 Anego [アネゴ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |  Around 40 [アラウンド40]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
This drama turned out to be quite a surprise for me because I never expected liking it. Maybe it was like seeing something that may happen in the future, I actually found it interesting and rather educational in a way. The 3 main female casts were likable and very interesting characters too, portraying different types of women and their hopes and dreams around that age. Of course I enjoyed the subdued romance inside as well. Overall very enjoyable, but maybe female audiences will enjoy it more. |  Bara no nai Hanaya [薔薇のない花屋]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) |
 Beach boys [ビーチボーイズ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |  Big wing [ビッグウイング]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) | Erai Tokoro ni Totsuide Shimatta! [エラいところに嫁いでしまった!]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |
First Kiss [ファースト・キス]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
An okay drama, started out pretty interesting but kind of got a bit boring in the middle due to the constant overprotectiveness of the brother, the constant spoiled nature of Mio and the constant...same behaviour by the 2 doctors. Got to admit that Inoue Mao was great as her role though, she totally stood out, her relationship with Yuuki sensei was also rather sweet. Story isn't much to be honest, but then watch for the character interactions, thats the main part | Galileo [ガリレオ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
This drama is pretty much episodic and almost the same thing happens everytime. Something weird happens-->utsumi finds yukawa--> yukawa solves it. Therefore it isn't good for a marathon, however I liked many of the cases where although the guilty one was clearly shown, the way they commited the crime was clever. I also liked the scientific explanations for all the cases. Some did indeed creep me out a bit and I nearly did believe in the supernatural side of it, but the explanations were clear enough. Pretty good background music, plus love the utsumi-yukawa duo, though disappointed nothing actually happened between them. |  Gokusen [ごくせん]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) |
 Gokusen 2 [ごくせん２]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) |  Good Luck !! [グッドラック！！]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) |  GTO [麻辣教師]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched) |
Haken no Hinkaku [ハケンの品格]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |  Hana Yori Dango [花より男子]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |  Hana Yori Dango Season 2 [花より男子]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched) |
Hanayome to Papa [花嫁とパパ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
This is a rather common story about an overprotective dad who has problem letting go of his only daughter, including of course... chasing away any potential guys. Have to admit that the guy here is very persistant though in a way that is actually quite abnormal, lol! First time seeing Ishikawa acting, she seems a bit too exaggerated sometimes but well who cares if shes so uber cute. I'm not sure what they intended to do with the manager narumi though, by letting us believe him to be a potential competitor for aiko's love since in the end that just died out without much explanation, I would say Koizumi's role was pretty much wasted. Well overall pretty entertaining with the only touching moments showing how a father might feel for his only daughter. |  Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [花ざかりの君たちへ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
I started out not liking this due to the dramatic changes from the manga but was surprised at how heart warming it eventually turned out to be. This series puts a lot of emphasis on the side characters which makes the whole schoolmate atmosphere a lot more touching. The 3 main characters, Mizuki, Sano and Nakatsu were great in their roles too, with Nakatsu overshadowing the others due to the funny performance put in by Ikuchi Toma. Even then some of the side-character plot is overused which does make this series suffer due to lack of main plot.
Otherwise it is a fun ride with a closure begging for an SP.
Soundtrack is catchy too and if you like the series, it is recommended | HERO
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |
 Himitsu no Hanazono [ヒミツの花園]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
The good thing about dramas like this is that you start off with completely low expectations only to have a good surprise. Himitsu no Hanazono was light-hearted, funny and fuzzy all the way, with hilarious interactions between the brothers, a likable female lead and an interesting concept. Although not entirely original, this drama succeeded in making most little things seem equally amusing, plus there is always something new to expect from the 4 brothers. Overall a nice feel-good comedy, perfect for a quick light watch. | Hotaru no Hikari [ホタルノヒカリ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Overall a light-hearted slice-of-life romantic comedy with a very interesting female lead who has some traits that remind me somewhat of myself and other friends around me. Its this interesting bit of her that actually carries the show, together with the chemistry between the foul-mouthed boss of hers.
Even though this whole drama seems to only talk about her life and how she copes with her romance, be aware though that it is nowhere near boring. In fact this series actually manages to balance many aspects together to make it one of the most worth watching this year | Hyakki Yakosho [百鬼夜行抄]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) |
 Ichi Ritoru no Namida [１リットルの涙]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) |  Iguana no musume [イグアナの娘]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) |  Ikebukuro West Gate Park [池袋ウエストゲートパーク]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
I found this drama very refreshing and entertaining, full of violence, black humour and loads of weird people, yet extremely realistic of modern day japanese youngsters. Following the protagonist Makoto, who to the record is a very amusing protagonist (neither a goody-2-shoes nor a jerk), we are exposed to the young gang members GBoys lead by Takeshi (also an extremely amusing character, of course brought further to life by the amazing yousuke), the mafia, the police plus various other youngsters. Hey even Makoto's mum is not your average mum. The beginning does take time to get used to though, since the camera angles, hippy music and frequent flashes might get on your nerves, but keep on with it and you'll get an excellent original work hard to find in most j-dramas. Excellent acting as well in which most of the side characters even seem like the main ones. Highly recommended. |
 Itazura na Kiss [イタズラなKiss]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) | Jotei [女帝]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
This is the female version of YAOH, in which the main story focuses among night club hostesses instead. Compared to YAOH though, this one has more indicated adult content although not explicitly shown. Story is overall pretty okay but sometimes you get the feeling that they keep repeating the same formula just changing the antagonist. It does suffer a bit from bad and 'wooden' acting but since the scenes are played pretty fast, it doesn't affect it too much. Overall an okay watch but with a somehow too 'cliche' ending | Karei naru Ichizoku [華麗なる一族]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Excellent family drama with politics, conflict, deception, betrayal, trust, believes...almost everything you would want to see in a heavy family feud storyline. Even then, the story manages to grip the viewer right after the first 2 episodes, keeping you heavily anticipating what would happen next. Many touching moments, many disappointing too since 80-90% of the characters were unlikable. Also the ending dragged out a bit but understandable considering the ending was type of... unexpected. I still don't understand why Teppei wanted to do that but well...thats to add to a powerful conclusion probably. Anyway good acting, great orchestral music, intense plot, thats more than what I need. Not recommended for people who want a more light hearted feel-good story though. |
 Kimi to ita mirai no tame ni ~ airu bi bakku [君といた未来のために I'll be back]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) |  Kimi wa Petto [きみはペット]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched) |  Koshonin [交渉人]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Another pretty enjoyable police drama in which the suspense and mystery were rather nicely played out. Since there were only 8 episodes, it did not really suffer from slow pacing unlike another police drama I watched recently (SP). Also, Reiko's dad's death was another highlighted mystery mainly covered in the last few episodes, which would seem like the drama had strayed off topic a little, but I thought that it added a bit more spice or else the story would appear too episodic. The random appearance of murderer Kyosuke, although little, but was extremely eyecatching. In fact, his weird mysterious character actually stole the spotlight among all the other cast; I'd say Shirota Yuu definitely landed a good role for this. It could be longer, since not enough negotiations were seen to actually prove the title, but then the stories are still pretty good and with the added twists from time to time, fans of police dramas wont be disappointed. |
 Kurosagi [クロサギ]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) |  Last Friends [ラスト・フレンズ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
It was ok, I expected more, and I do appreciate dark dramas, but this one went a bit too far. Not to mention the female lead was utterly weak and hateful...urgh I practically wanted to fast forward through most of her scenes. Other than that, Ueno Juri gave a splendid performance as Ruka, the rest were ok too. Yet again I'd blame the story being a bit 'trying' to be dramatic most of the time and not making much sense. |  Love complex [ラブコンプレックス]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched) |
 Majo no jouken [魔女の条件]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) | Meitantei Conan: Kudo Shinichi he no chosenjo [名探偵コナン- 工藤新一への挑戦状]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) | Moppu gaaru [モップガール]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Not great but not bad either, the plot has been used numerous times; about a girl having chances to go back and change the future. Since every episode is basically the same, it does get a bit repetitive, however, some cases are really touching (episode 9 especially, did bring tears to my eyes). Not all resolutions appeared convincing, some were pretty cheesy and turned out too good to be true. The lead herself, Momoko, did seem irritating due to being too ditzy at first but later became rather adorable. Overall I wouldn't say this is a waste of time, it is rather meaningful, but don't expect too much out of it and you'll definitely enjoy it more for what its worth. |
 Mukodono 2003 [ムコ殿２００３]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) |  My Boss, My Hero [マイボスマイヒロ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched) |  Nobuta wo Produce [野ブタ。をプロデュース]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched) |
 Nodame Cantabile [のだめ カンタビ−レ]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched) |  Nodame Cantabile Shinshun Special in Europe [のだめカンタービレ 新春スペシャル ＩＮ ヨーロッパ]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
For anyone who loved the tv series, this continuation is of course, not to be missed. The lovable duo of Chiaki and Nodame are back, as crazy as before but now bringing their craziness to Paris. The funny thing is that the people in Paris, ranging from their housemates to competitors seem no more normal than them, and so the fun is totally retained. Since this was only 2 episodes, it was divided equally among the leads with Chiaki dominating the 1st episode and Nodame, the 2nd. The music performances this time were a lot longer than before, and the 2nd episode started off more dramatic and slow.
The good part of this series though, was that viewers get to see a significant progress in their relationship, plus the ending will surely make you content. My only gripe is that Chiaki's hairstyle was not at all nice this time, and the other S-orchestra members had terribly little screentime | Osen [おせん]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Pretty good overall, it was episodic and the good thing about it was the introduction to traditional japanese cuisines. Even then the story wasn't that catching and my main gripe was the absolute lack of romance. There were still some touching moments but then again, the pacing seemed a bit lacking. Actors seemed ok, Yuu was rather outstanding at some points especially when reverting from sweet to a strong firm danna-san. |
 Over Time [オーバー・タイム]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) | Papa to Musume no Nanokakan [パパとムスメの７日間]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
The main concept isn't that fresh and the plot is pretty much mediocre as well, but it manages to be entertaining nonetheless and doesn't overuse its jokes too much by dragging the series out. Kawahara dad and daughter did their jobs well although the dad left a much stronger image due to having to act as a 16 year old, he was funny enough though.
Some of the other characters were underdeveloped but since this drama's main motive is to tell the relationship between dad and daughter, it didn't matter.
Overall an enjoyable watch |  Proposal Daisakusen [プロポーズ大作戦]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
I have always had a weak spot for childhood sweethearts, and this drama hit it right on. Seriously there were many moments that touched me and left me teary due to kenzo's regretful and desperate attempts to win back his love. Yamahisa performed quite well overall but his tearful act in the last episode takes the cake. Story is fast paced and has its share of humour and drama, both fare well. The supporting cast is also equally lovable and great.
Very good show indeed, although I have to admit the ending could be extended just a little bit longer |
 rinbukyoku [輪舞曲]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
I have mixed feelings for this; I haven't watched many of japan's police dramas and this was one of them. I can't say I was very impressed, the story actually made me wonder whether they made it up along the way, even though several twists here and there did make it a lot better since most were unexpected. For a japanese drama, the pacing was a lot slower and more draggy than others, Korean influence? maybe. It gave me the tendancy to fast forward from time to time. Actors were ok, just had the feeling they could do better. The score was great though, very dramatic orchestral feel, with the wonderful theme song 'I believe', which is probably one of the best theme song I have heard in jdramas. Overall an okay watch, not the best that I have seen though. |  ROOKIES [ルーキーズ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Basically like every sports manga out there, a lot of scenes get overdramatized and cheesy. Yes a usual its a hot blooded teacher in charge of a group of delinquents and takes time to convert them one by one. I've never really noticed Satou Ryuta before but he did really good in this role, plus his students gave exceptional performances. The problem with this drama though, was that it really dragged near the end with close up scenes on each characters faces after seemingly touching speeches. Of course it was touching most of the time though since this theme had been used numerous times, its no longer special. Still nonetheless, a pretty good sports drama. | Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai [佐々木夫妻の仁義なき戦い]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
I'd describe it as a little hill, the first episode wasn't that good, it got a bit weird and reminded me of War of the Roses.... then it actually became better and I enjoyed it a little more. However the 2nd half started going downhill when they just kept fighting and it became rather boring, I was actually tempted to fast forward most of the time since well... you can kind of guess what might happen anyway. Acting was pretty good though, even then, the storyline isnt attractive enough to save the drama. |
Seigi no Mikata [正義の味方]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
This was overall a very fun and entertaining drama about 2 sisters in which the younger always gets bullied by the older one. Yes, it may sound weird how this would keep up for 10 episodes but it does in fact get better and better, furthermore the chemistry between the sisters is just too amusing. Yamada Yu and Shida Mirai displayed wonderful comedic facial expressions. The pacing was quick enough too and leaves you with a rather fulfilling end.
In all, I won't say this drama is very memorable, however it would serve as a very good choice for light hearted comedy with a 'not your usual storyline' type of effect. | SP [エスピー]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Watched this due to friend's recommendations, and I did enjoy it a lot although almost every arc started out a bit slow. The action scenes were done pretty well though, and some parts where they used brains instead of violence to outwit the criminals were pretty impressive. The problem was it became a bit draggy somewhere near the end and turned out very anti-climatic and quite idiotic; especially at the last episode. No idea why they had to turn some scenes into slow motion which resulted in me having to fast forward it, something I don't usually do----therefore decreasing the score to an '8'. The last few minutes were probably the highlights, giving a twist for future SP. Music was very good and Ogata fit very well into this role. All I can say is that this is a good drama but could be done much better. |  To heart ~ koishite shinitai [to Heart 恋して死にたい]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) |
Utahime [歌姫]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
The storyline was promising but it was just totally average, in fact I'd call it more of a slice-of-life flick, you have to be patient and interested in their everyday life since theres not supposed to be an actual deep plot that will keep you hooked. Nagase Tomoya didn't exactly shine here too, it was just like his everyday 'bad guy with a good heart' performance. The other characters didn't stand out that much so frankly, theres nothing too attractive about this. Maybe this should have been shortened to 6 episodes. |  With love
Rating: 8/10 (Watched) | Yaoh [夜王〜YAOH〜]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
The special element about this drama is that you get to peer into the lives of hosts and the nightlife occuring in Japan, in which many of us are not familiar with. The story is actually pretty much ok, it has its ups and downs, getting pretty slow near the middle but picking up pace at the end. Music was rather good too, opening theme was catchy. I would say that the hosts look a bit scary but then as long as the rich, posh ladies are attracted, I guess we just have to assume they have some hidden charm. |
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Horikita Maki [堀北真希]
Nakama Yukie [仲間由紀恵]
Shinohara Ryoko [篠原涼子]
Tamaki Hiroshi [玉木宏]
Ueno Juri [上野樹里]
Yamashita Tomohisa [山下智久]
