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Viewing profile :: Sun_Shang_Xiang
Avatar All about Sun_Shang_Xiang

Joined:  18 Jul 2009
Total posts:  45
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Country (Nationality):  United Kingdom
Location:  United Kingdom
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Sun_Shang_Xiang's drama votes (15)
Aishiteru ~ Kaiyo [アイシテル ~ 海容]
A wonderful cast with a story which takes some time to reveal ....with no real villains.
Ame to Yume no atoni [雨と夢の後に]
A supernatural drama with great perfomances from Sawamura Ikki, Kurokawa Tomoka and Kimura Tae.
Aoi Tori [青い鳥]
A wonderfully dark drama with a wonderful cast and no real villains,
Hoshi no kinka 1 [星の金貨]
Great drama , a little sad but great perfomances from Takao Osawa , Sakai Noriko and a young Takenouchi Yutaka.
Jyoou no Kyoushitsu [女王の教室]
Amami Yuki is real scary in this one, Shida Mirai is as usual brilliant.
Kobayakawa Nobuki no Koi [小早川伸木の恋]
Fine Performances from Karasawa Toshiaki, Konno Mahiru and Katase Nana as Karasawa's wife.
Kyousoukyoku [協奏曲]
Awesome Traingle relationship drama between Tamura Masakazu, Miyazawa Rie and KimuTaku.
Long vacation [ロングバケーション]
ONe of the first dramas that I watched, I love it !
Love generation [ラブジェネレーション]
Great drama fantastic chemistry between Kimutaku and Matsu Takako, in all honesty I don't think Kimutaku has ever achived that level of chemistry after this series with any other actress, this of couse doesn't include Long Vacation !
M no Higeki [Mの悲劇]
A dark drama with fantastic acting from Kuranosuke Sasaki and Kyoko Hasegawa.
Majo Saiban [魔女裁判]
This is how crime mystery dramas should be like, the simplest solution should be the correct solution. If only dramas like Ice world and Triangle were like this.
Shiroi Kyoto [白い巨塔]
Intense Medical drama as Eguchi Yosuke and Karasawa Toshiaki clash.
Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi [空から降る一億の星]
A change of pace for Kimutaku as the bad guy but its Akashiya Sanma who rules this drama,
Summer snow
I love this , sniff sniff....
Tokyo Love Story [東京ラブストーリー]
Great Drama, I really didn't expect it to end as it did.

Sun_Shang_Xiang's artiste votes (15)
Abe Hiroshi [阿部寛]
The best actor in J-doramas, despite his imposing stature this hasn't led to him being type casted as he's able to act in many varied roles.
Amami Yuki [天海祐希]
Brilliant actress, able to handle many roles, I hope she doesn't get trapped in strong woman roles though as she is also capable of comedic roles.
Ayase Haruka [綾瀬はるか]
The best of the new actresses.
Eguchi Yosuke [江口洋介]
Fantastic veteran actor.
Fukatsu Eri [深津絵里]
Great Actress , First noticed her in Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi.
Inamori Izumi [稲森いずみ]
fantastic actress capable of various roles , as Yamaguchi Tomoko's funny friend in Long vacation and as loving mother in Aishiteru Kaiyo.
Kimura Tae [木村多江]
a very much under appreciated actress great performances in Ame to Yume no atoni and Shanghai Storm.
Konno Mahiru [紺野まひる]
Another under rated actress , performed really well in Kobayakawa Nobuki no Koi.
Kurokawa Tomoka [黒川智花]
Her earlier dramas are her best.
Oguri Shun [小栗旬]
Great actor usually plays nice guys but was scary in Smile.
Osawa Takao [大沢たかお]
Fantastic actor first noticed him in Hoshi no kinka and still fantastic in Jin.
Osugi Ren [大杉漣]
He can play anyone from arty types thru to mad scientists to Yakuza types convincingly. A truly great actor.
Sasaki Kuranosuke [佐々木蔵之介]
A great actor , noticed him in M no Higeki
Sawamura Ikki [沢村一樹]
He has a certain charm about him that I really like.
Shida Mirai [志田未来]
A very promising young actress, always performs well in every drama.I just hope that her size doesn't get in way of her future career.

Sun_Shang_Xiang's dramas (367)
1 Pound no Fukuin [1ポンドの福音]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
I love Takahashi Rumiko Sensei's mangas and I can't help but feel this would have been so much better as an anime(although I haven't seen the anime yet).I quite like Kamenashi but have difficulty in believing he's gained any weight at all , this kind of gag is so much better done in animes.
14 sai no Haha [14歳の母]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great cast , Shida Mirai never disappoints me.Sorimachi Takashi should be credited on this one.
4 Shimai Tantei Dan [4姉妹探偵団]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
99-nen no Ai ~Japanese Americans~ [99年の愛~JAPANESE AMERICANS~]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Unbalanced yet interesting account which focuses mainly on WWII, A huge gap of 30 years is left out of the story between 1910 and the outbreak of the Great Pacific War.
Ace wo Nerae! [エースをねらえ!]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
A lot of old faces from Attack no 1 but for me not as enjoyable as Attack no 1.
Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu [愛なんていらねえよ、夏]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
The camera work on this is wonderful, Ryoko Hirosue and Watabe Atsuro are both excellent in this.
Ai to Shi wo Mitsumete [愛と死をみつめて]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Although they look a bit old for the roles , great performances from Hirosue Ryoko (perhaps her best) and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi.
Ai wa Mieru [愛はみえる]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Aibou 11 [相棒 11]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Aibou Season 10 [相棒 10]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Better than previous 2 seasons.
Aibou Season 8 [相棒 8]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
enjoyable crime drama
Aibou Season 9 [相棒 9]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Pretty Good
Aishiteru ~ Kaiyo [アイシテル ~ 海容]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Akai Giwaku [赤い疑惑]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
This along Akai Unmei forms part of the Akai Series. Oshima Sachiko (Ishihara Satomi ) is accidentley exposed to radiation and developes Leukemia, she also finds out her boyfriend is actually her half-brother. Hmm if Stan Lee had written this one Satomi Ishihara 's character would have got super powers instead of a killer disease. Okay, there are lots of J-dramas with heroines with fatal illnesses and whilst I don't feel this is exceptional its not too shabby. Good performances from Jinnai Takanori and Naitou Takashi who shows he can also play as an arsehole.
Akai Kiseki [赤い奇跡]
Rating: 3/10 (Bought & Watched)
Pretty bad but Ishihara Yoshizumi was quite good in this.
Akai Unmei [赤い運命]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
I really liked this one, a real weepie , great performances from Ayase Haruka (in fact it's the performance from her that I 've most enjoyed so far ) and Funakoshi Eiichiro who I last remember as the evil/good coach from Attack no1 who turns into evil/good dad in this drama.
Akumu-chan [悪夢ちゃん]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Unexpectedly good and an excellent cast !
Amachan [あまちゃん]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
It is said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery , I'm sure Akimoto Yasushi would agree every time he saw Furuta Arata however it doesn't guarantee good dramas. Whilst I can't fault the acting, the cast was good and Nounen Rena who I couldn't fault, faced some stiff competition from co-stars Hashimoto Ai and especially from Arimura Kasumi.I just felt that this was to cutesy and wasn't up to the standard of recent Asadoras.The ending was perhaps overly optimistic.
Ame to Yume no atoni [雨と夢の後に]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Anego [アネゴ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Angel Bank ~ Tenshoku Dairinin [エンゼルバンク]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
The first time I watched this I gave this a 6 but Its quite an insight into the Japanese work place. Namase Katsuhisa is good as always.
Aoi Tori [青い鳥]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Arifureta Kiseki [ありふれた奇跡]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
This drama is quite slow at times but its well worth sticking with . Great Performances from Jinnai Takanori and Nakama Yukie.
Around 40 [アラウンド40]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Fujiki Naohito hilariously plays Amami Yuki's ecologically minded boy friend in this reaching 40s crisis drama. Amami Yuki is brilliant as usual and the drama's ending is great.
Asaki Yumemishi ~ Yaoya O-Shichi Ibun [あさきゆめみし ~ 八百屋お七異聞]
Rating: 4/10 (Watched)
unfortunately I found this tedious.
Asunaro hakusho [あすなろ白書]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Atashinchi no Danshi [アタシんちの男子]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Starts off well and soon turns silly. I Loved it ! Takashima Reiko is also good in comedy.
Attack No.1 [アタック No.1]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Really enjoyable although not deep sports drama .A really fantastic cast, too many people to name who gave great performances all around.
Attention Please [アテンションン プリース]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Bambino! [バンビーノ!]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Bara no nai Hanaya [薔薇のない花屋]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Beach boys [ビーチボーイズ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Good in parts but overall an average drama.This needs a serious injection of romance.
Beautiful life [ビューティフルライフ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
This would be perfect if the script writers didn't do an overkill on the storyline. The heroine being in a wheelchair is bad enough but the ending makes it too unrealistic and dare I say ....corney.
Beginner [ビギナー]
Rating: 4/10 (Bought & Watched)
I like the cast , especially Matsuyuki Yasuko and I like The Carpenters but this drama is boring.
Bijo ka Yajuu [美女か野獣]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I liked this ...Funny !
Binbo Danshi [貧乏男子 (ボンビーメン)]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Very funny , I especailly enjoyed Yusuke Santamaria's performance.
Bitter Sugar [ビターシュガー]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Rather enjoyable but not outstanding.Toyohara Kosuku did well in this.
Bloody Monday [ブラッディ・マンデイ]
Rating: 3/10 (Bought & Watched)
Bloody Monday Season 2 [ブラッディ・マンデイ-シーズン2-]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Better than season 1 but could do better.There are still significant holes in the plotline
Boku dake no Madonna [僕だけのマドンナ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Boku to Star no 99 Nichi [僕とスターの99日]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Slow in part, Sasaki Kuranosuke and Kato Ai (who should be credited for this) who are good in this, are wasted in this.
BOSS
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
BOSS Season 2
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Bus stop [バスストップ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Buzzer Beat ~ Gakeppuchi no Hero [ブザー・ビート]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Started off well but then got boring in the middle but picked up in the last episode,however this is a fairly below average drama.Kudos to Aibu Saki for her role as a zurui onna. I'd only seen her doing sweet roles before and I was pleasantly suprised by her in this.
Byakuyakou [白夜行]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Very dark but excellent drama,all the cast were really good.
Carnation [カーネーション]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Very enjoyable Asadora, they did a good job on aging the characters,enjoyed watching Ono Machiko and Kuriyama Chiaki .
Cat Street [キャットストリート]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Celeb to Binbo Taro [セレブと貧乏太郎]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Unfortunately didn't work for me either as a comedy or a romance. The only person to come out of this drama with a decent performance was Ryoko Kuninaka
Challenged [チャレンジド]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Unrealistic but enjoyable.
CHANGE
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Wonderful performances from Kimu Taku thru to Ohkura Koji but the best performance has to be from Terao Akira as the manipulative Kanbayashi Masaichi . Although you can guess whats going to happen this is is highly recommended.
Chouchou-san [蝶々さん]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Code Blue: Doctor Heli Kinkyu Kyumei [コード・ブルー]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
What I learned from this is that if I ever get stuck in a Japanese hospital and junior doctors are put in charge of me , I'm going to insist on the best looking and beautiful doctors to look after me because obviously they're the most competent.Average drama, Toda Erika is wasted in this.Asari Yosuke, Higa Manami , Ryo and the older actors do better than the three beautiful main trainee doctors. It's a pity that Yamapi is reduced to playing a stoic robot like character, he can do better than the script allows.
Coffee-ya no Hitobito [珈琲屋の人々]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Dai Ni Gakusho [第二楽章]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Itaya Yuka and Hada Michiko were both excellent in this.
Daichi no Fanfare [大地のファンファーレ]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Dare Yori mo Mama wo Aisu [誰よりもままを愛す]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Masakazu Tamaura & Uchida Yuki , what more could I possibly ask for.
Deka Wanko [デカワンコ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
This got tedious real soon, Sano Shiro and Sawamura Ikki are wasted in this.
Dekichatta Kekkon [できちゃった結婚]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Densha Otoko [電車男]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Very Funny
Doctor-X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko [ドクターX 〜外科医・大門未知子]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Fairly average , I did enjoy Kishibe Ittoku's performance though.
DOCTORS Saikyou no Meii [DOCTORS 最強の名医]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Takashima Masanabu seems to be getting some nut doctor roles recently, but this drama could have done with a lot more romance !
Don Quixote [ドン★キホーテ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Funny in part, there are some good actors here.
Dosokai [同窓会]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Double kitchen [ダブルキッチン]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Dr. Irabu Ichiro [Dr.伊良部一郎]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Mindless fun, is it me but Tokushige Satoshi looks like a mad version of Chow Yun Fat to me.AKB48 sub unit Not Yet turn up for a quick cameo in episode 7.
Dragon Zakura [ドラゴン桜]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
I don't usually like School dramas but I really enjoyed this one, especially the performances from Nagasawa Masami , Nakao Akiyoshi and Saeko.
Edison no Haha [エジソンの母]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great performances from Sakai Maki, Tanihara Shosuke , Osugi Ren, Matsushima Yuki (she's always good) and Tanaka Yoji. Incidently this is actually (imho) Itoh Misaki's best role ; I used to think of her as just being a pretty face but as the story unfolds she improves and actually dose a pretty good job.
Engine [エンジン]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Needs more romance
Enka no Joou [演歌の女王 (えんか の じょおう)]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hilarious with some touching moments
Erai Tokoro ni Totsuide Shimatta! [エラいところに嫁いでしまった!]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Matsuzaka Keiko is quite good in this.
Fake Kyoto Bijutsu Jiken Emaki [フェイク 京都美術事件絵巻]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Fighting Girl [ファイティングガール]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
First Kiss [ファースト・キス]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Inoue Mao is better in this drama than in HYD.
First Love
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Freeter, Ie o Kau. [フリーター、家を買う。]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Takenaka Naoto & Ninomiya Kazunari & the cast do a great job.
Fugoh Keiji [富豪刑事]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite funny.
Fugoh Keiji Season 2 [富豪刑事2]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
If you've seen the first series than you'll know what to expect.
Fumo Chitai [不毛地帯]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
This is actually quite good but I can't help the feeling of the overwhelming smell of a whitewash. Obviously this is not factual but the drama glosses over some important points to make our hero look good: 1. The spy allegation. 2. Sawajima is made to look like a 2 dimensional pantomime villain but in spite of this Endou Kenichi does well to portray his character.3. It doesn't show his wife's side of the story. 4.The wartime military elites seem to continue to hold important posts after the war. 5.Much of the contract work seems to be tied up with military contracts like the trucks for the Indonesian army and the procurement of F-14 jet fighters for Iran. And yet this is ushered into the background. 5. The treatment of Koide by the company.6. Just what role and responsibilty did Iki Tadashi have during the war.So for me the drama losses marks because of this.Other than that the cast was excellent and the actors apart from Koyuki and Amami Yuki, were aged well by the make up crew, those 2 didn't look any different as the years passed.
Furuhata Ninzaburo [古畑任三郎]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Furuhata Ninzaburo Season 2 [古畑任三郎 2]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Furuhata Ninzaburo Season 3 [古畑任三郎 3]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Fuufu [夫婦。]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tamura Masakazu and Htomi Kuroki are birlliant in this family drama.
Fuyo no Hito ~ Fujisancho no Tsuma [芙蓉の人 〜 富士山頂の妻]
Rating: 7/10
Fuyu no Sakura [冬のサクラ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Yet another drama with a heroine with a life threatening disease but great performances from Kusanagi, Imai Miki and Takashima Masanobu and nice snowy scenery.
Gaikoukan Kuroda Kosaku [外交官・黒田康作]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Suspense filled drama but it falls down on the last episode.Kagawa Teruyuki is really good in this.
Gal Cir [ギャルサ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Fujiki Naohito brings ancient native American wisdom to vapid Shibuya para para girls. Fujiki Naohito , Sato Ryuta and Furuta Arata just about make this bearable.
Galileo [ガリレオ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Galileo Season 2 [ガリレオ 2]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
I greatly missed Shibasaki Kou in this.
Gegege no Nyobo [ゲゲゲの女房]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Gekiryuu ~ Watashi wo Oboete Imasuka? [激流〜私を憶えていますか?]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Quite addictive viewing , great cast but seriously this case should have been cracked 20 years ago by the police.
Ghost Mama Sousasen [ゴーストママ捜査線]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Extremely cute, somehow I expected better from such an incredibly great cast.
Giragira [ギラギラ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Gochisousan [ごちそうさん]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
I didin't find this very interesting until 4 months had elasped. I really like the anti-war sentiments which I found more prominent than othe asadoras. I can't believe that Maeda AKi was 29 at the time of the showing of this.
Gokusen [ごくせん]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Better than GTO but very predictable.
Gokusen Season 2 [ごくせん2]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Gokusen Season 3 [ごくせん 3]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Same old Gokusen, I love it ! Seriously you should leave a gap of 3-4 years between watching another of the Gokusen series as they're all too much the same.
GOLD
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Golden Bowl [ゴールデンボウル]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Could have done with alot more romance and less bowling.
Good Luck !! [グッドラック!!]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
GTO [麻辣教師]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Overrated, the anime is better, but then I may have rated this higher had I not seen the anime first.
HAMMER SESSION! [ハンマーセッション!]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hana Yori Dango [花より男子]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Good but not great
Hana Yori Dango Season 2 [花より男子]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hanako to Anne [花子とアン]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Extremely well written and acted, sometimes tragic but never boring.
Hanawake no Yon Shimai [華和家の四姉妹]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I was expecting a better drama from the quality of the actors involved but I guess the script is always the most important element. This does get better towards the end and I really liked the male supporting characters in particular Kato Shigeaki and Tanaka Tetsushi's roles .
Hanayome to Papa [花嫁とパパ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tokito Saburo kept the whole show together.
Hanayome wa Yakudoshi! [花嫁は厄年ッ!]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I liked this, Funny !
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [花ざかりの君たちへ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hancho ~ Jinnansho Azumihan [ハンチョウ ~ 神南署安積班]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hanzawa Naoki [半沢直樹]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Hatsukoi [初恋]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Really enjoyable performances from Kimura Yoshino and Ihara Tsuyoshi. Great song from MISIA as well.
Hero
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Good but not great , needs more romance between Kimu Taku & Matsu Takako.
Hero Season 2
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Hi wa Mata Noboru [陽はまた昇る]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Starts off quite boring then gets interesting towards the end.
Himitsu [秘密]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Fantastic drama,creeped me right out. Sasaki Kuranosuke and Shida Mirai are both great in this !
Himitsu no Hanazono [ヒミツの花園]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hisho no Kagami [秘書のカガミ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hitotsu yane no shita 1 [ひとつ屋根の下 1]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great family drama , fantastic cast.
Hitotsu yane no shita Season 2 [ひとつ屋根の下 2]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hitsudan Hostess [筆談ホステス]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Suprisingly Interesting.
Hokaben [ホカベン]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Unrealistic but very enjoyable.One of Aya Ueto's best performances,ably supported by Kitamura Kazuki , Toda Naho and Usagi Ren. The performances I enjoyed the most were those of Ryo as the amoral Kudou Reiko and Katase Nana in her episode.
Honjitsu wa Taian Nari [本日は大安なり]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Enjoyable nonsense, I didn't recognize Kurokawa Tomoka until episode 4.
Hoshi no kinka 1 [星の金貨]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hoshi no kinka Season 2 / Zoku hoshi no kinka [續。星の金貨]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Not as good as the first series.
Hotaru no Hikari [ホタルノヒカリ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Hotaru no Hikari Season 2 [ホタルノヒカリ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Season 1 was better
hoteriaa [ホテリアー]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Bae Yong Jun is only in this for a few seconds !
Hotman [ホットマン]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Hotman Season 2 [ホットマン2]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
It's a pity they replaced Konishi Manami with Itoh Misaki, as a result her character totally changed. Itoh Misaki seems to always end up in dramas working part time as a hostess, something I can't imagine had Konishi Manami (who is the better actress) continued in the role.
Hungry! [ハングリー!]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
The food looked great and the drama was enjoyable but fluffy.
Ichi Ritoru no Namida [1リットルの涙]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
The whole cast did great.
Ichiban Taisetsu na Hito wa Dare Desu ka? [一番大切な人は誰ですか?]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Ikebukuro West Gate Park [池袋ウエストゲートパーク]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
The acting was good especially Watanabe Ken and the script was at times clever. But the drama's ending was off and I didn't like most of the characters.
Ikemen Desu Ne [美男ですね]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
extremely predictable but mildly entertaining.She should have picked Shu.
Ima Ai ni Yukimasu [いま会いにゆきます]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I enjoyed this alot especially Tomoka Kurokawa's and Okomoto Aya's performances.
Innocent Love [イノセント・ラヴ]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
I really enjoyed this, wonderful cast especially Narimiya Hiroki and Yuki Uchida. Kashii Yu was also good. They probably didn't need the last episode.
Iryu Season 3 [医龍]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Iryu Sosa [遺留捜査]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Iryu Sosa Season 2 [遺留捜査 2]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Not quite as good as the first series but the personal relationships were quite interesting.
Itoshi Kimie [愛し君へ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Izumiya Shigeru and Tokita Saburo were excellent in this.
Itsuka Hi no Ataru Basho de [いつか陽のあたる場所で]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Iijima Naoko and Aya Ueto both excellent in this, A very different Aya Ueto drama.
Itsumo futari de [いつもふたりで]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Nice romance between Sakaguchi Kenji and Matsu Takako.
Jikou Keisatsu [時効警察]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Funny and extremely clever, Odagiri Joe and Asou Kumiko have great chemistry. The attention to detail is great in this drama down to reverting to filming in 4:3 format when a scene is done in the past, keep an eye out or you'll miss the gags going on in the background.
JIN [JIN-仁-]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Highly engaging historical fantasy/medical drama, it was quite difficult to recognize some actors like Koide Keisuke in Geki Jidai outfits. Great performances from Osawa Takao and Ayase Haruka. Highly recommended.
JIN Season 2
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Joker Yurusarezaru Sosakan [ジョーカー 許されざる捜査官]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite enjoyable,Osugi Ren was pretty good and Anne did well in this.
Jotei [女帝]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I liked this , it started off really well but loss some pace in the last episode
Jotei Kaoruko [女帝 薫子]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kurokawa Tomomka plays second fiddle to Kiritani Mirei. Nothing special in this drama.
Jun to Ai [純と愛]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Very enjoyable and well written although it seemed to run out of steam during it's last month of broadcast. I especially enjoyed Tachi Hiroshi as the funny hotel owner.
Juui Dolittle [獣医ドリトル]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Narimiya Hiroki is quite good in this.
Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite [10年先も君に恋して]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Jyoou no Kyoushitsu [女王の教室]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kaette Kita Jikou Keisatsu Season 2 [帰ってきた時効警察 2]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Funny but somehow not as good as the first series.
Kagero no Tsuji [陽炎の辻]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
The fight scenes were very enjoyable.
Kaidan Hyaku Shosetsu [怪談百物語]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Best to watch these alone late at night with the lights off for atmosphere. Unfortunately the stories qualities do go down a bit as the series continues.
Kaitakushatachi [開拓者たち]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
The most interesting Sino-Japanese war drama I've yet seen.Yamashita Rio was good in this.
Kamisama mou sukoshi dake [神様、もう少しだけ]
Rating: 4/10 (Watched)
Extremely unrealistic.
Kare, Otto, Otoko Tomodachi [カレ、夫、男友達]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
All the three main actresses were excellent in this tale of three sisters and the supporting cast were good as well.
Karei naru Ichizoku [華麗なる一族]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Really excellent !
Karei naru Spy [華麗なるスパイ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Karyu no Utage [下流の宴]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Rather enjoyable drama and what a fine cast, great performances from Minami , Hitomi Kuroki and Endo Kenichi.
Kaseifu no Mita [家政婦のミタ]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Matsushima Nanoka seems to play cold characters well.The kids were great.
Kawa, Itsuka Umi e [川、いつか海へ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I liked the second (Watanabe Ken & Kobayashi Satomi as the funny Ryokan owners) and the third stories the best. Keep your eyes peeled for a very young Shida Mirai in the first & last episodes and for a young Narumi Riko in the third story.
Kaze no Garden [風のガーデン]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great acting from Ken Ogata , Nakai Kichi and Kamiki Ryunosuke.
Keiji no Genba [刑事の現場]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Excellent cast in an above average Police drama, pity it didn't last longer.
Keizoku Season 2: SPEC [ケイゾク 2: SPEC]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
I really enjoyed this, great performances from Toda Erika and Kase Ryo and interesting twists in the storyline, highly recommended.
Kekkon Dekinai Otoko [結婚できない男]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kiken na Aneki [危険なアネキ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne? [キミ犯人じゃないよね?]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Light weight comedy , every episode the criminal is a beautiful woman that Kaname Jun falls in love with.
Kimi wa Petto [きみはペット]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Enjoyable but silly
Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo N (neo) [金田一少年の事件簿N (neo)]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Kobayakawa Nobuki no Koi [小早川伸木の恋]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kogane no Buta [黄金の豚]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
At first I thought this was too similar to Nasake no Onna but it gets intersting towards the end.
Koi ni Ochitara ~Boku no Seikou no Himitsu~ [恋におちたら〜僕の成功の秘密〜]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Koinu no Waltz [仔犬のワルツ]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Koishite Akuma [恋して悪魔]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
WhenI started watching this I thought this was going to be rubbish but I'm glad I was proved wrong. Very nice romance, Kato Rosa and to a lesser extent Nakayama Yuma were great in this.Kudos also to Ito Shiro.
Koishite Shinitai [恋して死にたい]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Hara Sachie & Dohmoto Tsuyoshi are quite good in this , although Hara Sachie seems a little tall for Dohmoto Tsuyoshi.
Kokuhatsu ~ Kokusen Bengonin [告発〜国選弁護人]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
I quite liked this, nice to see Nishimura Masahiko join Tamura Masakazu again. Its a pity Aibu Saki is wasted in this.
Konkatsu! [婚カツ!]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
The supporting cast Sato Ryuta, Kohinata Fumiyo,Hashizume Isao, Fubiki Jun and Ryo perform well. But the main problem with this drama is the dull script and that Nakai Masahiro and Aya Ueto have zero chemistry.The script writer should have had the romance between Ryo and Nakai Masahiro.
Koori no sekai [冰の世界]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Takenouchi Yutaka , Matsushima Nanako and Uchida Yuki provide great performances in a suspenced fill drama. However the ending spoilt it , a bit Deus Ex Machina for my liking.
Koshonin [交渉人]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Koshonin Season 2 [交渉人]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Koufuku no Ouji [幸福の王子]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
This is totally absurd, how can any body be that unlucky,that being said I love this. Great performances from all three main characters especially Watabe Atsuro.
Kowloon de Aimashou [九龍で会いましょう]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kudo Shinichi no Fukkatsu! Kuro no Soshiki to no Taiketsu [工藤新一の復活!~黒の組織との対決]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kurosagi [クロサギ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Highly enjoyable but lots of holes in the plot lines. A great cast with good perfomances from YamiP, Horikita Maki and Aikawa Sho who should work on his laugh and so far this is the best performance I've seen from Yui Ichikawa.
Kurumi no Heya [胡桃の部屋]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Really enjoyed Matshushima Nao's performance in this drama.A lot more meatier than Gegege no Nyobo.
Kyousoukyoku [協奏曲]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji Season 5 [救命病棟24時 5]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Fairly average medical drama Tokito Saburo and Sasaki Kuronosuke were good as usual.
Kyuuketsuki Densetsu Satsujin Jiken Special [吸血鬼伝説殺人事件]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
LADY ~ Saigo no Hanzai Profile ~ [LADY〜最後の犯罪プロファイル〜]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite enjoyable, although I doubt that profiling can actually be that accurate.
Last Christmas [ラストクリスマス]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
This is really good romance, Oda Yuji plays much the same character as he did in Tokyo Love Story and Yada Akiko makes for his tempestuos foil. You'll love watching this and find yourself singing along with those 80s Wham songs. Good for watching at Xmas !
Last Money ~Ai no Nedan~ [ラストマネー 〜愛の値段〜]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
hmmm death insurance is curiously interesting,Takashima Reiko did a good job on this one.
Legal High [リーガル・ハイ]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Good Points - Started off well, some interesting cases, some good gags. Bad Points - Overacting - Sakai Masato must have taken a leaf out off the Jim Carey school of acting ( the only person who came out credibly was Koike Eiko), and rubbish ending.
Legal High Season 2 [リーガル・ハイ 2]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Better than season 1
Liar Game [ライアーゲーム]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Suprisingly good !
LIAR GAME Season 2 [ライアーゲーム 2]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Long vacation [ロングバケーション]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
Love generation [ラブジェネレーション]
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
Lucky Seven [ラッキーセブン]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Not a bad cast but a below average drama, the CGI used in the fighting made the fighting look unrealistic and irked me no end.
Lunch no Joou [ランチの女王]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great drama , just don't watch it if you're going on a diet.
M no Higeki [Mの悲劇]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Made in Japan [メイドインジャパン]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Takahashi Katsumi was great in this, perhaps the drama looks a little optimistic.
Madonna Verde [マドンナ・ヴェルデ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
An interesting look at the problems of surrogacy in Japan. As usual with Drama 10, a great opportunity for the older actors to shine.Matsuzaka Keiko , Kuninaka Ryoko and Nagatuska Kyozo provide fine performances.
Magari Kado no Kanojyo [曲がり角の彼女]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Very enjoyable, Inamori Izumi and Shaku Yumiko did really well.
Magerarenai Onna [曲げられない女]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
This drama wasn't that interesting for me but Kanno Miho is good, nice to see a drama where the leading lady wears glasses ! Nagasaku Hiromi did amuse me though.
Maido in Akihabara [めいど in あきはばら]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
This is short, stupid and funny.
Maison Ikkoku [めぞん一刻]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Majo no jouken [魔女の条件]
Rating: 3/10 (Watched)
A serious subject actually, so I would expect the script writers to give reasons and points for both sides of the issue. But this drama is so one sided and contrived (How Hirose arrives in time to stop Kyoko - Hitomi Kuroki drowning I do not know - is she wonder woman in disguise ?), no one bothers to state to Matsushima Nanoko's character Hirose Michi the obvious "Well why do you think society and schools have rules against this sort of thing" or "So your 26 and he's 19 what exactly do you 2 have in common that you can build a secure relationship in the future" or "How do you really know the baby's his are you psyhic?", of course stating these obvious points would ruin their case.I am not a conservative nut job and I do believe that age should be no barrier to love provided the people involved have the maturity but the KY teacher whose father had to pull strings to get her the job and the rebellious bike riding son who both seem to have not bothered with contraceptives, just don't have that maturity. Acting wise Hitomi Kuroki was great as usual , hell she could have played Matsushima Nanoko's character as well.
Majo Saiban [魔女裁判]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
I really liked this, I much prefer the simplest solution is the right answer than the "unfair" type solutions in dramas like Ice World where some character who wasn't a suspect is suddenly revealed as the culprit in the last episode and goes against all logic. Kato Ai and Ishida Yuriko were both superb in this one.
Makete, Katsu [負けて、勝つ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Fairly interesting but perhaps too much emphasis on Yoshida Shigeru's dealing with MacArthur.
Manatsu no Merry Christmas [真夏のメリークリスマス]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Nothing special but great performances from Usagi Ren and Kato Ai.
Marks no Yama [マークスの山]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
The music is excellent in this , this drama works best if you suspend belief as there are lots of holes in the plot line. Once you start thinking along the lines of well why didn't the police do such and such 20 years ago or how did Mizusawa Hiroyuki know exactly where to search in Asano's house, then this drama falls to bits.And I wasn't overly impressed with Kamikawa Takaya as he looked like he was over acting.
Marumo no Okite [マルモのおきて]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
This is so cute , I love it ! Abe Sadao , Ashida Mana and Suzuki Fuku were all great. Its pity there wasn't more romance between Abe Sadao and Minami Higa.
Meguri ai [めぐり逢い]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Some good ideas and episodes but kind of fizzled out in the end.
Mei-chan no Shitsuji [メイちゃんの執事]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
This is so ridiculous -I Love It ! The cast is so beautiful, so many Ikemens and Bijins, it hurts the eyes but in a good way. A lot of fun , if you don't like Shojou Manga then avoid this.
Meitantei Conan: Sayonara Made no Prologue [名探偵コナン- 工藤新一への挑戦状]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Meitantei no Okite [名探偵の掟]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Funny and quite clever, the three leads have nice chemistry but this comedy falls short of being great.
Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri [三毛猫ホームズの推理]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Some good ideas in this but somehow it should have been better.
Mirai Koshi Meguru [未来講師めぐる]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tomoka Kurokawa is funny in this !
Misaki Number One!! [美咲ナンバーワン!!]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I enjoyed this but there's nothing new in this, you've seen it all before. This is just another variant of Gokusen or GTO.
Mop Girl [モップガール]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Very funny and yet touching in parts.
Moso Shimai ~ Bungaku Toiuna no Motoni [妄想姉妹 ~ 文學という名のもとに]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Gets better as the drama progresses despite the brevity of the episodes. Konno Mahiru gets some funny lines.
Mother
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Okay, a lot of the characters make bad/irrational decisions but this is a really touching drama.The entire female cast was excellent.
Moto Kare [元カレ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
MR. BRAIN
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Mukodono! [ムコ殿/女婿大人]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Muscle Girl [マッスルガール!]
Rating: 4/10 (Watched)
Yui Ichikawa isn't too bad in this actually but Lee Hong Ki is a bit wooden.
My Little Chef
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Nagareboshi [流れ星]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
I didn't count myself as a big fan of either Takenouchi Yutaka or Aya Ueto until watching this drama but they really pushed themselves on this one.Inagaki Goro also did well on this one, everytime I saw him a felt my blood pressure rise. Excellent work !
Nageki no Bijo [嘆きの美女]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Kurosawa Kazuko was good in this. But somehow I didn't really get into this drama.
Naka nai to Kimeta Hi [泣かないと決めた日]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
If it were me entering that firm I would have quit after 10 minutes. I really liked this but it lost some steam when it reached the last two episodes.Naohito Fujiki always seems to end up with stoic Buchou roles but he did well here.Anne was great as well although they overdid the evil bit by shining a torch over her face to make her look sinister and the rattlesnake sound.The OLs all did great as well.
Nankyoku Tairiku ~Kami no Ryouiki ni Idomunda Otoko to Inu no Monogatari~ [南極大陸〜神の領域に挑んだ男と犬の物語〜]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I didn't like the first two episodes , too much testosterone and brain cell killing stirring music. I guess if you're Japanese you're meant to feal stirred by this, but I kept thinking wow the planning for this expedition is bad and some of the decisions made by the expedition are testosterone fueled and not based on cold logic and reason. This gets better though as it progresses and at times resembles a Disney movie, the dogs survival is sanitised you never get to see them ripping up a penguin or a seal but you do get to see a far fetched rescue where a dog is going to fall down a chasm.
Nasake no Onna [ナサケの女]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Nemureru mori [眠れる森]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great drama , Kimu Taku pretty creepy in this one.
Nezumi, Edo wo Hashiru [鼠、江戸を疾る]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Suprisingly enjoyable !
Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo [日本人の知らない日本語]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
This reminded me of an old British comedy called Mind your Language. I'm sure I've seen a lot of those foreign "students" before on NHK world.
Nisennen no koi [二千年の恋]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
A bit too cold warish for my tastes and at times a little slow.
Nobuta wo Produce [野ブタ。をプロデュース]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Mostly fluff but not bad overall, just a pity that there are good actors wasted here.
Nodame Cantabile [のだめ カンタビ−レ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Set up a 5.1 sound system turn on the Dolby Pro-Logic, sit back and enjoy.
Ns' Aoi [Ns’ あおい ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Ofukou-san [おふこうさん]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Funny !
Ohisama [おひさま]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Not compelling viewing ,the pre-war and war years were the most interesting , it's amazing that people just cheered when the men went off to war instead of asking questions whether it was a bad idea.They also could have done a much better job of aging the cast.Terawaki Yasufumi was good as the all too perfect father though.
Ohsama no resutoran [王樣のレストラン]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Oishii puropozu [おいしいプロポーズ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Orange Days [オレンジデイズ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Orthros no Inu [オルトロスの犬]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I enjoyed this, Tacky should stick to playing evil people.
Otoko no Kosodate [オトコの子育て]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Funny !
Otousan [おとうさん]
Rating: 9/10 (Watched)
Tamura Masakazu, Iijima Naoko , Hirosue Ryoko and Miki Nakatani are brilliant in this family drama.
Owakon TV [おわこんTV]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Pandora [パンドラ]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Extremely suspenseful,makes one think,I always thought a cure for cancer would be a good thing.Mikami Hiroshi,Yanagiba Toshiro and Mitsuki Tanimura were very good in this.
Pandora Season 2: Kiga Retto [パンドラII 飢餓列島]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Enjoyable but not as good as the first Pandora.
Perfect Report [パーフェクトリポート]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
A great cast but somehow the drama wasn't that engaging for me.
Platonic [プラトニック]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
Pride [プライド]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Good drama but not a great drama, somehow this didn't quite work for me, I enjoyed Sekiguchi Kenji's performance though.
Primadam [プリマダム]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I have zero interest in Ballet, but somehow this works; great performances from Kuroki Hitomi, Furata Arata and Kaho.
Princess Princess D [プリンセス・プリンセスD]
Rating: 4/10 (Watched)
Weird but funny in parts.
Proposal Daisakusen [プロポーズ大作戦]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I enjoyed this but I thought Rei chose the wrong person,at first I was on Kens side but gradually I began to see Tada Sensei as the better choice. Ken had the chance several times to correct his mistakes and years to confess his feelings properly but Tada Sensei made the right choices at every turn with courage and in the end with selflessness.Which makes him the better man.
Psycho Doctor [サイコドクター]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
I love this, great performances from Takenouchi Yutaka , Hada Michiko , Nishimura Masahiko and Ichikawa Mikako. I especially liked the episode with Otsuka Nene and Izumiya Shigeru.
Puzzle [パズル]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Enjoyable & Funny, very much in the vein of Trick.
Quilt no Ie [キルトの家]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Quite a few older actors in this one.
Rebound [リバウンド]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
mmm �P�[�L.Katsuji Ryo and Kuriyama Chiaki do a good job as supporting cast.
Regatta [レガッタ]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Reikan Bus Guide Jikenbo [霊感バスガイド事件簿]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
A little odd but I liked it
Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso [霊能力者 小田霧響子の嘘]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Very enjoyable, reminds me of Trick, enjoyed Satomi Ishihara and Yuko Oshima's performances.
Remote [リモート]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Rich Man, Poor Woman [リッチマン、プアウーマン]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Potentially a good cast but the script was a bit disappointing. Iura Arata and Aibu Saki however performed very well.
rinbukyoku [輪舞曲]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Rinjo Season 2 [臨場 2]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Risou no Musuko [理想の息子]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
very funny !
Rookie!
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Funny in parts, Kakei Toshio & Kuroki Hitomi do a sterling job.
Ruri no shima [瑠璃の島]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Ryusei no Kizuna [流星の絆]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi [最後から二番目の恋]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Nice but predictable.
Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata ~Ending Planner~ [最高の人生の終り方~エンディングプランナー~]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Rather enjoyable family drama with supernatural trimmings. I don't normally like Sorimachi Takashi but he was good in this.
Saito-san [斉藤さん]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Very interesting drama on right and wrong, I guess all of us would like to be as strong as Saitou San but I guess I'm probably more like Mikami San.Mizuki Arisa, Mimura , Takahashi Reiko and all the ladies did real good.
Saiyuuki [西遊記 ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Saka no Ue no Kumo [坂の上の雲]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Sapuri [サプリ]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
A bit boring , No chemistry.
SCANDAL
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite enjoyable but marred by holes in the plot line and irrational actions. The ladies performed well but I actually was more impressed by Sawamura Ikki and Kohinata Fumiyo.
SCHOOL!! [スクール!!]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
This is high on the cheese factor, especially the last episode. Usually I'm adverse to school dramas but I loved this. Kishibe Ittoku, Nishijima Hidetoshi and Eguchi Yousuke were excellent in it. Sky Tree dominates the backdrop of this drama.
Second Virgin [セカンドバージン]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Seigi no Mikata [正義の味方]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Seijo [聖女]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Hirosue Ryoko is scarey in this.
Seikei Bijin [整形美人。]
Rating: 5/10 (Watched)
The last episode is too much of a sell out for me,
Seito Shokun! [生徒諸君!]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
A collection of good actors and actresses are in this drama but this is marred by big holes in the plot line (I can't believe no one in this day and age would not bring mobile phones and GPS on a field trip, I think it would be more believable if this were set in the 80s) and bad casting but this is not the fault of the actors involved.The entire class looked too old to be Chu Gakku Ninen sei and looked more like Kou Kou Sei.I also have trouble reconciling Horikita Maki playing a bad character as she seems to have an air of innocence around her which makes her more suitable for playing good characters.Shiina Kippei however was very good in his role.
Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu [世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Enjoyable but depressing
sekushii boisu ando robo [セクシーボイスアンドロボ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
This reminded me alot of a Manga/Anime called XXXholic but not as clever as that Manga. I think this would work better as an Anime.
Semishigure [蝉しぐれ]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Sengyou Shufu Tantei ~Watashi wa Shadow [専業主婦探偵〜私はシャドウ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kiritani Kenta was the best thing in this average Fukada comedy.
Shanghai Typhoon [上海タイフーン]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
At last Kimura Tae in a leading role, interesting drama with insights on Sino -Japanese points of view.
Shiawase ni Naritai [幸せになりたい]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Pretty good, Fukada Kyoko seems to do better in comedy and it's nice to see Matsuhita Yuki in a bigger role, she deserves it.
Shichinin no Onna Bengoshi [7人の女弁護士]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shichinin no Onna Bengoshi Season 2 [7人の女弁護士 2]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shigatsu no monogatari [四月の物語]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Quite effective given it's brevity. Now I know where the images come from on her music videos.
Shijuukunichi no Recipe [四十九日のレシピ]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Shika Otoko Aoniyoshi [鹿男あをによし]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Weird but entertaining, the last episode is mainly filler but make sure you watch up to the end of the credits.
Shimokita Sundays [下北サンデーズ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Enjoyable nonsense, Sasaki Kuranosuke is good as usual but unfortunately the script did not allow Yamaguchi Sayaka to show what she's capable of.This will probably appeal only to Aya Ueto fans.
Shin Kasouken no Onna Season 6 [新・科捜研の女 6]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Shinsengumi Keppuroku (2011) [新選組血風録]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Interesting but too much testosterone , blood and seppuku for my tastes.
Shinzanmono [新参者]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Shiroi Haru [白い春]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shiroi kage [白い影]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shiroi Kyoto [白い巨塔]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shokojo Seira [小公女セイラ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Shida Mirai is brilliant as always , the bullying in this series is quite harrowing. Is it me but since seeing Tanabe Seiichi in Ring 0 does he ever get the girl in any series ?
Shoni Kyumei [小児救命]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Average drama, Watanabe Eri (who should be credited for this) Yamaguchi Sayaka and Osugi Ren did good work though.
Shotenin Michiru no Mi no Uebanashi [書店員ミチルの 身の上話]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
A bit dark... Just make sure you don't have any crazy childhood friends if you win the lottery.
Slow Dance [スローダンス]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
A bit slow at times but well worth watching
Smile [スマイル]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi [空から降る一億の星]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni... [それは、突然、嵐のように…]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Sotsu Uta [卒うた]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Corney but I liked it.
Strawberry on the shortcake [ストロベリー・オンザ・ショートケーキ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Suekko chounan ane san nin [末っ子長男姉三人]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Very enjoyable romance/family drama,
Summer Rescue [サマーレスキュー]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
The cast is overly accident prone but Ono Machiko was good in this.
Summer snow
Rating: 10/10 (Watched)
Sweet season [スゥイート・シーズン]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Intense and enjoyable, the only thing I didn't like was the old amnesia trick. Fantastic cast , this is my favourite Nanako drama.
Taiho shichauzo [逮捕しちゃうぞ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
If you like Hara Sachie or Itoh Misaki , this is for you. Mildly enjoyable but fairly unimpressive comedy.
Taira no Kiyomori [平清盛]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Not a total disaster , I fear that this period may be a bit distant for some, I had to keep referring to Stephen Turnbull's book on the Samurai throughout the series. My problems with this series are, that a fair bit of artistic license on the storyline, for instance Kiyomori was quite happy to execute his uncle .The same actors have been used to cover the same characters over a wide period of time and although this works for the mature and later years of the characters, it seems a bit odd for the younger years of the characters.Some of the battles involved tens of thousands of people however they tended to look like large skirmishes in the series. Any how I'm glad they brought the story right to the end of the Genpei wars and the death of Yoshitsune,rather than end it on the death of Kiyomori.
Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta [大切なことはすべて君が教えてくれた]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Pretty Good, but this lost some steam in the second half of the drama.All three main leads were excellent. Takei Emi is a most promising actress.
Taiyo no Kisetsu [太陽の季節]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Amazing drama , both Tacky & Ikewaki Chizuru give great performances.
Taiyou no uta [タイヨのうた]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Good performances from Matsushima Nao and Kaname Jun.
Tantei Gakuen Q [探偵学園Q]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Much better than anticipated, all the kids were great.Make sure you see the special first.
Tantei Gakuen Q (Special) [探偵学園Q]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi [たったひとつの恋]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
It's ok and at least Ayase Haruka's charecter didn't die like so many other heroines with diseases. Kamenashi did a decent job.
Tempest [テンペスト]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Interesting and not a total disaster but I didn't enjoy the supernatural elements in this.Gackt was amusing in this.The Japanese audiences must have been thinking about the American bases in Okinawa in the episode where Perry demands a coaling station.
Tenshi no Wakemae [天使のわけまえ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
The food looks nice, the drama starts off well but interest tails off for me.
Teppan [てっぱん]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Teppan Shoujo Akane [鉄板少女アカネ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
A lot of the episodes seem repetative but I enjoyed this.
Teru Teru Ashita [てるてるあした]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tiger & Dragon [タイガー&ドラゴン]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Great acting from Tomyo Nagase and good support from Nishida Toshiyuki and Okoda Junichi.Furuta Arata gave a great performance in his episode.
Tobo Bengoshi [逃亡弁護士]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Pretty good but a lot of unnecessary padding with corny episodes in between the initial story and the ending; had they cut down the episodes to 3-4 episodes it would have been better.Kitamura Kazuki,Toyohara Kosuke and Yada Akiko were excellent in this.
Tokujo Kabachi!! [特上カバチ !!]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Unrealistic but I enjoyed this. It gets better towards the end.Ryu Raita and Endo Kenichi gave great supporting performances.
Tokyo Love Story [東京ラブストーリー]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tokyo Wankei [東京湾景]
Rating: 5/10 (Bought & Watched)
Bad ripoff of Korean drama.
Tonbi [とんび]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
Touching in parts , but fatally marred by the absurd way Misako dies.
TONBI [とんび]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
I like the addition of Fukishii Kazue to the storyline.
Top Caster [トップキャスタ]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Toshi Densetsu no Onna [都市伝説の女]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
If you like to stare at Nagasawa Masami's legs then this is the drama for you.I actually do find the supernatural and urban legends interesting, this is more scooby do than the x-files , well it was old man Jenkins after and not the Tengu or the Kappa. And I would have got away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids.
Triangle [トライアングル]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Trick [トリック]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Trick Season 2 [トリック2]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Trick Season 3 [トリック3]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Tsuki no Koibito [月の恋人]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Umechan Sensei [梅ちゃん先生]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Extremely enjoyable and fluffy drama, first Asadora that I know of when the heroine has to clean the out house.Maki Chan & cast do a good job , I especially like Takahashi Katsumi (whom I only seem to see in comedic roles ) as the grumpy Kenzo. Pity they didn't do more with Mimura and Tomaka Kurakawa.
Unfair [アンフェア]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
quite gripping
Untouchable [アンタッチャブル]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite interesting actually.
Uso Koi [ウソコイ]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Ok I'm quite a fan of Faye Wong's music but I've never seen her act before this. I thought her English was pretty good, more fluent so than the much lauded Koyuki. She didn't speak much Japanese though and usually spoke in English. The show was pretty predictable from the start but none the less enjoyable.Nakai Kichi (he never disappoints !) gave a good performance as usual.It's also great to see a drama where the hero wears glasses and is an older actor ( and therefore far more representative of the Japanese population as a whole than most of the idols that appear in dramas )! Osugi Ren also does a good job and his English is not too shabby !
Utsukushi Rinjin [美しい隣人]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Really enjoyable suspense drama, Nakama Yukie is scary in this.
Wakamono no subete [若者のすべて]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Excellent, they don't make drama's like this nowadays, make sure you watch the ending right up to the close of the credits.
Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu [私が恋愛できない理由]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Enjoyable but very predictable drama , I enjoyed Hagiwara Masato and Inamori Izumi's supporting roles the most. It's a pity that Kurashina Kana was stiffed with a lousy support role.
Watashitachi no kyokasho [わたしたちの教科書]
Rating: 10/10 (Bought & Watched)
Kanno Miho and Fubuki Jun are really good in this.Ichikawa Miwako should be credited for this as well.
Welkame [ウェルかめ]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Yae no Sakura [八重の桜]
Rating: 7/10 (Watched)
Got alot better from episode 34 when Odagiri Joe started becoming more important. Far too much emphasis and flash backs on the boshin war and not enough on education.
Yako no Kaidan [夜光の階段]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
Quite an intense drama ,but like dramas of this ilk its let down by the premise of the police being absolutely incompetent on the investigation of the first crime but they make up for it by being dogged for the next crimes -ridiculous. I have difficulty in imagining Fujiki Naohito playing a bad guy but he was pretty good. If you can get over the ridiculous premise this is not bad.
Yakusha Damashii [役者魂]
Rating: 4/10 (Bought & Watched)
Fujita Makoto who unfortunately passed away in 2010 stars as a grumpy Shakespearan actor. But even Matsu Takako can't save this drama from being boring. Doesn't help that Matsu Takako doen't even have a proper love interest in this drama.
Yama Onna Kabe Onna [山おんな壁おんな]
Rating: 6/10 (Bought & Watched)
Yamato Nadeshiko [やまとなでしこ【大和撫子】]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
I was rooting for Yada Akiko.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge [ヤマトナデシコ七変化]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
This drama is a bit hard to rate some episdoes were pretty much fluff whilst some were fairly touching. After having seen Aya Oomasa in Misaki number one, I hardly recognized here, which means I guess she must be doing something right.
Yokai Ningen Bem [妖怪人間べム]
Rating: 6/10 (Watched)
I thought this was going to be bad when I first started watching this and at times it reminded me of a power rangers script but its not too bad actually.
Yokoso, Wagaya e [ようこそ、わが家へ]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)
Yume no California [夢のカリフォルニア]
Rating: 8/10 (Bought & Watched)
This is not for those who like happy, romantic or unrealistic dramas. Its pretty dark and realistic, Kudos to all three main leads who performed really well.
Yume wo Kanaeru Zo [夢をかなえるゾウ]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Zettai Kareshi [絶対彼氏]
Rating: 9/10 (Bought & Watched)
Zettai Reido [絶対零度]
Rating: 7/10 (Bought & Watched)
Aya Ueto and her colleagues pour over cold case files in this detective drama. Yamaguchi Sayaka and Nakahara Takeo give really great supporting performances. Aya Ueto is effectively used to provide the emotional perspective to the audience.
Zettai Reido Season 2 [絶対零度 2]
Rating: 8/10 (Watched)

Sun_Shang_Xiang's drama reviews (30)
4 Shimai Tantei Dan [4姉妹探偵団]
Showcase [Rating: 6/10]
Mildly enjoyable but not very deep detective drama. This is a bit of a showcase for Kaho (her three siblings get subsidiary roles) but unfortunately it's not all that well written.Not the best vehicle for Kaho to display her talent, I saw her in the movie Sunadokei where she gave a great performance.Unfortunaely both Takenaka Naoto and Kato Natsuki are wasted in this as well.
Ai wa Mieru [愛はみえる]
Aya Ueto - Sugoi [Rating: 8/10]
Based on the true story of Satoko Tatemichi , Aya Ueto produces (for me anyway) her best performance to date as blind musician Juri Tatematsu. And at last Aya Ueto is partnered with an actor that doesn't look too old compared to her (Koide Keisuke). Both Aya Ueto and Koide Keisuke trained with Tokyo Metropolitan Welfare Association for the Blind and visited Satako Tatemichi and her husband to train for their roles. Some may find it a bit slow, but its well worth sticking with.
Bambino! [バンビーノ!]
mmmm..... Pasta [Rating: 7/10]
This is actually my favorite Matsu Jun drama, so far ...Kudos to Matsu Jun for his performance in this one and yet it lacks a certain human element to it. The main characters all seem preoccupied with the restaurant or cooking to the extent that they go around visiting other restaurants in their spare time to the detriment of everything else and unfortunately the human relationship element is sorely lacking.Yes ...romance is sadly missing, Fukiishi Kazue and Matsu Jun make a really nice couple, more so than with Inoue Mao (looks too young) in HYD or with Koyuki (looks too old ) in Kimi wa Petto, its a shame the writers didn't make more of an effort to expand their short relationship. It does a good job of showing the industrial like preparation of food of the kitchen and also the view from the waiter's point of view.In terms of all the other food dramas I found this the most convincing drama .I really enjoyed Sato Ryuta's performance. Sasaki Kuranosuke and Uchida Yuki (who just stood around looking absolutely stunning) are both pretty good actors but sadly didn't do much in this drama.
Bara no nai Hanaya [薔薇のない花屋]
Get your tissues ready.. [Rating: 10/10]
This is a real tear jerker, this is for me is Takeuchi Yuko's best drama so far, wonderful cast with great support form the ever so cute Yagi Yuki, Terejima Susumu, Shaku Yumiko (her best role so far IMHO) Miura Tomokazu and Matsuda Shota. This is really well written with some interesting twists however it did seem to start running out of steam after episode 7 and again in the last episode.Unfortunately Katori Shingo's performance to me wasn't that impressive, he delivered all his lines in boring monotone and his expressions seemed all the same even when he was supposed to be angry and he just didn't look in love with Mio; sure his character's grieving but surely he still has to have other emotions. I can't help feeling that other actors such as Abe Hiroshi or Sawamura Ikki or even Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (ok maybe they be older than the character should be) would have done a better job.
Bloody Monday [ブラッディ・マンデイ]
Quite good until......... [Rating: 3/10]
I quite enjoyed watching this, the music was great and the story was quite fast paced, however when I sat back and thought about the holes in the plotline and how stupid both the terrorist and police were ..I had to downgrade my rating. Kichise Michiko's performance was enjoyable though but even that can't save this drama.
Giragira [ギラギラ]
All too predictable [Rating: 6/10]
Sasaki Kuranosuke's character gets laid off work so he goes off back to work as a host but he keeps this secret from his wife Hara Sachie. Of course the current young bloods don't accept him but he earns their trust and fights to protect the club. But you know exactly whats going to happen , his wife will of course find out ....domestic trouble ensues and then there will be loads scenes where he has to bow his head down to plea and get humiliated. Its not a bad drama but its all too predictable. Its a pity as Sasaki Kuranosuke and Maya Miki are really good actors but its not a great vehicle to show case their acting skills.
Good Luck !! [グッドラック!!]
Disappointing [Rating: 7/10]
but not a disaster .....I'm a little suprised at the high ratings this drama has, above that of Love Generation. But Kimutaku and Shibasaki Kou lack chemistry. I enjoyed Kuroki Hitomi and Yoon Son Ha's performance as Kimutaku's funny neighbour though. Maybe the script writer should have had Kimutaku and Tsutsumi Shinichi fight over Kuroki Hitomi instead.
HAMMER SESSION! [ハンマーセッション!]
Pretty Good [Rating: 8/10]
If you like watching Moko Michi stripped down and oiling his bronzed chest then this show is for you. Moko Michi isn't a great actor but roles which rely on his physical presence and have a slight comedic element seem to suit him. Strangely I much preferred this to GTO. Shida Mirai is always brilliant but her tiny size makes her stand out from her classmates. Great performance from Fumiyo Kohinata as the besieged principle.This show could have done with a bit more romance ! The Beautiful Manami Higa was underutilized.
Hana Yori Dango Season 2 [花より男子]
Marred by racist stereotyping in the first episode [Rating: 6/10]
The second season was seriously marred by the use of negative stereotyping of African Americans in the first episode.If it wasn't for this the season would have rated higher for me. The music for the most part was regurgitated from the first season down to the Harry Potter style music motifs which actually isn't a bad thing in itself, my only real complaint as regards the music was that I soon got fed up of hearing Utada Hikaru's Flavor of Life drowning out the dialogue every 35 - 40 minutes into each episode.Matsumoto Jun's acting was ok for the most part except when he was trying to hide something from his fellow F4 members, then it looked a little hammy. On the plus side, Matsuda Shota and Ogori Shun were good, however Kato Natsuki was even better and was the highlight of the show.
Hisho no Kagami [秘書のカガミ]
Hisho No Kagami wa Onna no Kagami [Rating: 5/10]
If you watch NHK world you'll probably know Megumi Yasu from Science Zero.Megumi Yasu plays Kagami Yu, a sort of super temp secretary with Jean Claude Vandamme type high kicking skills but suffers from bad luck in the romance department. Unknown to herself, She is employed by the Japanese government to investigate the murky going-ons in the Japanese business world. This comedy was originally broadcast in the midnight slot so there's a little fan service, if you're a teenage boy you'll probably appreciate this.
Ichiban Taisetsu na Hito wa Dare Desu ka? [一番大切な人は誰ですか?]
What no villains ? [Rating: 8/10]
Kishitani Goro who plays a policeman and his newly married wife Makise Riho move to a new town where unknowingly his ex-Wife Miyazawa Rie and daughter Kobayashi Ryoko live. And when they meet sparks start to fly. Very fine performances from all three ladies. If you're looking for a drama with a villain to blame then avoid this. Also look out for Becky who provides a short but amusing perfomance as Sato Ryuta's girlfriend.
Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite [10年先も君に恋して]
Ill-matched [Rating: 6/10]
When I heard about this I was really looking forward to this drama.This drama involves time travel so Uchino Masaaki plays 2 roles, one in the present day and 10 years in the future, where he has relationship problems with Aya Ueto. Uchino Masaaki is great in Rinjo but I don't sense much chemistry between him and Aya Ueto even in his present day character. A bit of a disappointment for me.
Karei naru Spy [華麗なるスパイ]
Tom Cruise Spawns bad Japanese Comedy [Rating: 5/10]
The script writer must have watched Tom Crusie in Valkyrie and decided wow.... thats a good idea ! I can use that... Emoto Akira is a Hitler look alike terrorist and even has his own Count Stauffenburg Aide in an episode. Ex-Swindler Tomoyo Nagase & Agent Fukada Kyoko have to stop him.Tomoyo Nagase does his best with the poor script but cramps Fukada's comedic style in the process. Unfortunately the triangle relationship between Anne's character Hirahara San-kyu and Tomoyo Nagase's character Yoroi Kyosuke and Fukada Kyoko's character Dorothy isn't fully resolved either.The show just doesn't work for me .
Koshonin [交渉人]
Don't switch channels yet ! [Rating: 8/10]
As any one who watches Japanese drama will be able to tell you Japan has simultaneously the smartest and the dumbest police in the world. Well where exactly does this fall, a bit of both really. If you like Ryoko Yonekura or tough women action heroines you'll probably like this.It starts off pretty badly though, in the first episode she's given body armour which rather than protecting her bust , it draws attention to it instead. In the next episode she's forced to strip by the bad guy to locate hidden weapons, such things never happened to Kojak. Fortunately things improve greatly in the second half of this drama, so don't give up.Due to the script, Jinnai Takamori unfortunately doesn't get to display his skills apart from looking stoic and irratating simultaneously with his constant playing with his mobile phone, only towards the end he gets the chance to improve. Shiroto Yu on the other hand is amusingly over the top.Whilst the older actors Ibu Masato, Sasano Takashi, Osugi Ren and Kakei Toshio just about hit the right spot.
Kowloon de Aimashou [九龍で会いましょう]
Nice Guys finish last ? [Rating: 9/10]
Really good romance, what I really like about this is that the protagonist Kaoru unlike most heroines is far from being a paragon of virtue. It's really nice to see Ishida Yurika get a leading role and she doesn't disappoint either.Both Ishida Yurika and Ihara Tsuyoshi (who most people will probably remember as the funny boss from last Christmas)give fantastic performances. Kyoko Hasegawa also provides an endearing but secondary role performance as Jasmine (by the way that looks like Kyoko Hasegawa prominently featured on the vcd cover which I guess shows more false advertising as she isn't the leading character). Nice to see Japanese actors speak Cantonese and take in the scenery form Hong Kong.Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed by Kawamura Ryuichi's performance which lacked feeling although his Cantonese was probably the best all of them.Thoroughly enjoyable drama even if the last episode had so many cliches like running to the church to stop the wedding/running to the airport to stop the girlfriend from leaving/snow starting to fall/ Kaoru's intention to work in a bookshop in Notting Hill Gate !
LIAR GAME Season 2 [ライアーゲーム 2]
Enjoyable but flawed [Rating: 8/10]
Very enjoyable, what a great performance by Kikuchi Rinko, no wonder she's an oscar nominee. Is it me ? but I found the logic used in the Angel -Devil game very flawed -Why didn't they even use the booths during the rehearsal? I also note the script writers use contracts between the contestants during the game but ignore their value when it suits them and enforce these contracts when it suits to further the plot line.
MR. BRAIN
Oh dear ...... [Rating: 6/10]
Even Kimu Taku has off days. Bad Japanese imitation of CSI, Rinjo does this so much better.Unfortunately although this drama has a star studded cast both Ayase Haruka and Kagawa Teruyuki who are both very good actors are both wasted in this.Ayase Haruka is reduced to being a porcelain vase. Yukie Nakama was great though in her episodes.
Oishii puropozu [おいしいプロポーズ]
Love conquers all ? [Rating: 8/10]
Enjoyable Romantic drama but as in all dramas of this genre lacking realism. Plaudits should go to the supporting cast, if Saeko sounded sqeaky and was annoying to you... well I suppose that means she did a good job however the performance I enjoyed the most was Kobayashi Mao's, who provided a short but very touching perfomance, I hope she lands a leading role soon.P.S.Don't watch this if you're going on a diet.
Regatta [レガッタ]
Full Steam ahead for Moko [Rating: 9/10]
I wouldn't call Mokomichi a great actor but this is a great sports drama which makes good use of Mokomichi's physical prescence. The best perfomances I felt were from the 2 supporting characters from Yamamoto Taro (this guy should get more credit for the roles he plays) and a short but hilarious appearance by Tomoka Kurokawa. Matsuda Shota performance was fair but I only wished that Aibu Saki's role hadn't been so passive in this drama.
Ruri no shima [瑠璃の島]
Hooray for older people ! [Rating: 8/10]
Warm drama, excellent performances from Takenouchi Yutaka , Ogata Ken & Kohinata Fumiyo - Is there any role Kohinata Fumiyo is incapable of filling ? Narumi Riko gives an endearing performance, she's definitely got talent although I'm not sure whether she's as good as Tomoka Kurokawa or Shida Mirai as a child actress.As a lot of the inhabitants of the island are older ,It's great to see older actors get a bigger role.The only negative points were that I would have liked to have seen some romance between Konishi Manami's character Sanae and Takenouchi Yutaka's character - missed opportunity. And alot of the cast looked a bit fair skinned to pass off as Okinawans.
Saka no Ue no Kumo [坂の上の雲]
War ! What is it good for ? [Rating: 8/10]
Well, according to Edwin Starr (who's actually correct) Absolutely Nothing , but hang on... what about NHK's drama on the Russo-Japanese War ? Saka no Ue no Kumo is a lavish production, NHK must have blown a pile of Yen on this production, usually the digital explosions and fires in Japanese dramas look lame but the effects were really good in this. It did show the horror of war (you only get to see this in the 4 episodes of the third/last arc)but should have been more critical of war - however this is a bit difficult being as it seen as a high point in Japanese history.However during the episode which focuses on the taking of Hill 203 over Port Arthur , NHK couldn't resist putting on the stirring music after the position was taken with the rising sun flag flutterring on top of the hill.The Russian fleet was in a pretty bad state by the time it reached the straits of Tsushima, however this isn't shown, as it would obviously detract from the victory.Out of deference for Japan's neighbours the Ching Empire (which at that time was the proper title I guess) and not China is used and I don't recall seeing a single Korean in the series.Kagawa Teruyuki as Masaoka Shiki for me provided the best performance, whilst Satomi Ishihara and Matsu Takako are reduced to playing beautiful vases.Motoki Masahiro did a pretty decent job as Akiyama Saneyuki.Whilst Abe Hiroshi and Kanno Miho's talents weren't effectively utilized.
Seigi no Mikata [正義の味方]
A Lot of fun [Rating: 9/10]
Don't expect to find any great meaningful truths in this comedy but it is great fun. Yamada Yu and Shida Mirai's varied facial expressions are priceless. Sano Shiro and Mukai Osamu provide effective supporting roles as the down trodden Father and Husband/Brother-in-law in this tale of siblings.
Shiroi Haru [白い春]
Really Good [Rating: 9/10]
I really enjoyed this, great performances from Abe Hiroshi and Endo Kenichi who I've only seen in scary roles before as loving step father, Endo kenichi seems in the zone now in the role nice step father as he also does in the same thing in the Asadora Teppan. There were parts when I felt that the drama was a little cheesy. The only negatives about the drama are that Shiraishi Miho and Konno Mahiru didn't do much, so there wasn't much romance and that this drama aired the same time as Aishiteru Kaiyo which is the better drama.
Smile [スマイル]
Not brave enough [Rating: 6/10]
This should be good and the intention was probably to highlight prejudice but its execution is fately flawed. Matsumoto Jun is suitably darkened up to be a half-Filipino but his character seems weak and his actions at times seem irrational.Moreover his character only associates with Japanese and has regrettably no contacts with the Filipino community in Japan or the Philipines and does not attempt to speak a word of Tagalog and other than food seems to have no interest in Filipino culture.I suspect that Filipino migrant workers are subjected to an even greater degree of prejudice than half -Filipino Japanese nationals.I wonder if the writer was concerned about his audience's reaction had a braver approach been taken. Nakai Kiichi is the self-hating Zainichi Korean who along with Oguri Shun give the best performances of the show. However given Nakai Kiichi's character's prejudiced reaction to Vito and Vito's own character flaws ,this drama doesn't exactly put half-Filipinos or resident Korean's in a good light. It would have been better to give Vito a stronger character rather than being a forever smiling Holy Fool/victim and get someone who's really half-Filipino to play the main role (i'd liked to have seen this with Mokomichi playing the main role)or write the role for a full Filipino migrant worker and get a Zainichi Korean to play Nakai Kiichi's role but given Nakai Kiichi's character's self-hatred, I doubt that any self respecting Zainichi would have liked to attempted the role as it was written.
Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni... [それは、突然、嵐のように…]
Well worth while [Rating: 9/10]
Esumi Makiko's character leads a happy if somewhat boring marriage unexpectedly finds herself attracted attracted to a younger man. In parts this drama is slow and perhaps has less passion than other dramas but it is very engaging. Great performances from Esumi Makiko, YamaPi and Yanagiba Toshiro. Nice ending.
Taiyo no Kisetsu [太陽の季節]
Evil Tacky is Good ! [Rating: 10/10]
If you like seeing Tacky stripped down this is for you. This is my favourite Tacky drama so far, wonderful perfomances from Tacky and Ikewaki Chizuru. Tacky puts on a kindly face to his peers whilst being evil and manipulative behind their back but in the end is tricked by Endo Kenichi's character.
Teppan [てっぱん]
Warm Fuzzy Family Drama [Rating: 7/10]
Orphened Takimoto Moiri is brought up by kindly Endo Kenichi (whos usually playing Yakuza types) and his family as his own daughter. A series of events leads her to discover her biological Grandmother and leads her to run an okonomiyaki shop in Osaka. Quite enjoyable but not exceptional.
Triangle [トライアングル]
Brilliant until the last episode [Rating: 9/10]
I really enjoyed this until the last episode, the suspense is built up thru the episodes but like Koori no Sekai, I just don't find the explanations in the last episode credible and Sasaki Kuranosuke's character coming up with things he should have mentioned decades ago is plain silly. Pity though... great performances from all the cast.
Tsuki no Koibito [月の恋人]
Kimu Taku is Back But watch out for Matsuda Shota [Rating: 8/10]
This is this first Kimu Taku drama I've enjoyed for a long while.I was worried about how good Lin Chi Ling's acting was going to be but was relieved on seeing the result. Actually her character gets less important as the drama progresses. I actually felt that Kimu Taku who's back on form in this drama was outshone by Matsuda Shota's brilliant performance. Great acting also by Ryoko Shinohara. Loved the ending but felt that Shinohara Ryoko picked the wrong guy....that relationships never going to last ...with both those egos getting onto each other's ways.
Zettai Kareshi [絶対彼氏]
Chobits for adults [Rating: 9/10]
Very funny drama with excellent performances from Aibu Saki and Sasaki Kuranosuke . Although this drama is about a robot Moko fills the role with hilarity and a bit of Pathos. Maya Miki and Mizushima Hiro also provide good performances. The main problem with this is once you've seen the first episode you know how it's going to end.

   

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