Currently watching: Ouroboros

Ouroboros is a murder mystery where a cop and a yakuza boss (old friends from their time at the orphanage) decide to solve an old murder case where the woman who ran the orphanage was shot and killed.

Since this is a blog (mostly) about Japanese dramas, I make an effort to not compare current J-dramas to British or American series, preferring instead to talk about them on their own merits. This time, however, there’s no escaping my feeling that this is suffering in comparison to Broadchurch, a British crime thriller also being broadcast at this time.

Normally, I’m quite happy to sit through the worst cliches of Japanese cop shows, but Broadchurch is making the failings of Ouroboros seem all the more obvious. Ouroboros has a great cast and a good look and it pushes all the right buttons for a tense murder mystery. Trouble is, it keeps pushing them over and over again. Barely a scene goes past without one of the characters grimacing in a evil sneer. Almost everyone is a cop or a criminal so it’s all very one-dimensional, and those who aren’t tend to be witnesses or victims and are barely given any semblance of a character at all. It’s one-note lazy writing, and it’s a world away from Broadchurch’s cast of distinct individuals.

The cast do their best to prop up the script and they do okay most of the time, but not even Ueno Juri can save what can only be described as the most feeble line of dialogue I’ve seen in any crime drama ever.

Brilliant

I’ll keep watching it, though. I trust the cast, and there is enough of a mean streak through the story to make me believe that once all this nonsense about slowly building up the tension is over, we can get down to the real mystery and things will improve. I’ll give it only a few more episodes, though.

Recommended: Osozaki no Himawari

You know, once the closing credits rolled on this drama, it occurred to me that Ikuta Toma is the closest thing Japan has to a romantic actor in the classic style of the Hollywood leading man, like Cary Grant or James Stewart. The type that can, with just a smile, make you forget all the mistakes of the past and think that everything is going to be fine.

Which is lucky, because with another actor this series may not have been as enjoyable. The basic story is that some guy from Tokyo helps reinvigorate a declining small town. If it weren't for Toma's air of "Women want to be with him, men want to be like him" I don't know if anyone else could have played this role.

The supporting cast, too, were great. Maki Yoko has been a joy to watch as the big-time Tokyo doctor sent back to her home town against her will. Kiritani Kenta put in a great performance as the optimist slowly worn down by the decline of the shopping centre.

The series doesn't finish with happy endings for everyone. Shops still close and love is still unrequited, but it's still a very upbeat story, full of hope for the future. As I said before, if you're new to Jdramas, this is a good place to start.

Still watching: Osozaki no Himawari

You know, this is exactly the kind of drama I'd recommend to someone who wanted to get into Japanese dramas but didn't know where to start. It's got a lot of the qualities that attracted me to J-dramas in the first place.

First, it looks very nice. Since it's not set in a big city, the director has the chance to use some of the country scenery as a backdrop to the action. Mind you, a lot of the action seems to take place on or around this bridge.

Second, everyone is attractive. I thought I'd got used to how pretty Japanese women can be, but maybe not. I'm up to episode seven, and I still can't work out which one I fancy most. And the men, too, are all handsome outdoors types. Seriously, if this had been the first J-drama I'd seen, I'd definitely want to see more of this.

Then there's the stories. A series of overlapping romantic triangles: that's the easiest way to describe it. It's light-hearted and fun, but there's enough of a social context (the slow decline of the town centre) to make you think that you're not wasting your time on gossipy nonsense.

And I like the theme tune, too.

Currently watching: Osozaki no Himawari

What with this and Going My Home, j-dramas have quite a rustic feel this season. It also reminds me of Dr Koto's Clinic, with plenty of wide-shots to get as much out of the location as possible.

Osozaki no Himawari begins with a man losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day. Embarrassed at his situation, he finds a job online on a Local Revitalising Team in a small town in the Japanese countryside.

Thus Ikuta Toma and his big eyes and floppy hair helps people out the best he can. He seems awfully naïve for someone in their late-twenties, but that's a minor complaint. The story is all about him trying to do his best in the face of some peculiar country ways.

He doesn't have any world-weary arrogance or disdain for these people. Instead that is provided by a doctor from Tokyo who has been given a position at the local hospital where she grew up. Having escaped the country once, she finds herself right back where she started, and she's not happy about it.

The population is ageing, businesses are closing, young people are leaving. Behind the feel-good storylines are some grim views of rural life. But they're quite a long way in the background just now. I'm just enjoying the lightweight storylines and already complicated romances, and it's nice to see Ikuta Toma and Kashii Yu (Linda, Linda, Linda) in a drama again.

Looking forward – Autumn 2012

Well, it's been a dry season these past three months, so what can we expect in the future?

Osozaki no Himawari

Ikuta Toma's first lead role in a drama in ages. This is about a temp worker who is made unemployed just as he's expecting to go permanent. And his girlfriend dumps him. And he moves back in with his parents. Hmm, it never rains but it pours, eh? To help rebuild his confidence, he joins a group of volunteers.

It looks like the whole "volunteer" premise is a way for the program makers to get a load of completely different people to interact. And why not? Ikuta Toma usually has good taste in the roles he chooses, so I'll be keeping an eye out for this one.


Going My Home

You know, if you're going to give your drama an English name, at least get the grammar right. If not, make sure it has Abe Hiroshi in it. And make YOU his older sister, and add in a few fantasy elements to give this family story a few new twists.

Oh, they did? Well, then... this could be very interesting.


Sousa Chizu no Onna

Maya Miki stars as a detective who uses maps to solve crimes. Seems tenuous, but I like maps, so this could work. Set in Kyoto, it's bound to look good, and I'm quietly hopeful for this one.


Akumu-chan

Kitagawa Keiko stars as a teacher whose helpful disposition hides a cold, dispassionate nature. Then a new transfer student declares that there'll be a death at the school soon.

Sounds interesting. It also has GACKT in the cast, who always looks like he's CGI. Apparently he's playing a respected professor of neurology. Hmm, I need to be convinced about that...


Koukou Nyushi

Nagasawa Masami stars as a travel agent-turned-teacher who learns of a threat to ruin the examinations of her school. Possibly not the most deadly crime ever, but this is from the writer of Shokuzai, so this gets my attention straight away.


Monsters

At first glance, this is a typical cop show with two dissimilar detectives who have to work together. But it's from the makers of Mr Brain, so I'll give it a chance.

Find out more about forthcoming dramas here.

[edit] Oh, and how could I forget about the new Yuusha Yoshihiko series? Silly me.

Just watched: The Seaside Motel

This film from 2010 follows the events of people staying in four rooms at the Seaside Motel (which is actually in the mountains) during one evening. The main stories involve a salesman who falls in love with a call girl who comes to his room by mistake, and two hoodlums interrogating someone who owes the yakuza money. There are other stories which aren’t so important except how they interact with these two, and they do so in some unlikely ways.

As a comedy, it’s mostly quite understated. Ikuta Toma and Aso Kumiko are impressive as salesman and prostitute respectively, and they have a great on-screen chemistry as the two of them try to work out if the other person is being genuine.

Other storylines have quite a different tone. For example, the scene with the guy in debt to the yakuza is played out like a typical gangster movie – the room is darker, with a lot of close-ups of sweaty, tense faces, as they await the arrival of the torturer (played by Nukumizu Youichi in a nice change to his usual roles) to finish off the interrogation.

In the end, I found myself wishing that the story had focused more on Toma and Kumiko. Although the other storylines were interesting and they way they crossed over each other was cleverly done, the real story was between these two. As such, it was an entertaining film and it was nicely shot and acted, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Currently watching: Unubore Deka

Alongside Atami no Sousakan, Jikou Keisatsu and Zettai Reido, I've been overdosing a bit on detective series recently. Especially those with a comedic twist. Unubore Deka tells the story of a detective who thinks he's irresistible to women, and who falls for the women who commit the the crimes he's working on, and he's aided by useless advice about love from his friends at a local bar. Add to this his boss is married to the same woman who left him broken hearted some years ago. Oh, and he lives with his dad who writes up his adventures, which are then shown on TV as a drama with a friend of his in the lead role.

If it sounds complicated, it all becomes clear once things get started. Well, perhaps the TV series bit doesn't work so well, but at least it gives Ikuta Toma something to do, and he is funny as the talentless-but-attractive actor who's out of his depth as a drama lead.

Of course, most of the praise goes to Nagase Tomoya as the main character. His performance is just the right side of over-the-top, and he displays some faultless comic timing. He's helped by a top script that's very funny and sharply written (and big thanks to the subbers for their great work on this). It's a little formulaic, but even four episodes in, the writers have started to have fun with the format. I'll be following this to the end, no doubt.

J-dramas that should be shown in the UK

I sometimes try to work out which J-dramas would make it onto British screens. Unlikely, since UK television has an aversion to any foreign shows with only Wallander from Sweden having a series on BBC3, although an episode of the Italian detective series Montalbano was shown once in 2008.

Given the nature of British TV, of course, most Japanese stuff simply wouldn't make it. The female characters are often too subservient or girly, or in the case of hard-hitting dramas, the bitter pill of social injustice is smothered by a sweet sub-plot, in which the teenage thug really does love his mother, or the murderer was trying to avenge the honour of his father.

So, here's my list of shows that would comfortably make it onto British screens. Not necessarily prime-time on a major channel, but they could find a home somewhere and not look out of place. I've put them in order from “no changes at all” to “needs quite a bit of work done to it”. And I've added where in the schedule they might fit. Ah, I missed my vocation – I should've been a programme planner.

1. Jikou Keisatsu
I've only recently started watching this, which is why I haven't mentioned it before. This is a detective series in which a policeman has a hobby where he investigates crimes that happened over 15 years ago and so cannot be brought to trial. Directed by Satoshi Miki and starring Odagiri Joe and Aso Kumiko, it's very funny and intelligently written. I'd put this on instead of Atami no Sousakan (same director, same cast) because Atami's constant Twin Peaks references would have people complaining it was just a rip-off, but this stands on its own two feet and I think it needs no changes at all to work abroad.
Channel: BBC2 or Channel 4, around 9 or 10 o'clock

2. Ueno Juri no Itsutsu no Kaban
No need for explanations, since I've written about this before. This series of short dramas is quiet and quirky, and would work fine pretty much as they are.
Channel: BBC2, after Newsnight. 11.15 ish

3. Galileo
I watched this ages ago, and keep meaning to write about it, but never seem to find the time. A scientist genius is used by the police to solve seemingly impossible crimes. The writing is great, and the explanations never disappoint in their ingenuity.
Channel: Late night ITV3, I reckon

4. Ashita no, Kita Yoshio
When people think of the Japanese, they tend to think of high suicide rates so I do wonder if this show (about a man who's decided to commit suicide in eleven days) would only reinforce that stereotype. But the series is so good that I'd take that risk.
Channel: BBC3 or 4 perhaps?

5. Akihabara@Deep
Definitely not prime time, but would easily fill a gap for cult movie-watchers and otaku. Some of the jokes may not make any sense to the British, but what the hell. Put it all on. Its energy and originality should be enough.
Channel: E4... or perhaps it could just make it onto Channel 4

6. Camouflage
While this show is excellent, I can't se your average UK viewer sitting through the intro and outro of every episode. So with a bit of editing, I think you've got a very strong four part series.
Channel: similar to Itsutsu no Kaban, so again BBC2, after Newsnight. 11.15 ish

7. Lost Time Life
The first J-drama I ever watched and still one of my favourites. But let's be honest, not all of the ten episodes are great and the one about food is simply too Japanese. People will ask themselves: what's so great about sukiyaki? Cut it down to a six-parter and you've got something special.
Channel: late night BBC3

8. Anego
Another series I haven't written about yet. Hmmm, I feel like I should apologise. Anyway, this show is about an office lady who hits 30 and has no husband and no sign of any coming soon. A sort of Japanese Bridget Jones. Shinohara Ryoko is fantastic in the lead role, and while the storyline may be a bit wobbly in places, this could work. Just about. A bit of editing, maybe?
Channel: Hmm... E4?

9. Puzzle
This series is great. Funny and mysterious. Unfortunately, episode one relies on a word puzzle that most British people would get in seconds, thus making the audience wonder what all the fuss is about. Not sure how you'd get round that. It'd need a lot of editing. After that, though, this would work fine.
Channel: E4

10. Liar Game
This would need a complete remake. The female lead is too passive for British audiences, and the number of crash zooms in an average scene is ridiculous. But if they do make it for British audiences, I think it would work well. Geeky things are in vogue just now.
Channel: Hey, if you give it to Steven Moffat, BBC1!

Akihabara@DEEP vs. Akihabara@DEEP: FIGHT!

I'll be honest, I didn't want to really like the film version. I have a king-sized soft spot for the ramshackle silliness of the TV drama, and wasn't keen on a flash big-budget version strutting around the place, giving it all that, and ruining my memories of the TV show.

As it was, I did enjoy it. It's a darker version of the story, with the film leaving out the whole crime busting plot line (and the zombies) and instead focusing on the battle against DigiCap and the search engine they'd designed. The characters are more sharply defined in the film version, too. Box's fear of women is more overt, and Page's stutter is so bad he can barely complete a sentence.

Trying to decide which is best is difficult. Akira is better acted in the film, by some margin, with Yamada Yu easily outclassing Kosaka Yuka. Then again, the head of DigiCap seems more malevolent and interesting in the TV series, despite the comedy trappings. Kitamura Kazuki gives the role a slightly deranged edge that the film lacks.

They're different enough that they don't tread on each others' toes and I think that disliking one won't effect how you feel about the other. The TV show is energetic and keen to be loved, while the film is a cool, distant, good looking version of the same story. But the televised version has the Daruma character, a better ending and a slightly more genuine otaku feel to it. So, on balance, the series takes the victory.

Hmm, you'd think they'd be happier about it...

Just finished: Majo Saiban

I noticed this as a recent addition to Silent Regrets, so on a whim I downloaded the first episode to take a look. It's a story based on a murder trial of a woman who says she is a witch, in which the lay judges (or jurors, as we'd call them) are subject to bribes and threats. I enjoyed the first part and decided to watch the rest even though, along with Liar Game 2, Boss and Bloody Monday, I'm stuck in a rut of watching programmes containing ominous people in dimly-lit rooms.



Its first advantage is its brevity. At just thirty-five minutes per episode, the writing seems a lot tighter than usual, and there's little in the story which isn't essential. The plot is convoluted enough to make it interesting, although before too long almost everyone has at least one secret which strikes me as being quite convenient for the writers: they can get the characters to do what they want - either be brave and overcome their fear of the blackmailers, or acquiesce in a cowardly yet understandable way - without really taking the time to think up a proper reason for the way someone acts. Plus, there's a twist halfway through that stretches credulity and perhaps that's the reason why it's never really expanded upon. This particular coincidence was there simply to heighten the tension and leave one episode in a cliffhanger, and then they were unsure of where to take it.

Certainly, with so many sub-plots, it's inevitable that some things are still unresolved by the end. But for all that it's an enjoyable yarn, which should have you watching to the end. While the minor characters and their stories may be a bit hit and miss, the central premise of the murder case is strong enough to carry the series as is the performance of Ikuta Toma (who is also in Akihabara@Deep). He's convincing and likeable as the slacker who turns detective, which is fortunate since he's in almost every scene.

Just finished: Akihabara@deep

Well, that was a relief. Got to the last episode, and it had a proper ending. Or, at least, a final boss battle. While watching I didn’t know that it was based on a novel, which perhaps explains the pacing and satisfying conclusion to the story. I also noted that episode seven I mentioned last time wasn’t in the book: they just fancied doing a zombie story.

The end of season special was a “making of” which was interesting enough. Watching Yuka Kosaka (Akira) struggle with the acting wasn’t a surprise, nor was seeing Yuki Himura (Daruma) being the funniest between takes. I thought he stole most scenes he was in, although I guess the costumes helped.

I felt a bit sad when finished the final episode and I realised there weren’t any more. I wanted to see what happened to these people, more than just a quick round-up in an epilogue. Definitely a sign that this self-indulgent but entertaining series had got under my skin.

Still watching: Akihabara@Deep

I usually prefer the more sedate, thoughtful side of Japanese TV series (Galileo, Lost Time Life, Ueno Juri no Itsutsu no Kaban) and films (After Life, University of Laughs) but every now and then, I find myself hooked on something broader. Usually in a week I don’t have time to watch more than a couple of episodes of JTV, but I’ve found myself making time for extra episodes which is a sure sign it’s got under my skin.

But even for a fan like myself, I can see it has its faults. For a start, the storyline goes all over the place. There are occasional references to a semi-sinister geek genius who runs a massively powerful IT corporation, but it’s still not clear where he fits into everything. Also, nothing really happens in episodes 2 and 7 (if a series of all-female cage fights or a zombie apocalypse can be described as “nothing really”) and while I admire this self-indulgent approach to storytelling, I’m expecting the usual last-episode crush where everything has to be explained as quickly as possible, usually involving some kind of amazing coincidence or previously hidden alliance.

Until then, though, I’ll be enjoying it for what it is. Loud, brash, nonsensical, and funny.

Currently watching: Akihabara@Deep

The knowing use of internet punctuation in the title should indicate the subject matter of this enjoyable romp. Set in Tokyo's technology-obsessed streets of Akihabara, it follows three social misfits and their female martial arts expert friend as they bust crime.

That's the premise, anyway. So far I've only watched episode one and it's usually quite difficult to tell which way a drama series is going to go after just the first episode, but early signs are good. The jokes are funny and the characters are likeable, although the storylines are implausible - a gang of thugs attacking otaku terrorises the streets, meanwhile two distant geniuses pull the strings from behind the scenes - and I'm not sure the gang's punishment (being scared off by sirens) fits their crime (assualt) but we shall see how things play out.