Currently watching: Gomen ne Seishun

I once wrote about Mistushima Hikari, calling her "the elfin-faced queen of downbeat characters in oddball films." Well, that's a long time ago. Now she's more likely to be the plucky, unfortunate heroin who's prone to start crying at least once per episode.

So it's a nice change to see her in a comedy. This one is fast-paced and highly entertaining. The story involves two single-sex schools that have to merge due to financial difficulties. And if the difference in gender wasn't enough, one is a high-flying elite school while the other posts some of the worst results in the region.

It's written by Kudo Kankuro (Amachan, Tiger and Dragon) and it sees him back at something approaching his best. Mitsushima Hikari and Nishikido Ryo work well as the two teachers who are in charge of the two first classes to try being coed.

There are plenty of romances between the students. In fact, between almost everyone. In fact, like most Kudo Kankuro works, everyone seems to have their own storyline, even a deceased mother of one of the character's who is now a Buddhist god and acts as a kind of narrator whenever necessary.

It's funny and miles away from your usual school drama. Certainly worth a look.

Currently Watching: Wakamonotachi 2014

Well, that’s a lot of shouting.

That was my reaction after watching the first episode. But despite the full-on acting, I found the closing scenes really quite touching, so I decided to keep watching it.

Plus, of course, what a cast! Eita, Mitsushima Hikari, Aoi Yu, Nagasawa Masami. It’s as if the producers looked through this blog, made a list of all the actors I’ve raved about and then tried to put as many as possible into one drama.

Stylistically, it's quite different to what I'm used to. In the dramas I tend to watch, most emotions are pent up and suppressed, until they all come bursting out in the final scene. In Wakamonotachi, everyone's emotions are on display almost immediately. It's a rare scene in which one of the characters doesn't shout or cry. A lot of the emoting comes from Tsumabuki Satoshi, as the oldest brother in charge of his family. He must've been exhausted at the end of each days shooting, since he has very few lines where his character isn't reacting angrily to something.

It's not often I watch a drama like this but, so far, I'm finding it quite addictive. Also, despite each scene being played at full volume, there are moments of quite reflection, and it is during these scenes that the drama is at its most touching.

Currently watching: Woman

Ah, after far too many unremarkable cop shows, it felt good to sit down with something different. Although, in its own way, this series tells a familiar story (single mother makes her way in an unfair world) it is certainly a cut above a lot of stuff I’ve been watching recently.

Mitsushima Hikari stars as the single mother, and she’s excellent in the role. The first episode focuses solely on her and the family, with only a few clues regarding future storylines, such as the sympathetic guy at the welfare office, the friend who suggests that night work at bars is more lucrative or the mysterious teenager obsessed with a portrait of the family on display at a photographer’s studio.

It’s early days, but I’m enjoying this already. I hope that the cast and writing is strong enough to last to the end, and the signs are good. I didn’t quite cry at the end of the first episode, but I came close. Especially with Dvorak’s New World Symphony (and the Japanese song based on its melody) in the soundtrack. Looking forward to more.

Just watched: Rabbit Horror

Shimazu Takahashi directed my favourite horror movie, Ju-On: The Grudge. However, the fact that between 2000 and 2006 he remade this film at least six times made me suspect he may be a one-trick pony. He also directed the TV drama Soil (2010), which is still unsubbed and my poor Japanese is not good enough to follow the story.

My Japanese, however, is good enough to follow this film. I watched because of the twin attractions of the director and the star, Mitsushima Hikari. And for the first half, I was quite impressed. Admittedly, rabbits aren't scary, no matter how hard you try, but in a sequence half way through the film Shimazu manages to conjure up some jumps and disturbing images.

After this promising start, though, the film starts to unravel. The story is about a small boy who kills a rabbit, and is later haunted by a large stuffed rabbit. This sounds absurd, and it is. The presence of a large white rabbit inevitably reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, complete with Mitsushima Hikari going through a "looking glass", or rather, going through a storage space under the stairs and coming out the other side back in her home again.

But mostly, the story (and there is one, just about. But there's no ending. Not a proper one) is hidden behind disjointed scenes designed to heighten the tension. And for every one that succeeds, there's another two that just look daft. Pity. Somewhere in here, there's a good film.

It's one of those films that relies too much on CGI. Prosthetics and blood capsules maybe be old-fashioned but at least the director has to stop and think about what looks good on the screen. CGI is too easy. Too lazy.

It's the 2nd Annual November The Eighth Awards!

It's been two years since I started this blog, so here's my second post in which I highlight the best stuff I've seen in the last twelve months. You know, I spent most of this year thinking that I haven't enjoyed watching J-dramas so much as I did last year. And then I sat down to write this, and remembered all the excellent stuff I'd seen.

And just like before, this is based on things I've seen in the last year, not just things that have been released last year.


Best drama
Furuhata Ninzaburo
Jin & Jin 2
Marks no Yama
Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

Perhaps it's a little unfair to bundle the two series of Jin together, but that's how I watched them: I finished series one just as series two was beginning. And I adored this show. The adventures of a time-travelling doctor in 19th century Japan may not be the most challenging or thoughtful television, but it was done with wit and charm and the ending didn't disappoint. Furuhata Ninzaburo remains agonisingly un-subbed which is a real shame, since the four episodes that I saw made me keen to see more. Marks No Yama was by far the best crime series of the year, and Soredemo, Ikite Yuku was an emotionally-charged drama with some great acting.

Best Drama: Jin and Jin 2

Best comedy
Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso
Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro
Tiger and Dragon


Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro was a blissful romp through RPG cliches, and Ishihara Satomi once again showed she can do comedy better than drama in Reinryokusha... but the winner of this category was Tiger and Dragon, a sharp, intelligent work that has become my favourite Japanese comedy of all.

Best comedy: Tiger and Dragon

Best film
Parade
Live Tape
Memories of Matsuko
Love Exposure

Do I have to chose between these? Really? We've got four works of genius here. Parade is a perfect example of Generation X slacker film-making – cool, distant but interesting and funny. Live Tape is indie DIY cinema at its best – a cameraman follows a busker around some city streets. Watching Love Exposure is like speed dating at a psychiatric ward. But Memories of Matsuko wins against these excellent competitors by being emotional and romantic and cynical and cruel. But most of all, by being beautiful.

Best film: Memories of Matsuko

Best actor
Kubozuka Yosuke (Long Love Letter)
Keisuke Koide (Parade)
Eita (Soredemo Ikite Yuku)

Eita takes all the plaudits as the guy between two families who've both been destroyed by a motiveless murder that happened years ago, and it's through him that the viewer is expected to view both sides of the story. Without him holding it together, the whole story would quickly fall to pieces. Kubozuka Yosuke's performance in Long Love Letter is a masterclass in understated cool and when he's on the screen, it's hard to look at anything else. Keisuke Koide has a similar energy in the film Parade, in which he effortlessly holds your attention.

Best Actor: Eita (Soredemo, Ikite Yuku)

Best actress
Nakatani Miki (Memories of Matsuko)
Naka Riisa (Cafe Isobe)
Mitsushima Hikari (Love Exposure)

Nakatani Miki's perfect portrayal of the permanently defeated Matsuko was the real hook for that film. She really made you share in Matsuko's optimism, which made it all the harder when things inevitably went wrong. Naka Riisa was great as the schoolgirl who watches in despair as her father make a fool of himself over a woman. Mistushima Hikari's performance in Love Exposure is also a tour de force, a remarkable source of energy that keeps you watching for the whole four hours.

Best actress: Nakatani Miki

Best game show
Running Man
Family Outing
Vs Arashi
Game Center CX

No real competition here. Once I've downloaded an episode of Running Man, I can't have it sitting on my hard drive unwatched. I have to see it immediately, which usually means I'm awake until half past one on a weekday morning. Which is no bad thing. This cross between a game show and a Hollywood blockbuster is always entertaining and at its best, it's the closest that television gets to being a rollercoaster.

Vs Arashi is all bright colours and knockabout fun, and very easy to follow, no matter what your level of Japanese. Family Outing is a glorious example of how a TV show can build a relationship with the viewer. And Game Center CX remains a lot of fun to watch, as Arino struggles through various retro video games. And it's still a perfect analogy of my life – middle-aged man fights battles he should've left behind when he was young.

Best game show: Running Man

Best album
Bump of Chicken "Cosmonaut"
SpecialThanks "Seven Lovers"
Dear Cloud "The Bright Lights"
Organic Stereo "The Moments Linger"
Kokia "moment"

For the second year in a row, my favourite album from Japan is my favourite album full stop. Bump of Chicken's “Cosmonaut” continues their impeccable track record. Perhaps not as immediate as “Orbital Period”, but still a great album which has never been away from my mp3 player for long. At the time of writing, it's also the last time I bought an actual CD.

SpecialThanks are all youthful energy, crashing guitars, female vocals and catchy punkish tunes. It's very hard to find anything wrong with that. Korean music makes an appearance with Dear Cloud offering bright vocals and big choruses that would fill a stadium, if only they had the chance. Organic Stereo's album was a little bit ambient and a little bit pop, with a series of dreamy instrumentals, each one of which sounded like the soundtrack to a happy ending. Lastly, Kokia's album “moment” was a folk-tinged collection of ballads with lush production values and some achingly melancholy harmonies.

Best album: Bump of Chicken "Cosmonaut"

Safe pair of hands award

This award is for people who consistently choose good shows to appear in

Yoo Jae Suk (Running Man, Family Outing)
Nakatani Miki (Memories of Matsuko, Jin, Jin 2, Densha Otoko, Keizoku)
Keisuke Koide (Parade, Jin, Jin 2, Surely Someday)
Mitsushima Hikari (Love Exposure, Moteki, Sawako Decides, Kakera, Villain, Soredemo Ikite Yuku)

I was a bit late in discovering Mitsushima Hikari. I checked her filmography and I saw that she was in Death Note and Shaolin Girl, but I can't say I noticed her in either. But this year I caught up with her recent film work and, by God, she's got good taste. From her minor role in Villain as the obnoxious murder victim to her central role in Love Exposure, it seems she can do no wrong.

She beats some strong opposition: Yoo Jae Suk is a brilliant presenter who's kept me entertained through some tough times this year. Nakatani Miki holds a special place in my heart for her roles in Matsuko and Keizoku. And Keisuke Koide showed me how wasted he was in Nodame Cantabile with some great performances.

Safe pair of hands: Mitsushima Hikari

Still watching: Soredemo Ikite Yuku

After two recent deaths in my family, I was a bit apprehensive about watching this again. I was worried that the storyline of how families cope with the loss of a loved one might be a bit too close to the bone for me.

As it was, mid-way through the series and the focus has shifted from endless displays of grief to something more like a murder mystery. Only in this case, the mystery is the motive. Now both the brother of the deceased, Fukami Hiroki (Eita) and the father of the murderer, Mizaki Shunsuke (Tokito Saburo) have decided to find the murderer. They’re working independantly, and have different reasons for wanting to find him, and it’s certainly added some life to a storyline that could’ve become too self-pitying.

The acting is great. Eita and Mitsushima Hikari head a strong cast, and Ando Sakura (Love Exposure) adds some real spice to every scene she’s in. All in all, this is a fascinating series and although I can’t say it’s fun to watch, it’s certainly worth the effort.

Currently watching: Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

This series caught my eye because the lead roles were taken by two of my favourites actors, Eita and Mitsushima Hikari. Without them, I would have probably passed this by, since the storyline isn’t my usual choice.

It concerns two families who, in their own way, lost a child fifteen years ago. But one was a murder victim, and the other was the murderer. Eita is the older brother of the six-year old victim who has had to live with the guilt and sorrow ever since, and Hikari is the younger daughter of the high-school boy who committed the murder, and so she's been part of a family shunned by society for years.

One day, these two meet and begin to fall in love which, considering what’s happened between the families in the past, isn’t easy. There’s been lots of crying, emotions and angst and we’re only up to episode two. This show is not afraid to overdo it, and sometimes it’s trying too hard to engage my sympathy.

On the plus side, and it’s a big plus, there’s the chemistry between Eita and Hikari. Once they stop talking about the past and talk about more ordinary things, they become more interesting. They’re still fragile, and you can sense the hurt beneath the surface, but there’s some room for humour. The scene when they first meet is surprisingly funny and touching.

The story is beginning to set up the return of the older brother, which will no doubt be emotional for everyone concerned. Then again, almost anything seems to be emotional just now.

Just watched: Sawako Decides

I suppose in my ideal world, Mitsushima Hikari would remain the elfin-faced queen of downbeat characters in oddball films like Love Exposure or Kakera. Of course, this isn’t going to happen: people change and actors want new challenges. Recently I saw her as a giggly schoolgirl in the morning drama Ohisama, which was a bit odd. I expected her to suddenly punch a window or something. But she didn’t.

However, this film from 2010 fits into the little Mitsushima-shaped hole in my mind perfectly. In it she plays a frustrated underachiever, Sawako, leading an unremarkable life in Tokyo. She gets a call from her uncle saying her father is dying and she has to take over the business based in a town in the country. She is convinced to go by her boyfriend, who thinks it’ll be good to get closer to nature.

As a comedy, it’s very deadpan, but still amusing. People seem to drift through the film, nobody’s actions have any long-lasting effect and the storyline is something of a mess. The fundamental message is about honouring your family, but lots of other things are thrown into the pot: the gossip about Sawako from the locals, the state of the business, and Sawako’s boyfriend’s daughter who is an enigmatic, wordless observer of the actions around her.

The trouble about films with this kind of cold, distant atmosphere is that they may be enjoyable, but it’s hard to get too excited about it. Compared to most other comedies, this is pretty bleak and hopeless, but it is funny and if you watch it in the right mood, who knows, it may become a favourite.

Looking forward

A quick note about forthcoming j-dramas that have caught my eye.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the announcement of a second series of Zettai Reido. I don’t remember hearing that the first series got great ratings, and I found it quite a slow, pedestrian police drama. Still, I’ll watch this new series to see where they take the idea next.

Most interesing drama is from the channel WOWOW, who offer up Ningen Konchuki. The mix of ARATA as a lead actor, the midnight time-slot and WOWOW’s previous good record with dramas means I’m definitely anticipating something special. The synopsis tells us it’s about a woman with an ability to effortlessly pretend to be something she’s not, such as an actress, doctor, novelist. An intriguing idea.

Bull Doctor is a series about a pathologist and a detective who don’t get on, but work together to solve crimes. It seems a bit like Voice in that it has a pathologist sloving crimes, and it even has Ishihara Satomi in it. This one could go either way. Ishihara Satomi may have been in some good stuff over the years (Voice, Puzzle, Reinonryoshuka...) but she’s also starred in some real clunkers (Tobo Bengoshi, Hidarime Tantei EYE). Nevertheless, it’s definitely on my list of things to watch.

Lastly is a drama I’m looking forward to mostly due to the cast. Eita and Mitsushima Hikari star in Soredemo, Ikete Yuku. I don’t know much about the storyline at the moment, apart from it involves a death in the family some years ago and a chance meeting brings up the old memories. It’s probably going to be one of those dramas that tries to make you cry in every episode, but with those two actors in the lead roles it should still be worth watching.

Just finished: Moteki

* spoilers, ne? *

It was the only reasonable ending, really. When Natsuki (Yukiyo's "one true love") ends up staying with his parents for five days, he finally gets enough time with her to understand his feelings for her a little better. As he explains to his friend, it’s like holding a funeral for is former self.

After twelve episodes of thinking about whichever woman he wasn't with, in the final scene Yukiyo is still single, riding a woman's bicycle as fast as he can. But it’s not the sad ending you may assume. He's not the same insecure person he used to be, and his idea of his perfect love is shattered, replaced instead with a more realistic idea about the woman he's been moping about all this time. And once that has changed, he can move on.

It's a pretty philosophical end for a love story (well, three love stories, I suppose) and I’m happy that the writers ended it like this, rather than forcing him to pick one woman. Plus, despite his self-loathing, he ended up being a positive influence on the women he got involved with, so he's not quite the loser he says he is. And the last line is strangely uplifting and optimistic. I thought so, anyway.

Just watched: Love Exposure

Since both this film and Kakera were on sale at a local DVD shop, I’ve had a bit of a Mitsushima Hikari overdose recently. Both films are very good, and Hikari is excellent in both, but only Love Exposure had me scurrying to my keyboard to write a review.

At four hours long, I had planned to watch it over four days in one hour chunks. As it turned out, on the second day I found myself unable to turn it off and so watched the rest of the three hours in one sitting. And then the hour-long ‘making of’ documentary too.

The story is, basically, boy meets girl. That’s a bit of an over simplification, but it is accurate: this is a love story between two people. The main character is a schoolboy, played by Nishijima Takahiro, who’s also an expert in collecting up-skirt photos... the character, that is. Not Takahiro. This boy falls in love with the daughter of the woman who is seducing his father (a priest). Unfortunately, this girl (Mitsushima Hikari) thinks he’s a woman called Miss Scorpion who’s a martial arts expert. If that wasn’t complicated enough, his family has been targeted by a religious cult as potential recruits.

It’s a tribute to the director and writer, Sono Sion, that this film holds together. What could’ve been disjointed and episodic is actually a smooth story shifting easily from one event to the next, without ever seeming to be forced. The acting, too, is great. It’s difficult to find any fault with this. If I was being super-critical, perhaps we don’t need to know everyone’s life story, but to lose that would be to lose some of the more memorable scenes in the film.

If the Devil and Jesus ever got drunk one evening and decided to write one of those stories where you take turns writing one line each, it might turn out something like this.

Currently watching: Moteki

A man called Fujimoto Yukiyo, approaching his thirtieth birthday, has gone through life with no real career plan and no girlfriend. Suddenly, he gets his “moteki” - a period of time when he's attractive to women. Convinced this is his chance to find his true love, he clumsily tries to win their affections.

As with a lot of late-night dramas it's a bit odd. He frequently talks to younger versions of himself, to apologise/explain where he went wrong. And sometimes, they come forwards in time to see how he's doing. So far, the episodes have been all about introducing the different women and what part they played in Fujimoto's life. Now we've met all four, I want to see what happens next.

It's pretty funny stuff, even if you do sometimes want to slap him for thinking too much about things. So far episode two has been the most enjoyable, with Mitsushima Hikari as the love interest. They go to see where her favourite drama was filmed, and when they arrive at a particular location she breathlessly acts out a scene by herself in the street. That's kind of how I felt when I found the shrine they used in Akihabara@Deep.