old Tanaka Aiko, a young nurse at Nishiyama Moriuchi Hospital, one day while leaving to pick up the arrogant and cold lady doctor, Endo Saya, from the station. A pregnant runaway serves as the catalyst for the three to meet up at the hospital where Tanaka works, and we learn that Endo plans on reconstructing the hospital and open it only to patients with money, not to those who lack the necessary financial means. In order for the hospital to survive, it must undergo this change. Tanaka is against this idea and fights against Endo, while Moriyama appears indifferent to the idea. After a series of events though, Moriyama is forced to become a surgeon again for the people and Tanaka wants him to help her out in protecting the hospital against Endo's plan. The drama is really good and touches on one of the most baffling subjects that plague the healthcare industry: people or money? Without money, a hospital cannot produce the necessary equipment, medicine, salary for doctors, and means to save patients. However, if a hospital only focuses on making money, then what happened to the value of being a doctor and in wanting to save people? For me, this drama is more of a human drama than medical, but it is a really touching story nonetheless and I highly recommend watching it.

* Lotto 6 de San-oku Ni-senman En Ateta Otoko *

The cast of Jotei reunites for this NTV drama and despite my love for Soramichi Takashi, it hasn't really captured my attention yet. I was skipping around the episode since I wasn't exactly interested in what was going on at all. Maybe I have to just sit through and watch it once to really see if I'll stick with it. The gist of what I've got so far is that the story is about an unfortunate salaryman who is divorced and only gets to see his son on certain days. We see his life spiraling out of control starting from a year back in story when his gambling habits are bad, no luck with romance, his job basically sucks, and he needs to pay child support and then suddenly due to the numbers his son picks, he wins the lottery and wins 320 million yen (which is approximately 3.2 million USD before taxes). His troubles don't end though when someone who's been read of his fortunes in his blog starts to make death threats to him. It sounds interesting, but perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to watch it yesterday so I haven't exactly been pulled in for the seasonal haul. I'll still dl the second episode to see if it's worth keeping. I think the series has potential, though I'm not sure how yet.

* Walkin' Butterfly *

Anyone seen Boys Este? Well, it's basically same format, same style, same type of chick flick mentality about a misfit who is groomed into being a polished beauty. The story is about a really tall girl named Michiko who is relentlessly teased for her height until one day she enters the modeling world and sees other people who are as tall as her. She is still self-conscious about her height even after seeing the other models, but a shorty on the basketball team, Flying Rabbits, named Hayase Yukari, teaches her that running from the situation will lead to nothing and one should go through with it instead. In a way, this drama is a spinoff of the movie that will be out in Japan soon, "Flying Rabbits," which is centered on the Hayase Yukari and the team who play as minor characters in the show. I think I might stick with it, because it's one of those "Polish into a Jewel" sort of dramas and I like some of the actresses in it. This type of drama doesn't suit everyone though. Unless one really likes Devil Wears Prada, Ugly Betty, etc., this isn't really the drama for you.

* Yasuko to Kenji *

Drop dead funny! Like something out of a shojo manga -- which it is -- but so and absolutely hilarious. The actors are great in their parts and it's so much fun to watch. The story is about a former biker gang leader, Oki Kenji, who dresses like a yakuza and is very (over-)protective of his younger sister, Yasuko. After their parents passed away ten years ago, Kenji took on the responsibility of raising Yasuko by himself as a shojo manga artist by the name of Sakuraba Reika (though the public thinks that Sakuraba is a woman, no one except the editor and publishing company know that it's actually a man). Because of Kenji's extreme love for his sister, no boy has ever been allowed get close to her and Yasuko is fated to a chaste life with no chance at love until a handsome, young man named Tsubaki Jun transfers to her school. Jun is the younger brother of the lovely flower lady, Tsubaki Erika, a former biker delinquent as well, and she was (and still is) in love with Kenji. The story is extremely funny and very entertaining. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who likes silly shojo stories. Ah, but there is a possibility of it becoming pretty repetitive like Gokusen -- such as Yasuko gets into plenty of dangerous trouble along with Jun and Kenji plus Erika always ends up going to save them. Unless you're like me and was able to stick out for three seasons of Gokusen, there's a possibility this drama may also not be for you. There's a Yamada Taro Monogatari feel to the drama, so that might be a plus (or minus depending) for some viewers.

* Ando Natsu *

A sweet, little story about a woman who wants to be a pastry chef. Something about food and pastries has been pretty hot lately from Zettai Kareshi to Osen, so I wonder if that's rubbed off somehow on this season as well. The story moves a bit slow for me, though I've only really skimmed around with it. I might have to try one more episode before I decide to stop watching it or continue. The drama is not bad, but it's extremely interesting to me. If one likes to watch people make mouth-watering desserts, this is a drama for you. I have to keep testing it out before I decide if I like it or not.

* Here is Greenwood *

Reminds me of the Princess Princess D drama series in a way =_=; mixed with Boys Este, Akihabara@Deep, Hanakimi, and Taiwanese adaptations of Japanese manga. I guess if you like the manga, this might be something you would or would not like... I wouldn't know since I've never read the manga. The drama adaptation does remind me a bit of a low-budget version of Princess Princess D ^_^; Sponsor is Aniplex too... I think it's definitely one of those "I'll probably watch 'cause I'm bored" dramas, but if there comes a point when my hd gets too full, this is one of the first series I'll be dropping.

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Well, Rookies is probably over and CHANGE as coming to an end soon as well, though I haven't really been following CHANGE all that closely so I don't really know. I'm still waiting for recent Rookies episode to come out for dl so I can finish watching it, and still watching Atsuhime since beginning of this year. I'm loving it more and more with every episode.

With the new season, I must say that my top five dramas right now are Seigi no Mikata, Maou, Tomorrow, Yasuko to Kenji, and Shibatora.