Currently watching: Gokuaku Ganbo

My initial excitement about the new season of Japanese dramas has waned somewhat (mostly due to Smoking Gun, a police drama so bland that I can see no reason for its existence) but it has been re-animated recently by Gokuaku Ganbo.

This drama stars Ono Machiko as the plucky but unlucky girlfriend of a hopeless boyfriend who runs up a huge debt and then runs away, leaving her to deal with the Yakuza types who want their money back.

It's a comedy, but the style ranges from comic-drama to cartoonish Yakuza stereotypes. But once you get used to that, it's not really a problem. And the cast is great. Supporting Ono Machiko is Naka Riisa, Odagiri Joe and also the writer of Amachan, Kudo Kankuro in his first acting role in some years.

The storyline seems pretty solid too. Certainly, it offers up enough opportunities for all kinds of adventures. And the subtitles from Crunchyroll are very good. I applied for a job a subber there and if this was the standard they got, then I'm not surprised I didn't get the job.