 Akihabara@DEEP [アキハバラ＠DEEP]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Great fun, a sort mixture of Scooby Doo and the UK series Spaced. Fast and frantic, and just the right level of silliness, although the final episode may taken things a bit too far. | Aoi tori [青い鳥]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
Absolutely brilliant. Deliberately paced, melancholic, heartbreaking, subtle, shocking, spellbinding, with a almost lyrical beauty in places. I can understand why some people didn't like the second half, but it worked for me. It's one of those programmes which stays with you long after it's finished. Fantastic cast, especially Natsukawa Yui and the child actors. Great music also. |  Ashita no, Kita Yoshio, ~Sekai Ichi Fuuna Otoko no, Kiseki no Jyuuichi Nichi Kan~ [あしたの、喜多善男〜世界一不運な男の、奇跡の11日間〜]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
A refreshing change from the usual J-drama. It's great to see something so well written which assumes the viewer has some intelligence. Pretty unique show which is a mixture of many genres. Veteran character actor Kohinata Fumiyo shows that he is able to carry a series, and Yoshitaka Yuriko is superb as the not very talented idol. |
 Bara no nai Hanaya [薔薇のない花屋]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Twisting and somewhat dark, another revenge mystery which doesn't make very much sense if you think about the methods involved. Somebody should tell Katori Shingo that staring enigmatically into the middle distance and talking like a robot doesn't equate to good acting. His awfulness is more than made up by Takeuchi Yuko who is superb and the blind woman. |  Bus stop [バスストップ]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Comedy romance about an idealistic bus driver a proud OL from different side of the tracks, who find lurve. Bit of a effort to finish this one through to it's inevitable conclusion. Mediocre at best, it's flimsy premise is stretched to breaking point. Uchimura Teruyoshi as the bus driver starts out endearing, but ends up being just annoying, and Yanagiba Toshiro is criminally under-used, although I could watch Iijima Naoko all day, she's simply stunning. | Coin Locker Monogatari [コインロッカー物語]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Pleasant 4 episodes where a girl left in a coin locker as a baby learns to grow up. Tends to deal with the darker side of modern Japanese life. |
 Densha Otoko [電車男]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
OK, although Ito Atsushi is a total gimp, and Ito Misaki a total wimp, and at no time do they feel like a couple. The best thing in this is Shiraishi Miho as the frightening, sex craved temp. The variety of characters on the message board work really well. The Specials aren't. The final one is an embarrassment. | Gonzo - Densetsu no Keiji [ゴンゾウ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Excellent police drama. Great writing, you get the feeling that the supporting and guest characters are real people, rather than a just means of progressing the plot or filling time. The initial wackiness was reduced, which improved things no end. The fourth episode was superb and the seventh episode was even better, and is one the the best single j-drama episodes I've seen. The plot was a little too neat, and it was easy to guess the culprit, but the characters more than made up for it. |  Hachi-One Diver [ハチワンダイバー]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
The most vibrantly directed TV show I've ever seen. Good mixture between comedy and drama. Episode 3 is one of the funniest things I've even seen, it was just so gloriously non-PC. Naka Riisa was superb in her twin roles, especially when she transformed between the two. The story did drag towards the end, however. |
Haikei, Chichiue-sama [拝啓、父上様]
| Hotaru no Hikari [ホタルノヒカリ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Comedy based on the dubious assumption that if you dress down away from work, then you are some sort of social outcast. The supporting cast are nothing more than cardboard cut-outs. The best parts where the conversions and bickering between Ayase Haruka and Fujiki Naohito. A special mention to DoReMii whose fansubs where superb and really caught the spirit of the show. | Jikou Keisatsu [時効警察]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Hilarious in places, on a number of occasions I had to stop the recordings as I was laughing so much. Wonderfully quirky and absurd and it doesn't resort to either rampant overacting or stupid slapstick for laughs. The leads, Odagiri Joe and Aso Kumiko are both great, and have a real chemistry together. It must have been really difficult to sub, given the amount of puns and word play. |
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko [結婚できない男]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
Absolute perfection, easily one of the best TV shows of any sort, from any country I've ever seen. Abe Hiroshi is brilliant as the antisocial architect, and Natsukawa Yui is as equally as good as the doctor who softens him. The supporting cast are excellent also. It just so well written and played, and it's wonderful to see something where the characters are far more important than the plot. The whole thing is pure genius from start to end. | Kou kou kyoushi [高校教師]
|  Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003 [高校教師 2003]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Possibly the most morally ambiguous and non-judgemental TV show I've ever seen. The way the two teachers treat their students is just so twisted, but it was so compelling to see what injustice would happen next. It was a bit like watching a car crash. Ueto Aya redefines cute to a whole new level and Kyomoto Masaki quite possibly has the worst haircut in the history of the world. |
kusenosu [クセノス]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
As this is a late night Tokyo TV show there is the prerequisite oppai and dodgy acting from gravure and AV idols, but beyond the boobies there is a rather good dark and twisted revenge/mystery thriller. It is much darker and seedier than the usual J-drama. The direction and editing frequently flips between inept and inspired, but when they get it right there is a real disquieting quality to the show, such as the kinky nurse and the side story of the policewoman. | LIFE [ライフ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
School bullying drama which is dark, shocking and about as subtle as a brick, bu t also is both compelling and involving and has some real depth. Kitano Kii is first rate as the lead, but the acting by some of the male cast stinks. The ending was particularly effective, showing there are never any easy solutions. Great direction and use of music. |  Long Love Letter [ロング・ラブレター〜漂流教室]
Rating: 2/10 (Watched)
Oh dear, this is dire. When science fiction is done badly, it is really bad. Nothing makes sense, explanations appear from nowhere, the school kids are a bunch of interchangable non-acting Johhny's and idols, people's actions are completely arbitrary, and the writing stinks. I fast forwarded through most of it. |
 Muri na Renai [無理な恋愛]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Fantastic comedy drama about love between generations. Natsukawa Yui is even better than she was in KDO. Tokui Yoshimi is also excellent as her dead-beat boyfriend. This show is really about not regretting the past, but rather thinking about the future. The plot offers nothing original, but it is excellently written. The show is completely free of cynicism, and the characters are the sort of people you would actually want to spend some time with in real life. | Nanase Futatabi [七瀬ふたたび]
|  Nemureru mori [眠れる森]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Very good dark twisty drama until you start thinking about the plot, and then the actions of some of the cast make no sense whatsoever. The answer to the mystery of the connection between the two leads was particularly satisfying and clever, however. Nakayama Miho was simply stunning, I could watch her all day. |
 Odoru Daisousasen [踊る大捜査線]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
A refreshing change from the average cop show. Often the cases where solved by a simple confession or even by accident, it's almost the anti-CSI. Healthy degree of cynicism of the vertical structure of the Japanese police system. The attempts at comedy didn't really work. | raiaa geemu [ライアーゲーム]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Fast paced, manically directed, and a good story. The games are extremely clever, I forgot the number of times I had to hit the pause button to follow the strategies and counter strategies. Almost ruined by Matsuda Shota who simply cannot act and spends most of his time staring through his fringe. |  Shika Otoko Awoniyoshi [鹿男あをによし]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Superb drama/comedy which has excellent central story and pacing. It manages to make a talking deer to be the most natural thing in the world. Great ensemble cast playing an odd selection of characters. Quirky, but it never resorts to the over the top style which ruins so many j-dramas. |
 Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi [空から降る一億の星]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
The first J-drama I saw, and still one of the best. At first it looks like a simple romance, but in reality the show is about the bad side of the human psyche and everything gets darker and more twisted as the show progresses. All the characters are flawed, and no one is as they first seem. The final two episodes are just jaw dropping. | Utahime [歌姫]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Improved as the show progressed, especially when the main plot started, and the wackiness level has been reduced. I very nearly gave up on this during the first episode, and it took me 3 or so episodes to "get" it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The ending did seem rather rushed, but I think it worked. Refreshingly different from the usual j-drama. | Warui Yatsura [わるいやつら]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Dark drama which is only 8 episodes long. A few good and shocking twists along the way, but it seemed to be lacking some substance. Certainly worth the effort. |
Yasuko to Kenji [ヤスコとケンジ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
A joy from start to finish, although nothing is queit as good as the opening scene. Wonderfully over the top. Matsuoka Masahiro is a fantastic physical comedic actor. Hirosue Ryoko and Tabe Mikako provide ample support, although Okura Tadayoshi was a bit of a wimp. Plot-wise it is rather repetitive, but it is able to make you both laugh and cry with relative ease. | | |
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