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: 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.

Currently watching: Amachan

I’m watching an asadora! Does this mean I’m officially old? Or a housewife?

Asadoras (Morning dramas) run six days a week on NHK, and last for hundreds of episodes, each lasting fifteen minutes. It’s tempting to dismiss them as light daytime TV, but this one seems a little different. Mind you, I’ve only ever watched one other asadora, Ohisama. I saw a few episodes, but found it rather slow moving and it was obviously made for people who were nostalgic for the post-war period.

The reason I started watching Amachan was because it’s written by Kudo Kankuro: the writer of Tiger and Dragon, Unubore Deka and Ikebukuro West Gate Park. I knew good actors sign up for asadora’s quite happily but I was surprised that someone who’d written such good dramas would work on daytime TV.

Once I began watching, I quickly had to change my mind. This was nothing like the cosy, plodding moralistic Ohisama. It moves at a fast pace, making the fifteen minutes seem even shorter, and this means that when one ends, you immediately want to watch the next.

The story is about a woman who returns to her home town that she left over twenty years ago. She brings her daughter with her, and is appalled that the daughter loves the town she hates so much. That’s basically it. The cast is great: full of familiar faces, with Kyoko Koizumi as the returning woman, and Rena Nounen as her daughter. Rena puts in a great performance, especially considering this is her debut drama. Meanwhile, the dialogue is as sharp as you’d expect from Kudo Kankuro.

This has been quite a surprise for me, and I’m very glad I tried it out. Huge thanks to earthcolors for doing the subs.

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

Just watched: Welcome to the Quiet Room

This film from 2007 first got my interest through the title alone. It seemed so menacing, yet so peaceful. What could it mean?

The synopsis is a woman leads a stressful yet apparently successful life, until one day she wakes up in a psychiatric hospital, strapped to a table. She spends the next couple of weeks trying to piece together the events of the last day that she can remember, and trying to connect with the other patients in the ward. At first it seems like a fairly predictable story in which a sane person is trapped in a mental institute, but before long her memories start to unravel and the story changes direction.

The lead role (Sakura Asuka) is played with the right mix of arrogance and weakness by Uchida Yuki, as she tries to find her feet in her new world. And to my surprise, the cast held two familiar faces. Or at least, two familiar names. The first is Aoi Yu as Miki, the first patient to befriend Asuka, and the second is a great performance by Kudo Kankuro (better known as the writer of Tiger and Dragon and Unubore Deka) as Asuka’s boyfriend. He’s perfect as the wiry nervous TV writer.

Checking on Asianmediawiki, I noticed that the writer, Matsuo Suzuki was also responsible for Koi no Mon. This is certainly much more thoughtful than that enjoyable comedy, and quite different in tone and style although there is the occasional moment of cartoonish humour. This film is smartly written, and nicely structured as Asuka’s memories slowly bubble to the surface, threatening to ruin her recovery.

Just finished: Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Continuing on my investigation of collaborations between the writer Kudo Kankuro and the actor Tomoya Nagase. This one dates from 2000 and tells the story of one guy, Makoto, who hangs around Ikebukuro West Gate Park in Tokyo, spending his days on the streets halfway between the gangs and the police.

After Tiger & Dragon and Unubore Deka, this has fewer laugh out loud moments, but a more compelling storyline as a series of murders in episode one sets off a series of events leading to the final episode. The drama has a feel quite different to most J-dramas, with quite a distinctive directing style, sometimes even being shot like a music video.

Morishita Aiko (another regular in Kudo Kankuro’s dramas) plays Makoto’s mother and supplies a lot of comedy, as does Abe Sadao (also in Tiger & Dragon) as a hapless policeman. Menace comes in the unlikely form of a laid back Kubozuka Yosuke as the leader of the local gang who never seems to take anyone seriously. Until he starts punching them. Meanwhile, police detective Yokoyama (Watanabe Ken) remains hard to predict throughout the show.

The gang warfare is fairly cartoonish and while there are some unpleasant stories, it’s never particularly upsetting. But you have to admire it for facing those issues in the first place. It’s also quite useful for learning terms of abuse. You know, just in case you go to Japan and need to yell at someone.

Recommended: Tiger & Dragon

I’d seen this mentioned so often on discussions about Unubore Deka, that I had to try it. Since it’s a bit old (2005) it took a while to find it, but it was worth it. Oh boy, was it worth it! The story is about a tongue-tied yakuza who wants to become a great storyteller in the rakugo style, so he takes lessons from a master who happens to owe money to his boss.











Each episode is loosely based on a traditional folk tale, and the way the narrative slips eaily between the two is a delight. In fact, it’s one of the few dramas where I’ve admired the structure of the show: The two parallel stories enhance and explain each other brilliantly. The script is very funny with some sharp dialogue and one-liners. I feel a bit sorry for the subbers who have to deal with so many puns and references, and you’ll find quite a few explanations in square brackets in some of the episodes, but that’s a minor complaint. For the most part, they’ve done a great job in turning this very Japanese show into something understandable by everyone.

The acting, too, is top quality. Nagase Tomoya is great in the main role, Nishida Toshiyuki is perfect as the rakugo master, and it was interesting to see Ito Misaki in a more challenging role than she had in Densha Otoko, when all she had to do was look nice in soft focus.











In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this. Before I watched it, I thought it couldn't be as good as everyone says, but I was wrong. It even surpassed my expectations, and if you’re not moved by the final episode, well, I guess that means we can’t be friends. Now, I’ll have to try some more of the writer Kudo Kankuro's work.

Just finished: Unubore Deka

 

This is bordering on genius. What could've been a predictable format (every week police detective falls in love with woman who turns out to be the criminal) turned into a cleverly written series, with each episode building on the initial idea in an original and unexpected way. This way, it never got tired or ordinary and stayed fresh to the end.

Add to this an intriguing overall story concerning Unubore and the woman who broke his heart, and I'd say this show had more laugh out loud moments than any other J-comedy I've seen in a while, mixing broad physical humour with sharp dialogue and it had some great performances. I loved this, and now all that's left is for me to try and track down Nagase Tomoya's previous role in a similar style, Tiger & Dragon...

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.