I rate this 7/10 just because of Takeuchi Ryoma's acting, otherwise it's probably only 5.5/10. His acting is exceptional, but that also made the other supporting casts to push their acting beyond what they're capable of, just to balance the intensity of his acting, and it's a bit embarrassing to watch because over-acting/over-expressing are all over the place. This drama is average and even below average in terms of story, production, directing, etc.
Seems like they (producer & director) were having a hard time to fill the final episode. This whole drama can be done (and could have been even better) in about 6 - 7 episodes with tighter scenes. Lots of unnecessary "filler" scenes and repetitive flashbacks.
I discovered her in Dousuru Ieyasu. She is so good and underrated i must say. Hope to see her break soon.
She's done very well in both Miss King and also Themis no Futashikana Hotei. Her part in After The Quake (Jishin No Ato De) is also really good. NHK should give her a chance to play the main lead heroine in their asadora.
This drama has been OK for me.One thing that has been preventing me from enjoying it more is that none of the…
To me, there's one character that's very likeable: the cafe owner played by Kochi Yamato (the legendary "walking man" on Exit 8 movie). But too bad it's only a few minutes guest role. 😀
Episode 6 is really really good! It's where the action really starts and the plot thickens, and it's no longer…
A bit of a let-down. It went downhill after episode 6. If it wasn't because of Non (Nounen Rena)'s appearance, I could have dropped this already. Final verdict: 6.5/10
One of the best from WOWOW in terms of the story. Acting could have been a bit better for the male lead, but maybe it's better to present it this way (the story itself is bigger/more important than the acting).
Actually, there's a similar kind of drama from NHK that had just finished airing, Themis no Futashikana Hotei. That one has a much better line-up of casts in terms of acting-ability, but the story-line is a kind of a bit of lacking cohesiveness. Too many "filler episodes". So, overall, I'd rate this better. 9/10
Koshi is overrated IMO. He couldn't match Riho's excellent acting here, no chemistry at all, which is embarrassing to watch. If the role given is more into semi-comedy-type like Synanthrope that's OK. But here it requires ability to embody deep emotional expressions and act with nuance. He couldn't even really cry!
Riho, on the other hand, delivers excellent acting as always, and she still looks cute and youthful at 32.
I watched this because some years ago I watched "Homestay", an excellent movie played by both the two main casts here (Kento Nagao & Anna Yamada). They are more than capable Japanese actors from the "Gen Z", and can grasp difficult roles and act accordingly without being awkward. If this movie wasn't played by them it could have become a much worse movie. They didn't play as good here as in "Homestay" and the other casts didn't deliver good enough acting (maybe the huge age-gap between the director & the casts?), even the story itself isn't bad.
Episode 6 is really really good! It's where the action really starts and the plot thickens, and it's no longer a "comedy show". And the whole atmosphere is getting darker as well. I'd rate this between 8/10 to 8.5/10 depending on how they will present the next 4 episodes.
Watching Episode 2 now. I'm happy to see the "Exit 8" walking man (Kochi Yamato) in there as guest. 😊 I expected him to get more exposures after that movie.
Watched Ep. 1 and to be honest, I didn't enjoy it. Way too conversation-heavy but without any meaningful substance (just going in circles). This could fit into an indie-movie type presentation for nerds, but for a mainstream serial drama, unless there's a huge plot-twist that switches this into a thriller movie (with murder, etc. that would turn Tsuchida Ayana character into another Ichiko -type) in the next few episodes, I don't see anything that would gain me any interests.
Looking at the lineup of casts (Sugisaki Hana, Narita Ryo, Okayama Amane, etc.): "Me want to watch, even it's not my kind of drama!" After watching episode 1: Dropped
Clever comedy with a lot of puns. I like it so far! Matsuda Ryuhei just being Matsuda Ryuhei, while at the same time also fits to any character he plays in his movies & dramas.
One of the best dramas coming from WOWOW so far! Especially Sakurai Yuki's acting here in exceptional! She should have more leading roles in intense dramas. She did very well in NHK drama "Eat, Sleep, then Wait for Happiness" earlier this year, but that's a relaxing drama that didn't really show what she's capable of in terms of acting.
Teaser just up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBxP-JolxM Looks like it's not a "remake" nor a "sequel", but using actual scenes taken from the serial & re-edited it to fit into the movie format (cinematography is already top-notch). They might show the ending scenes & some other scenes that weren't shown in the drama.
It's a "current trend" in Japan, just like Jishin no Atp de (After The Quake) they re-edited scenes from serial to a full feature-film movie.
Sai is going to be put into the movie (feature-film) format. Release date: 2026/02/20 This is one of the most terrifying Japanese thriller in recent years, and re-editing it into the movie format will be great. It's gonna be interesting. Teaser just up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBxP-JolxM
why do Japanese authors have such weird fetish for adult men going after high schoolers😒
Most likely due to the "idol culture" influence for so many years, where most of these female idols are around 13-15 yrs old, while their fans/supporters (oshi) are mostly single adult male ranging from 20s to middle-aged (50+). Their legal system is also head-shaking. Their "age of consent" is 16 (used to be 13 a few years back), while the "legal drinking age" is 20.
This drama is average and even below average in terms of story, production, directing, etc.
NHK should give her a chance to play the main lead heroine in their asadora.
If it wasn't because of Non (Nounen Rena)'s appearance, I could have dropped this already.
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Acting could have been a bit better for the male lead, but maybe it's better to present it this way (the story itself is bigger/more important than the acting).
Actually, there's a similar kind of drama from NHK that had just finished airing, Themis no Futashikana Hotei. That one has a much better line-up of casts in terms of acting-ability, but the story-line is a kind of a bit of lacking cohesiveness. Too many "filler episodes". So, overall, I'd rate this better. 9/10
Riho, on the other hand, delivers excellent acting as always, and she still looks cute and youthful at 32.
This could fit into an indie-movie type presentation for nerds, but for a mainstream serial drama, unless there's a huge plot-twist that switches this into a thriller movie (with murder, etc. that would turn Tsuchida Ayana character into another Ichiko -type) in the next few episodes, I don't see anything that would gain me any interests.
"Me want to watch, even it's not my kind of drama!"
After watching episode 1:
Dropped
Matsuda Ryuhei just being Matsuda Ryuhei, while at the same time also fits to any character he plays in his movies & dramas.
This will be a gem, one-of-a-kind J-drama.
Especially Sakurai Yuki's acting here in exceptional! She should have more leading roles in intense dramas. She did very well in NHK drama "Eat, Sleep, then Wait for Happiness" earlier this year, but that's a relaxing drama that didn't really show what she's capable of in terms of acting.
Looks like it's not a "remake" nor a "sequel", but using actual scenes taken from the serial & re-edited it to fit into the movie format (cinematography is already top-notch). They might show the ending scenes & some other scenes that weren't shown in the drama.
It's a "current trend" in Japan, just like Jishin no Atp de (After The Quake) they re-edited scenes from serial to a full feature-film movie.
This is one of the most terrifying Japanese thriller in recent years, and re-editing it into the movie format will be great. It's gonna be interesting.
Teaser just up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBxP-JolxM
Their legal system is also head-shaking. Their "age of consent" is 16 (used to be 13 a few years back), while the "legal drinking age" is 20.