Japanese Drama Review: Seigi no Tenbin, Season One (2021)

Seigi no Tenbin (The Scales of Justice)

Country: Japan

Year: 2021

Episodes: 5 episodes, 50 minutes each

Genre: Law, Drama, Crime
Starring: Kamenashi Kazuya, Nao, Oshima Yuko, Omasa Aya, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Satoi Kenta

My Rating: ★★★★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment. 

Watch Seigi no Tenbin through the fansubber's site, MiaMaw Fansubs. You can go the softsub/raw method or you can join her site as a member (go here) for access to the hard-subbed episodes. Respect the fansubber, though, and don't spread the subtitles around online, upload onto thief sites, or claim as your own.

Nao-san playing Saeki Mei-san in Seigi no Tenbin

When one division of a particular law firm loses its chief to an unexpected death, his daughter attempts to step in and fill his shoes, much to the doubt of the partners in the firm. Unfortunately, this division has never made much money, certainly not to the same extent as the other "rooms" in the firm, and the first thought is to close that division down permanently. Except that Saeki-san, recently deceased chief, already had plans to bring in new blood, and his daughter, also Saeki-san (Nao), acts on his prior decision. Takano Kazuya-san (Kamenashi Kazuya) is a fireball, bringing with him heat, passion, and a thirst for excitement in the criminal law arena. The firm partners agree to let Takano try his hand at bringing the division back up to speed, a challenge he relishes but one that won't be entirely easy since, counting him, there are now only 5 lawyers instead of the previous 14 or 15. Quite a few jumped ship after Saeki-san's death.

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Japanese Fansubber Highlights! - Irozuku Fansubs

Irozuku Subs is an incredible Japanese drama fansubber with an ever-increasing body of work. I love their subtitles, but also appreciate the respect they show official streaming platforms when a popular drama is picked up that way. They've actually stopped subbing dramas once VIKI has approved it (like Black Cinderella and Peanut Butter Sandwich), and I respect them for that choice since it shows a deeper appreciation of copyright laws and not wanting to overstep boundaries and also saving their energy for other projects. They even take on smaller, lesser-known, or publicized work which is AWESOME because these are usually the dramas that wouldn't get subbed otherwise.

🌸 Website: Irozuku Subs

🌸 Twitter: @irozukusubs

They offer hardsub downloads for anyone visiting their site, and softsubs to be joined with raw video files to anyone monetarily supporting them on Patreon. Fans can also buy them individual "coffee" which is a really great way to support your favorite fansubbers even if you don't have the funds to support them every month with a Patreon commitment.

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Yokohama Ryusei and Yoshitaka Yuriko star in the charming age-gap Jdrama Your Eyes Tell (2020)

Your Eyes Tell

Country: Japan

Year: 2020

Length: 120 minutes

Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Life, Sports, Age Gap

Starring: Ryusei Yokohama, Yuriko Yoshitaka

My Rating: ★★★★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment. 

Many thanks to RJGMan56 Subs for the fansubs! It's because of folks like this person that we're able to watch quality Japanese content with subtitles! You can either stream or download with English subs from their website, go to THIS PAGE!

Former kick-boxer Rui Shinozaki (Ryusei Yokohama) just wants to live his life peacefully, working a job as a night guard for a parking lot complex. He has no real ambition other than to take each day as it comes. Orphaned from a young age, raised by nuns, a kick-boxer as a profession, and then ultimately an enforcer for a local gang, Rui is tired, run-down, hopeless, and guilt-ridden all at the age of 24.

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Takahashi Issei excels as the quirky male lead in the Jdrama We Are Made of Miracles (2018)

Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru

Country: Japan

Year: 2018

Episodes: 10 episodes, 46 minutes each

Genre: Animals, Life, School, Eccentric Male Lead

Starring: Issei Takahashi, Nana Eikura, Jun Kaname, Honoka Yahagi

My Rating: ★★★★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment.  

Subtitles download is available through the fansubber SuG on the D-Addicts forum and you can find the raw video files on JRaws. I'm not giving links, but you can find them if you just do a search by the site names online. 😘 

Kazuki Aikawa's (Issei Takahashi) path chases after the beauty and the mystery of the world around him. As an animal behavior professor who also specializes in fieldwork and is likely on the autism spectrum, Aikawa is almost always late to his class, constantly forgets to take attendance, and takes his students on unauthorized fieldwork excursions. But his love and knowledge of his chosen field spread to his students like a sweet perfume. One particular group of four students, Aoyama (Honoka Yahagi of Itazura no Kiss fame), Shinjo (Daigo Nishihata), Ozaki (Kana Kita), and Suda (Ryohei Hirota), find their lives forever changed for having met Aikawa. To say nothing of Koichi-kun (Waku Kawaguchi) a little boy who happens to meet Aikawa at the dentist and finds a kindred spirit in a man 4 times his age, but who still has the heart of a child.

Dentist Ikumi Mizumoto Sensei (Nana Eikura) has no idea what to make of Aikawa, her latest dental patient. Especially when he compares her to the rabbit in the old Tortoise and the Hare story, but his interpretation of the story has the rabbit running only to look down on the tortoise. So she begins a journey of self-discovery and re-evaluation of her dreams and goals. Before her steps fiercely pointed only one way but now, by degrees, she's turning to follow Aikawa along his path. As Aikawa continues learning to be himself more and more, walking to the beat of his own drum, his light shines brightly, radiating new energy into the lives of all those that his own life touches.

Issei Takahashi is my new hero in  Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru.

While I don't always walk to my own beat, I do it enough to know that it can be scary to be different. I mean, even my interest in Japan comes across as strange to some folk, but that doesn't keep me from having pictures of my favorite J-pop bands in my work cubicle or bobbing along to their music while I'm working. People are unique. We are not fashioned from the same mold. And we should not be forced to conform to a societal standard that tries to determine what is and is not acceptable in personalities. And as much as I love Japan, it is a nation of conformity. Aikawa shares his society's values to an extent, but that's where I believe conformity should end. Personalities and interests and hobbies should never be looked down on or demeaned or condemned because they're different from the norm. So long as nobody is being harmed and no laws are being broken, people should be able to be who they are freely, but that is just not the case, and that's why Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru is SUCH an important drama, praising the individual who dares to be different rather than someone obsessed with doing what society expects.

The performances, oh my goodness, the performances!

Issei Takahashi has never really been on my radar. I remember that he amused me in One Pound Gospel with Kazuya Kamenashi, but when I tried watching Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai yikes, man, that is a really weird drama. I just could not even get past that first episode, it was so bizarre. But some friends on My Drama List recommended a couple of his other dramas to try since I was sincere in asking, and, here we are, with me being 100% in love with Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. Takahashi-san has proven one thing to me. He is a deeply gifted actor with a talent for nuanced expressions. And while I don't believe I will love another of his dramas like I do this one, that's enough for me. He blew me out of the water with his performance and I am eternally grateful. And yes, I do believe I also fell for the smile. Tsundere characters are always so popular in Japanese dramas, that I love it when I find a warmer male lead who smiles ALL THE TIME.

The rest of the cast, while not as marvelous, do mesh perfectly with Takahashi-san, and that's really what counts in the end. Take Nana Eukura-san. I don't always like the character of Ikumi, but I love and respect Eukura-san's performance. She and Takahashi-san have the right type of chemistry for the relationship of their characters. My favorite of the other actors is actually Keiko Toda-san, the wonderful actress who plays Aikawa's housekeeper. I adore her. She's delightful and fun and she and Takahashi-san just went at it with the quips and comebacks. Gotta love it when chemistry just works. I have to mention Honoko Yahagi since she's here and I know her presence might bring in some viewers. She's cute, she's chasing after Aikawa which annoys the heck out of me because it's the student/teacher trope, and, well, that's about all I can say. I don't seek out any of her work since Itazura no Kiss annoys me so much, so I'm not that fond of her character here. Still, if you like her, she does have quite a few scenes and does well in them.

The program itself has excellent, snappy dialogue. Aikawa is a clever man and his mind works in different and amazing ways so he's always thinking and his conversational responses are always so unique and unpredictable. It's just got some supremely brilliant writing, both serious and comedic, so I tip my hat to Atsuko Hashibe-san, an amazing screenplay writer who deserves all of the credit.

Unfortunately, there are ZERO music videos for Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. If I made music videos then I would absolutely make one, but I don't, so I can't. It just breaks my heart because this drama so seriously deserves to be immortalized in a music video. Sometimes, the world is just cruel.

But here's the ending theme song by Super Beaver. It's an awesome song for an awesome drama and really captures the overall vibe of the series. And you can go to this My Drama List page to watch the trailer, unfortunately without subtitles, which sucks. ARGH!

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Opposites attract in the Jdrama Honey So Sweet (2018) starring Hirano Sho, Taira Yuna, and Yokohama Ryusei

Movie: Honey So Sweet

Country: Japan

Year: 2018

Length: 105 minutes

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Youth

Starring: Sho Hirano, Yuna Taira, Ryusei Yokohama, Kaho Mizutani

My Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page. 

Many thanks to RJGMan56 Subs for the fansubs! It's because of folks like this person that we're able to watch quality Japanese content with subtitles! You can either stream or download with English subs from their website, go to THIS PAGE!

This film is marketed as Honey, but it's based on one of my favorite manga, Honey So Sweet by Amu Meguro.

It tells the story of red-haired delinquent Taiga Onise (Sho Hirano) and self-professed scaredy-cat Nao Kogure (Yuna Taira). On the first day of high school, Onise calls Kogure out behind the school, and asks her to date him with marriage in mind. He knows it's because she lifted his spirits once in middle school when he'd been beaten up pretty badly and was huddled on a bridge. She just thinks she's being bullied by a delinquent. Turns out that delinquent can cook, knows how to smile, and wants what's best for the people around him. He notices and cares when one of his classmates, Ayumu Misaki (Ryusei Yokohama), is alone and depressed. And he reaches out to help socially awkward Miyabi Nishigaki (Nana Asakawa), a girl who never quite knows the right thing to say at the right time. Kogure even makes a friend in classmate Kaya Yashiro (Kaho Mizutani), something she never imagined happening before. She's starting to spread her wings. As Kogure starts to realize all of Onise's good points, she's understanding that her feelings for him might just go deeper than she originally thought and that the crush on her Uncle Sou that she's had for years might just be filial love after all. But will her realization of her feelings come too late? Will she be able to clearly communicate with Onise how her feelings for him have developed?

Kogure being brave.

I struggled a bit in writing this review. I wrote one version that railed on the differences between the movie and the manga, but now, finally decided that I had to judge the movie as much as possible on its own merit. Because what we have here is a movie that is probably 65% accurate to the Honey so Sweet manga. And while I might prefer the manga overall, the movie is also excellent. It's not an excellent adaptation, but it's an excellent story on its own, so the two things, manga and movie, really are very separate.

So we'll go with that version of the review.

Onise after he was all heroic on the school camping trip.

Sho Hirano-san is outstanding as Taiga Onise in Honey So Sweet.

He plays a gentle, lonely soul who falls in love with Kogure before he even knew her name. She did him a kindness when everyone else steered clear of him. So he made a decision to change his fighting ways (or at least, the reasons why he fought). There's a joyfulness to Hirano-san's performance that is charming. He's a likable incarnation of Taiga Onise, and I adore him in the role. Yuna Taira as Kogure is equally excellent. She's well-paired with Hirano-san, and she just sparkles with a cute vibrancy. She's actually the most like her manga character, I would say. And because I can't not mention him, yes, Ryusei Yokohama is terrific. He doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, but he gets enough, and it's fun having him there as the best friend to Onise.

My favorite scene in the film, ahhhh, he stops her head from hitting the table when she falls asleep.

One of the awesome things is the total lack of a genuine love triangle. That's a good change, in my opinion, from the manga that had a couple of different love triangles going on. There's also a really solid moment of understanding for Onise as to how he can live up to saying that he will protect Kogure. It's a common thing to say in Japan, but at the same time, for Kogure who has lost both her parents, saying that he'll protect her and make her happy has to have a deeper meaning. Her uncle exhibits smatterings of character traits from the manga, but my favorite scene with him is not from the manga, actually. He has come to a full acceptance of Kogure's maturity and growth, and he lets her go in this endearing moment that relives one of her growing-up moments when she was six and had just lost her parents. It's really quite precious.

And the other half of my favorite scene.

I'm also partial to stories where the boy can be the heroic figure. I'm old-school. I like boys being heroes in terms of saving the day and protecting the girl. Who would have thought a day would come when that would be considered weird? So I love Onise's protective side, and so does Kogure. He's valiant and kind and cute and shy and all of the adorable things, all while being completely masculine. They're an excellent example of the traditional masculine and feminine, actually. And for me, I love it.

Misaki giving Kogure a little bit of a pep talk (because I have to have a picture of Ryusei).

Now, on to content. Stolen kisses do bother some individuals (a question of consent), so I'll admit that Onise steals a kiss from Kogure while she's sleeping. It also happens to be one of the cutest scenes in the manga and in the movie, so . . .? Plus, he spends a ton of time on the guilt-trip train afterward, pure Onise. We do have a high school girl whose boyfriend is definitely in his early twenties whereas she's only 15. Not cool, but also, not necessarily shocking in Japan. I'm sorry to say. There are some brawls and a boy gets beat up pretty badly in a rather violent scene. A girl has clearly been hit by her boyfriend. There's some peril and jeopardy and a girl being threatened by scary guys. A boy lets himself get beat up. And of course, there's Kogure's crush on her uncle. A common trope that goes absolutely nowhere and makes me wonder why the mangaka put it in in the first place. *sighs*

The two lovebirds, Kogure and Onise, pinching each others' cheeks to make sure the moment is really happening.

I will say that there is an unfortunate lack of time. So a lot of the relational elements from the manga get skimmed over or skipped entirely. And things are changed, like Yoshiro's boyfriend's entire personality and Misaki's character design since he's a combo plate of Misaki and Futami (an annoying love rival for Kogure in the manga). Viewers who've read the manga should be aware of the changes, and viewers who've never read the manga, well, ya'll won't know what you're missing and that's okay. Because this story does work, it's just different. Like two different chefs making strawberry shortcakes with the same ingredients. Things will taste a little different, but it doesn't mean that one is bad, it just means that you'll probably prefer one over the other based on taste. 

And because I mentioned him, Kogure's uncle, Sou (a truly kind and generous man who loves her like a daughter)

I've watched the movie more than once, and I will watch it again. But if you can, read the manga. Because, love triangle craziness aside, it's ADORABLE!

Proof from my ever-growing manga collection.

And finally, this delightful music video by JustOneGirl (because I love including these). Keep in mind, what you're seeing is the creative license of the creator. It's not entirely accurate to the movie in terms of what's actually happening. But it's cute nonetheless.

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Japanese Drama Review: Death Note (2015)

 

Drama: Death Note

Country: Japan

Year: 2015

Episodes: 11 episodes, 45 minutes

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Supernatural, Mystery

Starring: Masataka Kubota, Kento Yamazaki, Mio Yuki, Hinako Sano, Yutaka Matsushige, Reiko Fujiawara, Kazuaki Hankai

My Rating: ★★★★★ out of 5

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page.  

I've read just enough of the Death Note manga to get the basic gist of the story, and I watched the original live-action films from 2006. So I know what the story is supposed to look like.

This is not that.

This means diehard fans might not be happy with the liberties taken, but I think the changes make the characters, particularly Light Yagami, more relatable. 

Masataka Kubota as Light Yagami developing his righteous purpose in episode 2 of Death Note.

When an insane increase in heart attacks among criminals begins happening for no apparent reason, law enforcement agencies around the world are concerned. The deaths are being attributed online to an entity called "Kira," which happens to be the Japanese Romanization of the word "killer." And so the hunt begins for this mass murderer who has an insane amount of support from the general public because the only people he kills are criminals.

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Revenge is the order of the day in the 2019 remake of popular Japanese drama, Strawberry Night Saga

Strawberry Night Saga follows assistant inspector Reiko Himekawa (Fumi Nikaido) with the Tenth Homicide Section in Tokyo. She's only 27 so to be leading her own team is a huge stretch in the primarily male-dominated world of the Japanese police force. Himekawa is called Hime (as in princess) both fondly and not so fondly by the men around her, but at least she has a loyal team of subordinates, including Kazuo Kikuta (Kazuya Kamenashi), a newer member of the team who's not entirely sure about working for her because he's heard of her reputation. And she does have one for being reckless, but also for having solid instincts that don't always rely on proof or evidence to be right.

Her nemesis, if we can call him that, is Kensaku Katsumata (Yosuke Eguchi) who feels crooked since he seems to be on the take, but can actually be a pretty good cop when he tries hard enough. He does have some unfortunate bullying tendencies that usually crop up when he's dealing with Himekawa.

Himekawa and Katsumata butting heads during an investigation in episode 2.

The first episode is 90 minutes long and deals with an underground murder-for-entertainment-purposes ring called Strawberry Night. People are filmed being brutally murdered, and it is up to Himekawa's team to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Strawberry Night Saga is a pretty intense drama, and it focuses heavily on a vengeful mindset. 

Himekawa was sexually assaulted when she was a teenager and that reality has haunted her into her adulthood. She possesses a unique ability to both understand the criminal mind and to hate it. To be honest, I don't much like her. She's a rogue agent in many ways, intuitive, but distrustful. She acts outside the allowed rules to achieve an end, sort of like Katsumata, and I personally believe rules are there for a reason.

Kamenashi as Kikuta during an investigation in episode 3.

This brings me to Kikuta. He is a loyal, upstanding, solid police sergeant. You can absolutely 100% trust him to have your back and to do the right thing according to the rules. He also happens to be played by Kazuya Kamenashi, one of my favorite Japanese actors. So naturally, I'm going to love him. But I think I would have loved the character even if he'd been played by someone else because Kikuta is the type of character that I love, regardless of the actor. It just was nice that Kamenashi played him. BUT, the problem remains of casting an idol actor and giving him almost NOTHING TO DO. Other than stand around looking silently competent. And he was a little active in the last episode which was nice to see. Otherwise, he was the type to observe conversations and not participate in them. Kamenashi did a wonderful job in the role, but I like hearing him speak. He's gorgeous, yes, but dialogue is also a good thing.

Kamenashi was so much better in Red Eyes with such a broader role. I haven't officially reviewed Red Eyes yet, but I did write THIS BLOG POST with some gushing enthusiasm when the series was first airing.

Do not expect a hopeful message in Strawberry Night Saga. My one and only thought while observing Himekawa is that she needs therapy . . . DESPERATELY. 

Fumi Nikaido as Himekawa putting the pieces together regarding her yakuza love interest in episode 8.

The woman is an undisputed mess, unable to maintain healthy relationships (she falls for a yakuza which is just insane), and her entire life is her job. She's, frankly, depressing, and I wouldn't wish her life choices on anyone. There are people and resources in place to help those who have been sexually assaulted cope and heal as best as they possibly can and hopefully become fulfilled and happy members of society down the road. Ten years after her assault, Himekawa might be fulfilled in her job, but happy she is not.

The drama ends acceptably, but it's not a "woohoo, everything's coming up roses" type of ending. And it did get somewhat ridiculous at times, especially with the whole yakuza love affair thing. She's a cop in love with a mobster. Please . . . just . . . no.

As for content, you're looking at something like Criminal Minds, with a TV14 level of violence and gore. It can get intense. There is some minor language, but nothing too severe.

Kikuta and Himekawa in episode 8.

My review might sound critical, but really, as crime dramas go, Strawberry Night Saga isn't bad. It would have been much better without the yakuza thing. And possibly if Kikuta's character had more dialogue, like more than 10 lines an episode during the first half of the drama. He's there and clearly observing, just not speaking. I didn't love it, but it was worth watching since I enjoy the genre. And Kamenashi. If he weren't playing Kikuta, I'm not 100% sure that I would have finished the drama.

I'm now sensing a trend with the dramas I review. A very large portion star Kame!

If you don't believe me, here are my official reviews written as of July 2021 for other dramas starring him:

• Sapuri (2006)
• Second Love (2015)
• Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006)

This list will continue to grow. Consider yourself forewarned!

Where can I watch Strawberry Night Saga?

First, I'm giving full credit to the fansubber, Mia-Maw Fansubs, who did a good job. If you know all about joining soft-sub files with videos then go for it and download from her site.

Drama: Strawberry Night Saga 
Country: Japan
Year: 2019
Episodes: 11 episodes, 1st ep 90 minutes, rest 45 minutes
Genre: Mystery Drama, Detective, Investigation
Starring: Fumi Nikaido, Kazuya Kamenashi, Yosuke Eguchi, Koji Yamamoto (the yakuza)
My Rating: ★★★ out of 5

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page. 

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Japan Movie Review: From Me to You "Kimi ni Todoke" (2010)

A year ago today, beloved Japanese actor Haruma Miura committed suicide. He was barely 30-years-old.

My friend, Kari, and I were about 75% finished watching his film From Me to You. We watched a little bit every time she was able to come and visit me and we were almost done. Then July 18th happened and I just couldn't finish it with her. She completely understood, but looking back, I wish we had watched that last 20 minutes together. A part of me will always regret that.

Today, after an entire year of not watching any of Haruma Miura's entertainment because the thought of it was just too much for my heart to handle, I rewatched From Me to You.

Those familiar with the story also know it as Kimi ni Todoke, based on an insanely popular and very, very long manga of the same name. I've read possibly 10 volumes of the manga, although that was years and years ago. From the very first moment I watched this film in the late spring of 2020 (only a few months before his death), I fell in love with the story, the acting, the cinematography, everything. I'm hugely in love with sakura さくら (cherry blossoms) and they feature heavily in the movie, so that was undoubtedly one reason for my love.

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June 2021: Currently Watching in Jdramaland!

I don't usually plan out my drama watching, and it usually shows that I don't. But it's something I've decided to more diligent about planning out, so all 3 of these dramas are ones that were either already on my list or are ones that I have been faithfully watching since May, since not all of them are completely subbed yet. So here we go, get ready for my thoughts on Love Kome no Okite: Kojirase Joshi to Toshishita Danshi, Black Cinderella, and Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru.

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Yuki Yamada is outstanding in "Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu" (2021)

Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu (From Now On We Begin Ethics)

Country: Japan

Year: 2021

Episodes: 8 episodes, 30 minutes each

Genre: Psychological, School, Drama

Starring: Yuki Yamada, Mizuki Kayashima, Yuto Ikeda

My Rating: ★★★★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment.

Actor Yuki Yamada snagged my attention as the second male lead in Itazura na Kiss, but I never expected a profound role from him. Certainly nothing life-shattering. 

Color me wrong.

The 2021 Japanese drama series Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu (or From Now on We Begin Ethics) is an outstanding psychological experiment.

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My Least Favorite Part of being a My Drama List member

My Drama List is like IMDB, only it's a fairly complete listing of Asian dramas down through the years encompassing multiple cultures and countries.

In theory, My Drama List has useful knowledge for the following reasons:

1. It provides user reviews, some of them quite cohesive and helpful.
2. It provides links for where the dramas can be viewed with English subtitles.
3. It lists the actors, genres, and tags so if the viewer loves a drama, they can easily find others with the same theme or even the same actor.

In practice, My Drama List could use a few changes:

1. There's distinct favoritism for South Korean entertainment over any other entertainment as represented by the sheer influx of articles, reviews, videos, and fans to that effect. It's unfortunately very one-sided, even their YouTube channel that only lists K-drama entertainment.
2. Continuing on with the South Korean favoritism, a South Korean drama that's pretty and well-filmed and well-cast will receive at least an 8.5 or 8.9 rating overall on MDL. A Japanese drama that meets the same criteria will rarely get over a 7.5 or a 7.9 rating. In my experience from checking people's watchlists, people who primarily watch K-dramas are going to rate dramas from other countries lower than necessary, particularly Japan.
3. There is also a Comments section on each of the dramas/movies pages. Instead of using this portion of the website to uplift and inspire one another, it is usually used for minor complaints such as hating the actor's hair, voice, clothes, relationships, etc., or complaining about the overall storyline. Cringey is a very popular term used for anything that a viewer dislikes in a drama and many people in the Comments section use it frequently.

Is there a solution to the problem?

First, get rid of the Comments section. It is being used as a means of bullying and belittling and should not be tolerated. If people want to have conversations, they can IM one another based on actual reviews that are being left, not a two-sentence whine-fest. At least give users the option to opt-out of seeing Comments. I can't be the only one who wishes for that.

I have nothing against the K-drama fanbase. But it's time that MDL took a more active approach to market entertainment from the other countries. K-drama related articles, polls, videos, conversations, reviews, etc. shouldn't be the only thing I see when I open the main page. And the YouTube channel is super disheartening if you love anything other than K-dramas.

In other words, guys, let's be nicer to each other and try to balance out the fanbase a little bit and give fans of other countries a voice. And also cut down on the nasty that crops up in the Comments section. It gets really, really old, to the point where I wish there was an alternative source. But there isn't, so for now, MDL is what I'm stuck with.

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Kazuya Kamenashi's new 2021 Japanese drama, Red Eyes!

I am SO in love with Kame's new show, Red Eyes!

It's airing right now, only 2 episodes to go and it is AMAZING!

You know that vibe from classic suspense shows like 24, Person of Interest, or Criminal Minds? That's what we've got going on here, even a little bit of The Mentalist in that there's a Red John type of character.

Kame plays Kyosuke Fushimi, a former police detective who left the force when his girlfriend was murdered 3 years prior to the events of the show. Working as a PI on infidelity cases, Fushimi is approached to join a unique division of the police force called KSBC that works solely off information and data collected from 5 million surveillance cameras placed through a specific prefecture. He brings his highly trained team of 3 ex-cons with him to join this specialized police force group. But it doesn't take long for KSBC to be under attack by an individual/individuals unknown who target the loved ones of the members. Fushimi discovers that his girlfriend was the first victim related to this group of people and his crazed desperation for revenge kicks into high gear.

I've mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating.

Kamenashi is incredible. There is an unfortunate stigma against idol actors, claims that they're not talented performers, etc. Technically they're living on borrowed time since the male idols age out of the industry around the 35-40 year-old mark. But Kamenashi is a damn good actor and I pray that this is not his fate. He's 35 now and I do NOT want to see his career end because he's suddenly considered too old. Maybe his boy band will disband, okay, that's understandable, but the dude needs to continue acting. I'm happy to keep watching his dramas until he's old enough to play the grandfather figure. I'm serious. He's so good at it!

His charisma, his energy, his athleticism are all incredibly alluring. He's such a physical actor, and Red Eyes showcases the fighting skills that I've seen Kame use so many times before. You have the team who works inside the command center, the geeks and nerds if you will, manning the computers and the surveillance camera footage. And you have Kamenashi as the feet on the ground chasing down the bad guys and kicking butt. 

I love suspense and thrillers, I do. There's that instinctive breath-holding moment when you're just not sure if something is going to work out or not, and you're terrified. There's a lot of that happening here. Such an adrenaline rush.

It could literally all fall apart and everybody dies at the end of the show, but I don't actually care at this moment. Red Eyes is amazing and I love it.

Sorry, guys, no English subs for the trailer, but it gives you a rough sketch of the first episode.

There are 2 episodes left in the series to air (10 in total), and all 8 of the aired episodes are fully subtitled by Mia-Maw Fansubs! If you want to watch the hardsubbed episodes of Red Eyes (meaning the subs are already merged into the episodes), you can request access to her member's only section and then go to THIS PAGE for the episodes. Her subs are super high quality and I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future. She apparently subtitled another of Kame's series called Strawberry Night Saga that I haven't watched yet, so that's exciting.

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Japan Drama Review: Five (2017)

 

Five

Country: Japan

Year: 2017

Episodes: 8 episodes, 25 minutes each

Genre: School, Romance, Friendship, Reverse Harem

Starring: Nana Asakawa, Ryuji Sato, Koudai Matsuoka, Mario Kuroba, Yukito Nishii, Takuya Negishi

My Rating: ★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment.

When you delve into Dramaland you quickly discover that there are good dramas and bad dramas. Five is so bad that it's funny and wormed its bizarre little way into my heart just a little bit. Not enough to ever rewatch it, but still.

My Story Synopsis for Five

When Hina Aso joins her new high school, she is put in an all-boys A-Class (these are the smartest kids in school). The only friends she makes are the 5 most popular boys in the school, Toshi, Takui, Jun, Nao, and Kojiro. Get it! Yes, the name of the series makes sense now! *eye roll* Naturally, this makes her an enemy of all the girls in the school, as well as, for some unknown reason, the student council who seems to thrive on trying to take their A-Class students down a peg or two and disperse them into the other classes. Add to that Hina's feelings about Toshi and Takui's feelings about Hina and we have a glorious love triangle, one of many.

My Thoughts on Five

This drama starts out ridiculous and ends ridiculous. 

The Acting and The Story

It's overdone, over-dramatized, over-acted, pretty much any over you can think of. The entire series is a collection of stereotypes thrust together. You've got the playboy with the heart of gold, the intellectual, the kendo (sports) enthusiast, the best friend, and the gay boy (although the jury's still out on that one). To say nothing of Toshi's best friends from childhood who are both in love with him (a girl AND a boy). Because that happens so often. The stereotypes are remarkably weird. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge also had stereotypes but they were less, shall we say, PRONOUNCED than in Five. There was more to work with, even though it had its absurd moments too. Hopefully, I'll actually review YNSH at some point since it's one of my favorite dramas and it's sort of a crime that I haven't written about it yet.

Five is also awash with popular Japanese tropes, like love triangles/squares/quadrangles, etc. There's the bullying girls in the school, the bullying boys in the school, the good girl falls in love with the bad boy trope (although he's a straight-A student so how is he a delinquent other than his bleached hair?). There's even the "hero and heroine get locked together in the school basement overnight" trope. His fear of the dark was somewhat original. As is her bizarre personality change when she drinks coffee. That was just weird. Caffeine doesn't do that. There's the sports festival, although it's not the traditional kind usually seen so that was different. There's even a crossdresser. And of course, the biggie, the reverse harem, meaning one girl and many boys in love with her. 

The Screenplay

I'm sorry, folks, but the episode screenplays are just not good.

There's a problem with the dramas under 30 minutes in length per episode. These are usually of lesser quality than the ones in the 45 - 60 minute an episode timeframe. Five proves that point. It's a lesser drama created from a lesser manga. Thankfully, it's not one of the more content-heavy mangas turned dramas since that's a whole other issue that's been cropping up in the last 5 years or so. Overall, Five is definitely a B Grade drama, possibly even a C Grade since I almost feel like labeling it B Grade is doing a disservice to B Grade dramas. It feels like they're running out of decent material so they work with the manga leftovers.

Objectionable Content

Planned rape that doesn't get off the ground, highly stylized fistfights, a couple of Japanese no-touchy non-kisses that they disguised pretty well with clever camera angles, minor swearing, a girl presenting herself as male for unknown reasons considering she's actually in love with her male childhood friend who's definitely straight (that was pretty weird since there was a near kiss involving another girl), and of course, the bizarre idealized reverse harem in the first place. It's an easy trope to get wrong, and Five gets it weirdly wrong. There's also potential triggering for any bullying victims.

All the Feels

At least we have Hina. She's fairly sweet but has tougher skin than I expected. I like her and I kind of like her and Toshi together. She doesn't let herself get pushed around and she stands up for herself and her friends. It's not always the guys leaping to the rescue, which amazes me. But whereas My Little Monster (CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW) did the weird boy vibe so well with Suda Masaki as the male lead, Five just doesn't quite get there. Ryuji Sato tries, but the character is just a little too stereotypical reformed bad boy (again, not sure how a straight-A student is a bad boy) so there isn't much he could do. I give all the lead actors kudos. They all exhibited enthusiasm, but the story is just too absurd for words. I laughed a bit and by the end was somewhat invested, but I did an awful lot of eye-rolling. I'm amazed I watched the whole thing.

If you're new to Japanese dramas, Five probably isn't the place to start. It's too absurd for newbies, and almost too absurd for me. I do sort of wish there'd been a 2nd season since that would have helped wrap things up, but oh well. That's another issue with the under-30-minutes series; there's rarely a follow-up season when one is needed.

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Can true love overcome deadly illness in the popular Japanese movie, Today's Kira-kun from 2017?

In Japan, the red string of fate binds lovers together, running from pinky to pinky. For Yuiji Kira (Taisha Nakagaway), he is living his life on borrowed time. A bad heart means he has roughly a year to live and up until his current high school year, Yuuji had been living life recklessly. But now, with his time so limited, Yuiji has settled down, his heart heavy because he doesn't want to die, and keeping the secret of his illness from his friends is loneliness itself. One day, shy, introverted Ninon Okamura (Marie Iitoyo) sees Yuiji crying, hurries up to him, a boy she has started admiring because he is different now, and vows to stay by his side for a year. Despite the oddity of her declaration, Yuiji takes her up on it, tying her fate to his. For Yuuji, this is the first genuine relationship he's had with a girl, allowing himself to fall in love. And for Ninon, this is her first relationship ever, including friendships. Together they must weather the storms of new beginnings, misunderstandings, parental influence, and Yuiji's weak and dying heart.

No country does high school stories like Japan. They're in their element when dealing with youth and love and that exhilarating time of life. I put off watching Today's Kira-kun because I wasn't sure if it had a happy ending, and I just have not been in the mood for sad stories. I'm happy to report that Today's Kira-kun ends very, very well. It's not like Koizora which is labeled a romantic tragedy for a reason.

The actors did a solid job in their performances. I've encountered Marie Iitoyo before in a couple of different roles and have always liked her. She's a good actress, although here she does perform a bit on the overly dramatic side. I did find some of her reactions a smidgeon over the top, but that's okay. It worked for the role and for the story. Taishi Nakagawa is newer to me, so I don't have much to compare him to in terms of past performances, but I do like him as Yuiji. He has a nice, friendly face, very expressive, and he cries on cue. I found myself liking the character a great deal and hoping his fate wouldn't be to die at the end of their year together. I was less impressed with the secondary actors Shono Hayama and Yuna Taira playing Yuiji's friends. Shono was okay in his best friend role, but I'm afraid that Yuna Taira as Rei Yahagi fell flat for me. She felt so much older than a teenager as if she were a woman of the world, and that just didn't work. Plus, I usually hate the ex-girlfriend/boyfriend of lead characters anyway since they're simply plot devices with no purpose but to stir things up. Which is what she does.

The screenplay did leave a little to be desired. The story is based on a girl's manga but they left out some critical details, like how Ninon and her parents even know Yuiji is ill. In the manga (I read the first chapter free online from the publisher), it's because Ninon and Yuiji are next-door neighbors and she's known him for years. None of that is a part of the screenplay, so that's sort of a major oops. They probably should have added 15 minutes to the run time and put it back in because as it stands, there's no logical reason for Ninon or her parents to know that Yuiji is even sick. A boy can cry a few tears in the park without a girl thinking he's on death's door. 

3/22/2021 Update: With the new VIKI subtitles, a lot has been made much more clear regarding the screenplay. Yes, they are neighbors, although more like they live on the same street to say hello to one another every once in a while. Ninon overheard her parents discussing Yuiji's health because her parents know his parents. Which is why she knew he was sick. That really clears up a lot of my confusion and frustration with the screenplay, so YAY. Many thanks to the VIKI subtitlers (that's how you should watch it, link at the bottom of my review).

However, it still didn't clear up the wedding scene. If that was straight from the manga, they needed to leave it out, since there was no minister and I'm pretty sure you're not married if there's no official performing some sort of wedding ceremony. I "love" how they dug up a suit for Yuiji and a wedding dress for Ninon out of thin air. That was quite the stretch.

Overall, there are many endearing and sweet scenes, like when Ninon hosts a birthday party for Yuiji and when, on the same day, he shares with her what he was like as a delinquent in junior high. Marie and Taisha really had good, believable chemistry so their scenes together were charming. I also, personally, love that Ninon is a crafter. So many little crocheted amigurumi in her bedroom. Adorable.

Today's Kira-kun is pretty clean on the whole. PG-rated language. Rei has a picture of Yuiji in bed that she uses to manipulate Ninon, but according to the new, likely far more correct, subtitles on VIKI, they never did actually sleep together. Unfortunately, sleeping around is not really surprising behavior for someone acting like a delinquent in junior high, at least, not in Japanese film. Ninon and Yuiji are going to sleep together, but her parents come back unexpectedly before they even have a chance to kiss, so nothing happens.

Overall, I enjoyed Today's Kira-kun. Thanks to Yuiji's friend Yabe, Yuiji realizes that none of their time is set in stone. No one knows when they will breathe their last, and so he should not run from Ninon just because he's afraid of burdening her. Any of them could die tomorrow, so the important thing is to live today. It's a solid Japanese movie with a happy ending which made me very, very glad. Despite the plotholes, this movie is filled with lots of warm fuzzies and very pretty cinematography.

Where can I watch Today's Kira-kun?

3/22/2021 Update: You can now watch Today's Kira-Kun officially on VIKI if you have a Standard VIKI Pass ($4.99 a month).

The subtitles are outstanding and this is a perfectly legal streaming service so you are supporting the actors and filmmakers.

Today's Kira-kun (Closest Love to Heaven)

Country: Japan
Year: 2017
Genre: School, Romance, Friendship, Illness
Starring: Marie Iitoyo, Taishi Nakagawa, Shono Hayama, Yuna Taira

My Rating: ★★★★

Click to read more of my reviews for Japanese entertainment.

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Drama Review: Sapuri (2006)

Sapuri

Year: 2006

Episodes: 11 episodes, 45 minutes each

Country: Japan

Genre: Inter-Office Romance, Age-Gap Romance 

Starring: Kazuya Kamenashi, Ito Misaki, Eita Nagayama, Koichi Sato, Reina Asami

My Rating: ★★

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page. 

Sapuri follows the inter-departmental relationships and romances of a marketing company. College-age Yuya Ishida (Kamenashi) is the new guy on the block, hired as a part-timer or almost an intern to do a gofer type of job. While there, he falls hard for straight-shooter Minami Fujii (Ito Misaki), a woman in her late twenties who wants to fall in love but regrets that she's never spent time actually pursuing feminine traits and can't easily put aside her business-like demeanor.

Then you have the boss, Imaoka-san (Koichi Sato) who's having love problems of his own, but who does take good care of Yuya in remembrance of Yuya's deceased father. And of course, the "other" woman chasing Yuya, Yuri Watanabe (Reina Asami) and the "other" guy chasing Minami, Satoshi Ogiwara (Eita Nagayama). With the sheer amount of romantic escapades happening, it's a miracle that anyone gets any work done.

I'm cutting right to the chase with this one.

In my estimation, Sapuri would have been much, much better if it had simply been an office comedy and left the age-gap romance completely alone. The relational stuff falls so horribly flat. I didn't buy it. I don't see how it became an age-gap romance. Yuya and Minami have almost nothing in common. He's a surfer boy with long beach bum hair, a reckless attitude, and abundant enthusiasm. He does mature somewhat by the end of the drama, but not enough to be a good match for Minami. She's straight-laced and prim and proper and no-nonsense like an American schoolmarm from the 1850s. How is that ever going to work out?

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Drama Review: Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006)

Tatta Hitotsu no Koi or Only One Love

• Year: 2006
• Episodes: 10 episodes, 45 minutes each
• Country Japan
• Genre: Romance 
• Starring: Kazuya Kamenashi, Ayase Haruka, Koki Tanaka, Yuta Hiraoka, Erika Toda
• You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page.

My Story Synopsis for Tatta Hitotsu no Koi

The setting is in Yokohama, near the bayfront. Hiroto Kanzaki ( Kazuya Kamenashi) is tired. He spends every day hard at work at the small ship repair factory that he inherited from his father, along with all the financial worries and burdens that go along with it. His mother has to work as a hostess at night because at least that brings in extra income, and his younger brother Ren suffers from asthma so severe that sometimes he's confined to a wheelchair.

Not that Hiroto resents his family. He adores them. They are his all, his reason for going to work each day. But he's forgotten to live his life for himself and he's forgotten how to smile and how to dream. Having never gone to college, Hiroto is destined to be under-privileged his whole life, trapped by his circumstances.

When Hiroto encounters wealthy jewelry store heiress Nao Tsukioka ( Ayase Haruka), his future starts to change. Nao is a forthright girl who speaks her mind because she knows life is too short to spend time wondering what other people think or have them worrying about what she thinks. She would rather just say it outright. And she's fallen for Hiroto, hard. Much to the horror of her family and the concern of his mother.

A pair of star-crossed lovers, are they strong enough to fight tradition, class status, and familial expectations and make a life together?

My Thoughts on Tatta Hitotsu no Koi

Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is one of Kamenashi's more popular dramas from his youth. And I admit, the role suits him really well. I remember watching it back when I first started in dramaland, but it had been so long that I decided to watch it again. It's what I was expecting, both good and bad.

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Japanese Drama Review: Second Love (2015)

Second Love (Japanese live-action drama series)

Year: 2015

Episodes: 7 episodes / 50 minutes each

Starring: Kazuya Kamenashi, Kyoko Fukada, Akari Hayami, Yumi Aso

My Story Synopsis for Second Love

Twenty-seven-year-old ballet/modern interpretive dancer Kei Taira (Kazuya Kamenashi) has had it all. International acclaim when he joined a German company in his teens, the winner of several awards and competitions, but now, well, now he's struggling. Jobs aren't coming his way anymore, and the idea of being a dance teacher galls him. Emotionally wrung out and depressed, he's just about reached the end of his strength when Kei spots a woman at an all-girls school, standing on an elevated walkway, the wind blowing her white lab coat and her arms stretched over her head. She mesmerizes him.

This woman is thirty-three-year-old Yui Nishihara (Kyoko Fukada), a woman equally bored with her mundane life, but unable to make a move towards anything more. Dreams are always for someone else, not for her, and so she teaches chemistry to a group of unruly teenage girls who could care less about the subject. But in the middle of a rainstorm a young man, the same young man who's been spotted lurking outside the school and sent the faculty into a dither as a potential stalker for their students, strides confidently up to her and slips a piece of paper into her hand with his contact information. No conversation, just the barest touch of their hands and a new destiny.

So begins a whirlwind romance of epic proportions. Kei is a maelstrom of sensual longing and melancholy and Yui finds herself sucked into his world. What neither of them could have imagined was that Kei would actually skyrocket to popularity again. Whereas before she was his entire world, now his world has expanded to include a busy schedule of choreography and dance, with barely time for his former muse. Can they survive the tumultuous relational ups and downs of a couple where one has a dream and the other has never dared to dream?

My Thoughts on Second Love

I've seen Kazuya Kamenashi in multiple dramas, listened to his music from the pop band KAT-TUN, and now I've had the remarkable opportunity to just watch him dance. Honestly, his dancing was the true motivator for me to watch Second Love, but I ended up liking the drama for its own merits. And yes, I chose to use a different drama cover for my review. Because I hate the one usually used.

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