ラストクリスマス （Last Christmas） (2004)
Basic Synopsis
Kenji is a manager at a large winter sports company, and during a business trip he meets the new secretary for his boss, Yuki. Upon his return home, he finds out that Yuki is his new next door neighbor. Yuki seems like a nice well put girl, but Kenji finds out she’s anything but that outside of the company. She’s a former biker chick and uses men to her advantage to get what she wants. Kenji and Yuki’s rooms were formerly one room, now separated by a closed door. Through a turn of events, the door is broken down and they are forced to interact with each other. Kenji finds a video tape that Yuki filmed of herself and finds out that something will happen on Christmas that will change Yuki’s life. Leading up to that Kenji tries to find out what that is and how it will affect her and his relationship with Yuki.
Thoughts
When I think of Christmas I tend to think of this series. Most of the drama has nothing to do with Christmas, it’s mostly in the latter half of the series because Yuki’s particular situation revolves around Christmas. It’s the perfect love comedy for the season. Yada Akiko was probably be the main reason why I watched this series. I’m not particularly a fan of Oda Yuji outside of the Odoru Daisousasen series, but this one was a good match for him. The drama has the same feel as WHAM’s “Last Christmas”. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it’s based off this song, but I think the nuance is a bit similar. It’s a fun love comedy surrounding two completely different people, both with somewhat serious moments and touching lovey dovey moments. Definitely be on the look out for what happens to Yuki on Christmas and find out what will be of their relationship. In terms of ratings this drama did well with an average of 21.6%.
*Fun Fact: Oda Yuji collaborated with WHAM on the theme song (Last Christmas) and the ending theme song (Wake Me Up Before You Go Go!) and even released it as a single.
Merry Christmas! :D
![家政婦のミタ (Kaseifu no Mita) [trans: Housekeeper Mita] (2011)
Basic Synopsis It’s been 49 days since the death of their mother, yet things around the Asuda household have not gotten any better. To take care of things around the house, Keiichi has asked for a housekeeper to come, and housekeeper Mita comes into their household. Mita shows no emotion and doesn’t smile at all, but she’s perfect in her work. She’ll literally do whatever you ask her to do; if you ask her to kill someone she would do it. Strangely enough, her character fixes this dysfunctional family in various issues.
OpinionI would have to say that this drama is by far the best drama of the year. It’s been a while since a drama this intense and powerful has come our way. Every episode of this drama series hooks you to the next episode. But what makes this drama so interesting is the character of Mita, played by Matsushima Nanako. Throughout most of the drama we’re left with so many questions about her, which don’t get answered until later in the series.
The acting in this drama is great! Matsushima Nanako playing Mita is spot on. I can’t imagine how hard it must be playing someone as robotic as Mita and showing absolutely no emotion. This really brings out the best acting in Matsushima. The kids in the drama are also great! Each child has such complex roles interacting with this other complex character of Mita. They managed well and their roles played a huge part in learning more about Mita.
The writing is amazing as well. The seriousness is sometimes comical in a way but it’s very intense. The small moments of hints that lead us to Mita’s past is what drives this story along with the various situations each member of the Asuda face. The drama strikes at the importance of family and the opportunity to recover from hitting rock bottom. This really hits hard especially in post-disaster Japan because it’s about rebuilding. Hearing “things get better” from someone who hasn’t struggled isn’t as compelling and convincing as someone who has actually been at rock bottom. Some of Mita’s lines have been popular among the media as well as elementary school kids. That’s how powerful this drama is. I swept through about 4 episodes in one sitting, that’s how engaging and catching this drama is.
To recap, I highly recommend this drama for a couple reasons: 1) The mystery behind Mita’s character is so interesting and compelling. Why is she the way she is and what happened in her past? 2) You need to look out at how this family reacts to Mita and how does their family recover from the issues surrounding the death of their mother? 3) The story depicts the importance of family and having connections with one another, something that fits perfectly with post-disaster Japan.4) In a time where 15% average viewership ratings are considered to be “hit” dramas, Kaseifu no Mita easily exceeded that number and stormed high! The final episode locked in 40% which means that almost half of the nation watched the final episode.
This drama easily ranks in at my #2 favorite drama of all time, (although it’s still putting on a good fight with Hana Yori Dango). The writing, the acting and the power this drama holds is something I haven’t seen in a really long time. In a time where less people are watching dramas, Kaseifu no Mita restored my hope in dramas making a comeback. Be sure to check it out at dramacrazy.net!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luwk8kLa9a1r62fk9o1_1280.jpg)
![獣医ドリトル (Juui Dolittle) [trans: Veterinarian Dolittle]
Basic SynopsisThis is a drama that focuses on veterinary medicine. Dr. Tottori is a highly skilled veterinarian that is acclaimed for his abilities to save animals. On the down side, the community sees him as a jerk, asking pet owners for ridiculous amounts of money for animal surgery and treatment. Asuka is Tottori’s assistant nurse. Hanabishi (Narimiya Hiroki) is Tottori’s classmate and is basically Tottori’s rival. These three face many issues with various owners and save the lives of countless animals.
Main CastOguri Shun as Tottori KenichiInoue Mao as Tajima AsukaNarimiya Hiroki as Hanabishi MasaruIshizaka Koji as Professor TomizawaKunimura Jun as Director Domon
Opinion/ThoughtsWhat struck me most about this drama is that it focused on the importance of life regardless of whether if its a human life or an animal’s life. It definitely highlighted a lot of animal rights issues that you wouldn’t usually see in a Japanese drama series. In that sense it was a great refreshment from heavy dramas on human relationships. The main message of this drama was that animal lives are just as important as human lives, and cost lots of money and care. Veterinary practices are not volunteer work, it’s still business. That concept was repeated over and over again. It brought out another side of medicine that isn’t really highlighted, so it was interesting. Personally, I thought vets were simply those that took care of animals, but after watching this drama a new perspective of this field opened up inside me.
Aside from that, I really liked the chemistry between Oguri Shun, Inoue Mao and Narimiya Hiroki. But of course you can’t get enough of Inoue Mao and Oguri Shun. Even though Oguri’s character is like a jerk for most of the drama, I thoroughly enjoyed all the scenes he had with Inoue Mao. The ending was so in their character but it was so Shun/Mao! (If that makes any sense) There was a wide variety of animals brought into the story so it was very cool! Birds, dolphins, dogs, cats, monkeys, horses etc. etc. etc. Each episode had its own story but there were small things that happened that led up to a bigger, wider story. I was a bit bummed there were only 9 episodes….. but still every week waiting for this drama was fun :)
You can watch this drama at dramacrazy.net or mysoju.com! Leave a comment in with a reply or in the ask!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv1yaj4gYV1r62fk9o1_1280.jpg)
![花ざかりの君たちへ～イケメンパラダイス２０１１～ (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise 2011~) [trans: For you in the full bloom ~Ikemen Paradise 2011~]
Basic SynopsisThis is the remake of the 2007 version that starred Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma. To refresh your memory, click here to read the synopsis.
Main CastMaeda Atsuko as Ashiya MizukiNakamura Aoi as Sano IzumiMiura Shohei as Nakatsu ShuichiKiriyama Ren as Namba MinamiMitsushima Shinnosuke as Tenouji MegumiTokuyama Hidenori as Himejima Masao (Oscar)Yamada Shintaro as Sekime KyogoNishii Yukito as Nakao SenriYanagishita Tomo as Kayashima TaikiKashiwagi Yuki as Kishinosato Juri
Opinions/ThoughtsIt’s only been 4 years since the first Hana Kimi drama came out, and the “original” was such a great drama. Logically speaking, wouldn’t you considering waiting to do a remake of a big hit drama for a good 10-20 years? That being said, I wasn’t sure if I would find this drama something I’d want to watch. BUT naturally my curiosity got the best of me and I ended up watching it. I definitely have to say that I assumed the story would progress in the same way that it did in 2007. It was great that they decided to take different routes to get to the same end point. Instead of the story being centered solely around Ashiya getting Sano to high jump again, it was centered around the fact that Osaka Gakuen would be closed in three months. All the boys in the school had already given up and saw their futures to be depressing and hopeless… that was until they met Ashiya. I thought that story above the whole “Ashiya is here for Sano” storyline was great because it pulled everything together and purpose to Ashiya being a girl sneaking into an all boys school. As for the Ashiya/Sano relationship… I definitely was surprised at how fast Sano gave in to Ashiya. Of course Sano is supposed to be stubborn and not accepting of Ashiya at first but personally it felt like he gave in too fast and there was less of a struggle for Ashiya to break through to Sano. The build up to their end was not as exciting as it was in the original. I guess because the overall theme of the drama was the school closing down and how they would stop that from happening, the relationship between Sano and Ashiya kind of took a back seat. The acting in this series was by no means as great as the original. I mean it’s all subjective but personally the acting in 2007 got me more excited. If anyone measured up to the original cast, I would have to say Miura Shohei was great as Nakatsu. Definitely hit the ball out of the park with that casting choice!
One a side note: I do have to say though that the actors in this series are potentially ones that will be supporting the industry later on. When you look at the original cast in 2007, A LOT of those cast members are now considered big names and have had successful careers since then. For example: Okada Masaki (who played Sekime), Yamamoto Yusuke (who played Kayashima), Mizushima Hiro (who played Namba) and Mizobata Junpei (who played Saga Kazuma). Also as side note, did you know Kiritani Mirei was in the original Hana Kimi? Now she’s considered a goddess to the tweens! Amazing what one drama can do for an actor/actress’s carreer!
Check out dramacrazy.net and mysoju.com to watch this drama!
Share you comments in the ask or reblog this post and share your comments!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu9sh5vuYH1r62fk9o1_400.jpg)
![ブルドクター (Bull Doctor) (2011)
Basic Synopsis Oodate Tamami is a doctor with a strong sense of justice. Her job is mainly doing autopsies for bodies found in crime scenes. Through her job doing these autopsies, she reveals the truth behind someone’s death, as she proclaims, “[her] job is to uncover any messages left behind by the dead”. Opposition by anyone does not scare her as she does anything she can to uncover the truth left behind. Now there’s also Kamatsuda Chika who’s a female detective involved in many of these cases. As she is forced to work with the annoying Oodate, she becomes close with her and develop a partnership is solving these crimes and cases.
Main CastEsumi Makiko as Oodate TamamiIshihara Satomi as Kamatsuda ChikaInagaki Goro as Nagura JunnosukeShida Mirai as Takeda MiaKohinata Fumiyo as Takeda Nobuo
Thoughts/OpinionsThis drama was very interesting because it combined the aspects of a medical drama and a detective drama and made it into one. Esumi Makiko as this just medical practitioner is perfect because Esumi comes off as a tough and confident women, which Oodate is. The drama did a great job balancing out Oodate’s relationship with her family (particularly her son) despite her busy schedule with her job. The first episode did a great job in hooking me into watching because it was so interesting. What appears to have happened is actually not the truth because of the results that come out from the autopsy. The drama plays out various relationships besides Oodate and Kamatsuda as well as Oodate and her family. Kamatsuda and Nagura, Takeda and his daughter, and even the deceased and their families left behind… all these relationships are played out well and that’s another thing that makes this drama great to watch. BUT the best part of this drama is definitely the Oodate/Kamatsuda duo that solve all these cases. They’re so stubborn to admit that they like working with each other, but they accomplish great things together. Their teamwork is another thing to watch out for. On a side note, the theme song for this drama is sung by Charice!
You can watch Bull Doctor at dramacrazy.net or mysoju.com!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu77os6XT91r62fk9o1_500.jpg)
![美男ですね！(Ikemen Desu ne) [trans: You’re Beautiful] (2011)Basic SynopsisA Japanese remake of the ever so popular “You’re Beautiful” this drama follows the story of the band A.N.JELL and their new member Mio, who so happens to be a girl. The real Mio is in America for surgery for a nose injury and in place Miko, his twin sister, has to take his place in order to fulfill Mio’s dream of becoming a star and finding the whereabouts of their mother. No one but Mabuchi Manager know that Mio is a girl. Although Mio tries to blend in well with the group she still struggles to keep up with the rest of the bandmates in all aspects of life. Throughout the series each of the bandmates begin to develop feelings for her and a complicated love pentagon is born. Whether Miko’s real indentity is revealed is a question in the air, but also who she ends up is another key factor in the story’s development.Main CastTakimoto Miori as Sakuraba Mio/MikoTamamori Yuta as Katsuragi RenFujigaya Taisuke as Fujishiro ShuYaotome Hikaru as Hongo YukiKojima Haruna as NANAYanagisawa Shingo as Mabuchi HajimeKatase Nana as RINATakashima Masanobu as Ando HiroshiManda Hisako as Mizusawa ReikoThoughts/Opinions **Spoiler Alert**A friend of mine had recommended that I watch the Korean version of this drama for a very long time. It wasn’t until I saw that they were going to be doing a Japanese remake that I got really curious about it. I swept through the Korean one and watched it in less than a week this past summer. I’ve truly become such a great fan of this story and was VERY excited for this Japanese remake.First off, I’d say that the cast was surprising because they weren’t fully established names (like the Hana Yori Dango cast) but I really did like the fact that they were using a lot of fresh faces. I guess they were trying to pull in viewership with some of Johnny Entertainment’s fresh faces but I think they lacked a little bit of experience in acting. I know they have done acting in other works before but I’d say that some scene could have been different and better in some sense. It may be because I’m a bit biased towards the Korean but that’s just how I feel about the “Ikemen” of the group. I am definitely a fan of Takimoto Miori though. I saw her first on Teppan (the NHK morning drama) and was super duper excited when I found out she was playing the role of Go Mi Nam (aka Mio). She fits well in this role and there’s this natural quality to her acting that I really like. She’s such a sweetheart and she looks great even with short hair! Oh! You can’t forget that she cries beautifully and it really draws you in to the scenario.There a lot of things in the Japanese one that I really liked! The whole storyline in the first episode where A.N.JELL was trying to perform a charity concert at the orphanage school was really great. It was a great storyline and it added some depth to Mio’s character as well as the band’s credibility as well. I felt like that same depth was explored in a different way in the Korean one, but this was more efficient and less time consuming.Which leads to my next point, although the Korean one had 16 awesome episode the Japanese one only had 11. I was thinking whether this was good story telling or whether it was that the Japanese remakers decided to leave stuff out. Sure, they left some stuff out (like Go Mi Nam’s friend being in the music video for the solo debut song) but other than that they kept to the original storyline and accomplished alot in one episode, so the story felt like it was moving faster.The way they ended the whole mother/son relationship between Ren and Mizusawa Reiko was great. The Korean one definitely left it on a slightly sour note, but this left it clean and I actually felt really content and happy how that part ended. That last phone conversation was touching and I felt a tear coming in my eye.In the Korean version, the president doesn’t find out about Mio and Miko being the same person throughout the series. However, in this one the president is much more smarter and realizes it in the end. That in itself is different but what was really cool about it was that when Miko came back as Mio again in the final episode, he didn’t punish her or Mio, but instead gave her a little wisdom of his. The way he did that was really great and it showed that he genuinely didn’t care and supported for Ren and Miko’s relationship.The last scene in the dome seemed like they used A LOT of money. The Korean one was in some kind of auditorium while this Japanese remake went full out and rented out an arena. Idk where but it was pretty big and they packed it with fan girls. That was pretty cool!On a side note, I felt that Kis-My-Ft2’s song “Everybody Go” was a great song choice for a theme song. It fits well with the story and it’s an easy song to follow with. Probably the best theme song from this season of dramas, in my opinion.I’d say overall I was hooked onto this series the same way I was with the Korean one. Each series has their own pros and cons but likewise they both portray the same story but in different perspectives. It’s definitely interesting to see the different ways the Korean staff and the Japanese staff tell the same story.You can watch “Ikemen Desu Ne” at dramacrazy.net and mysoju.com!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu762oEgxS1r62fk9o1_500.jpg)
![花より男子リターンズ (Hana Yori Dango Returns) [trans: Boys Over Flowers Returns] (2007)Basic SynopsisIt’s been one year since Domyouji has left for New York, and their long distance relationship has not been going well because they’re losing touch with each other. Right when she convinces herself to forget about him, an unexpected trip to New York brings about her feelings for him. Something has happened to Domyouji after he went to New York. As much as she tries really hard to get back with him, he pushes her away, and even finds a fiancee to marry. What will become of Domyouji and Makino’s love? What about F4’s relationship as a group and their own respective love lives?Main CastInoue Mao as Makino TsukushiMatsumoto Jun as Domyouji TsukasaOguri Shun as Hanazawa RuiMatsuda Shota as Nishikado SoujirouAbe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira
Thoughts/OpinionsI already said this before, but this series is definitely one of my favorite JDrama series of all time. I really like how in depth this season went in terms of the complicated love triangle/sqaure that went on between Domyouji, Makino, Hanazawa Rui and Shigeru (Kato Natsuki- who so happens to be a former student of my aunt). There were moments when you wanted Rui and Makino to end up together and Domyouji and Shigeru together. I definitely liked the various major scenes in the series. The good bye in the rain, the final surprise in the final episode, their unexpected reunite in New York city. They even went into Nishikado Soujiro’s little love story which was great because it showed that this story isn’t all about Makino and Domyouji’s relationship in the end. I just wish they highlighted a bit on Mimasaka Akira’s story too! It would’ve been really great and funny if he and Okami-san (Kato Takako) ended up together for real for an episode. I just feel this whole season did a good job of encompassing everything that we wanted to see and what we expected to see. As a fan of the series I definitely was happy with the way it ended and thought I couldn’t have been happier…. until they announced the making of a movie!
You can watch this drama at dramacrazy.net and mysoju.com.
Stay tuned for Hana Yori Dango FINAL! Feel free to leave comments as well!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu75p4tmQj1r62fk9o1_400.jpg)
![** Before actually writing my post for the newest Hana Kimi that finished recently I thought it’d be only fair that I post about the one in 2007 first.花ざかりの君たちへ~イケメン♂パラダイス~ (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~) [trans: For You in the Full Blossom ~Ikemen Paradise~] (2007)Basic SynopsisAshiya Mizuki, a female student from America, transfers to Osaka Gakuen in Japan, an all-boys boarding school. She poses as a guy in order to enter this all boy school to be with Sano Izumi, a track athlete, to see him compete in the high jump once again. She struggles to become a ‘boy’ and blend in with everyone but manages to become one of the guys. Through the chaos, troubles and friendships Ashiya finds ways to convince Sano to high jump again. Main CastHorikita Maki as Ashiya MizukiOguri Shun as Sano IzumiIkuta Toma as Nakatsu ShuichiMizushima Hiro as Nanba MinamiIshigaki Yuma as Tennoji MegumiKyo Nobuo as Himejima MasaoOkada Masaki as Sekime KyogoKimura Ryo as Nakao Senri Yamamoto Yusuke as Kayashima TaikiIwasa Mayuko as Hanyashiki HibariThoughts/OpinionsThe story was very interesting to begin with. There hadn’t been many dramas that depicted what it would be like for a girl to pose as a guy and enter an all-boys boarding school. I feel like that was only seen in mangas so it was great that they made this drama based on the manga of the same title. At first I found Horikita Maki to be an odd choice for the lead role just because it’s so obvious that she’s a girl. I would think that they would want to choose someone that had a more boyish quality to their look and personality. However, as I saw this show progress Horikita Maki’s role really grew on me. Even till this day I find it awkward to hear her refer to herself as “Ore” but I’ve come to accept that fact. Oguri Shun is a jerk for the first half of the series but later opens up to Ashiya which is a nice progression in character development. It’s Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi that really makes you hate the fact that Ashiya goes after Sano. Ikuta Toma was amazing as Nakatsu; the energy, the charisma and the spunk he has is perfect for that role! I definitely became a fan of Ikuta Toma after this series because based on his role in the first episode of “Hana Yori Dango Returns” I was nowhere near becoming a fan for him! Everything builds up to the final episode and it is just amazing! The tears begin to fall naturally because you feel so connected to the characters and to the story. The VERY last scene at the airport is spectacular! By far the best scene in the series and maybe the best ending of any drama I’ve seen. Sano and Ashiya both are too shy to admit their feelings and they hold onto them until the VERY VERY VERY last moment when they….. (well see for yourself to find out!) With a fun story that has a lot of comedic moments, I’d say this is the perfect drama to put a smile on your face, because it sure did for me! You can watch this drama on dramacrazy.net and mysoju.com! Don’t forget to also check out the special episode that aired after the series ended!!Stay tuned for my post about the recent remake of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu75ilnaZZ1r62fk9o1_400.jpg)
![花より男子 (Hana Yori Dango) [trans: Boys Over Flowers] (2005)
Basic SynopsisMakino Tsukushi is a commoner that finds her way into a prestigious and rich school. She doesn’t understand the lifestyle of a rich person and tries to live quietly without being noticed. That changed when she declared war on Domyouji Tsukasa, leader of F4. F4, short for ‘Flower 4’, are 4 ikemen that pretty much rule the school. All their families donate millions of yen to the school so what they say goes. The ‘war’ between commoner Makino and celebrity status F4 (particularly Domyouji) sparks a forbidden love between them. Whether Makino can survive her school life with the torment of F4 all lies in her and her zassou power (weed [like the weeds on the ground] power).
Main CastInoue Mao as Makino TsukushiMatsumoto Jun as Domyouji TsukasaOguri Shun as Hanazawa RuiMatsuda Shota as Nishikado SoujirouAbe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira
Thoughts/OpinionThe cast is just unbelievably amazing! They fit the characters so well! Inoue Mao as the tough, justice young girl while Matsumoto Jun is the tough/rowdy but caring Domyouji. It all fits! Of course who can forget the awesome Oguri Shun as prince charming Hanazawa Rui. The cast definitely is spot on! Their chemistry and teamwork definitely comes across on the screen and it really really adds to the already awesome story line. The story line is engaging and (I guess at the time) was pretty fresh. Who would think that a love story would be born between a commoner girl like Makino and a celebrity status Domyouji. There are definitely some moments that are serious but they are surely balanced out by the comical Makino family as well as Domyouji’s off-the-beat remarks. You can’t help but cheer for Makino and at the same time it feels like she’s giving you some of her power as well.This is no doubt one of my favorite jdramas of all time. I’ve never seen anything so comical, yet touching, and so engaging. I got really sucked in and I am truly a fan of not only the drama itself but all 5 of the main cast members. I owe this drama a lot considering it really cheered me up when I was feeling down while I was still in high school.
You can watch this drama on sites like dramacrazy.net and mysoju.com!
Stay tuned for Hana Yori Dango Returns (Season 2)!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu6c86Atix1r62fk9o1_400.jpg)
