Currently watching: Kaeru no Oujo-sama

This series tells the tale of a Japanese actress and singer who, unable to find work on Broadway, returns to Japan to coach a group of amateurs in a small town amateur dramatic club. However, the town is threatened with the creation of a giant waste processing plant.

Amami Yuki, who has a lot of experience on the stage, is great in the lead role. The programme tries to add a dash of Broadway magic by dipping into English every now and then. But in the scenes which involve Americans the English is pronounced very clearly, with a distinct lack of Noo Yawk accents. It makes them feel a bit like they're a dialogue from an English lesson.

It reminds me far too much of Hula Girls with the conflict between dreams of stardom and grim reality. Some of the characters are the same too: There's a clumsy one, and a shy one. And although I liked Hula Girls, I'm not sure if I want to watch a fifty-minute version every week.

However, I will compliment it for a scene in which Amami Yuki kicks a cigarette out of a man's mouth. Possibly the coolest thing I've seen this year.