Erin

I've been wanting to watch the "ST" series for a while, from start to finish beginning with this special but my timing was never right and I could never seem to get into it... until today that is! Kubota Masataka, Okada Masaki, and Watabe Atsuro were the only three that I thought I knew in this series, which was why I was interested at first, but when I started to watch I realized that I knew a lot more of the cast than I thought and I gained interest in a few new actors as well.

The story itself is pretty old, but not cliched in the least; the writer(s) and director really took their time and really made this storyline and plot their own. I never guessed the ending, nor did see a few twists coming throughout the special. A couple of pieces of the story felt rushed, and the ending seemed to quickly close off, but all in all, it was a very good set-up for the series! The characters were very well supported by nice back stories and they all felt very real and "human" (mini-spoiler alert).

This is definitely a good special to watch if you're interested in the "ST" series or if you like crime/detective dramas. Though I would not suggest watching this only because of a specific actor, because it will get boring really quick, I think that is what happened to me the first time I wanted to watch this...

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This show was amazing! So much better than the American version. Seriously, this show needs more episodes; it was one great story after another, one great case after another, and each one got creepier and creepier towards the end! Everything and every character worked well together, some parts were slow or some looked rushed through but you get the gist if you watch the show in order; I had to rewind some bits of (if I remember right) at least 3 episodes to figure out some things, but mostly the episodes were easy to understand! A few cases had me thrown for a loop; it was like some craze was happening in Japan during the shows filming so they just tossed it into the show too, sort of like they were throwing in the newest fad or whatever caught the attention of the newspapers, and that wasn't too bad since it just happened in 2 to 3 episodes but it was kind of annoying and I found myself thinking "wow I hope they don't deal with every case like this".... which of course, they did not! My only issue was I knew and have seen episodes of the American version before, and a few episodes were so similar it was almost like a copy of them, but that doesn't mean the episode or the series was bad; on the contrary, I prefer the Japanese version much more!

Though I do recommend watching this with all the lights on.

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I started to watch the first episode of this drama months ago, but for some reason I suddenly stopped... and I don't know why because this show is fantastic! Each episode works really well to tell the story and fill in the pieces, without going against the plot line to ruin the ending or let you guess what could happen next. The climax up until the ending was awesome! I never guessed what was going to happen and it was pretty nice to see Mukai Osamu in such a different role than I have before (granted i'm only going off two different shows).

The script was written very, very well! I liked the comedic tie-ins with sarcasm and wit, along with the heart wrenching moments of support, anger, happiness, heart break, worry, and success. The parts played by Chinen Yuri, Yamada Ryosuke, Arioka Daiki, Nakajima Yuto, and Kamiji Yusuke were possibly my favorite just because of their (personal) character, talent and skill, characteristics, personalities, and unique qualities! I did like the ending, but I also wish the ending could have been different. I don't know why, I just think it lacked a tiny little "something". Also, back to the characters, but... I liked Norito Yashima's characters in this order: Kenji Endo from the "Hero" series, Takasu Hisakimi from "Scrap Teacher", and Dracula from "Kaibutsu-kun". Granted, this is only based off three different series that I've seen him act in, but it's my opinion that his best acting is when he can be hilariously sarcastic and funny; he seemed to have a lot of good lines throughout this script!

This show is hilarious, sweet, stupidly funny, smart, and absolutely worth watching every minute!

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This drama was absolutely amazing! The story had twists and turns and I never once could have predicted the outcome! Well... a tiny voice in the back of my head says: "yes, yes i could have"; so I can't say what I just said is ALL true....

Anyways... Yamada Ryosuke and Yokoyama Yu once again have blown me away with their talent, skill, personalities, and (personal) charachters. The show itself moves at a pretty medium-normal pace, but as Tanaka Ainosuke (Yamada Ryosuke) begins to figure out the power in his left eye and the meaning behind the cases, the drama does start to pick up the pace! I have to admit, at first I watched the special and this drama just because I'm on a detective-crime-mystery genre kick right now, but this show definitely blew past my expectations. The ending is not something I expected, but I felt myself feeling relieved at how it happened. I definitely suggest this series, but don't forget to watch the special before!!

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This drama is a very ridiculous, lighthearted, suspenseful, energetic comedy detective show with a wonderful cast and really interesting stories for each episode.

Not one episode played out how I would expect it to, there were so many twists and turns that I couldn't even begin to pinpoint the true criminal in a couple of the episodes. A very underrated drama that is good for anyone to watch; especially if you're someone who is just beginning in the J-Drama universe. I think 10 episodes would have been better, though, because at the end of episode 8 it felt a little half-ended, almost as if there was more to come.

If you're looking for a good story that has some comedy and is still a strong detective/crime drama then this is absolutely the perfect show for you to watch!

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Definitely did not see the ending coming!! The cast was wonderful; filled with familiar and new faces. I've only seen Koike Teppei in the movie "Kids", so this genre and type of story was a complete turn around but I immediately fell in love with the story, the cast, and the script. I watched all 11 episodes in one day; from about 1:30pm until 2:30am! If you're looking for a drama to break a slump or if you're just getting in to Japanese dramas, this one could be right for you! It fills the slice-of-life, comedy, detective, mystery genres very well; there is romance and some parts are a bit cheesy, but nothing too horrible. This drama was amazing, I was completely captured from the first episode!

The actors/actresses in this show could also lead the viewers to other shoes like "Kamen Rider","Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri", "the Quiz Show 2", "Kaito Yamaneko"... just to name a few!!

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In all honesty, I only watched this drama for the cast! Nagase Tomoya, Ikuta Toma, Kaname Jun, Arakawa Yoshiyoshi, Nakashima Mika, Muro Tsuyoshi; the guest actors/actresses for each episode was just a surprise bonus! The story itself was nothing like I've ever watched before, although it did get a bit predictable in some ways, it still maintained the story line of a detective drama. The ending was not at all like I would have guessed! I definitely recommend this show for people who are new to Japanese/foreign dramas; the witty humor and unique personalities of each of the cast members is magnificent! A definite must watch if you like to laugh, too!

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I'm glad I watched this drama for a second time! Aiba Masaki and Okura Tadayoshi have a fantastic rapport that make the show! Their personalities, lines, characteristics, and talents mesh and clash in an amazing way! I liked Fujiki Naohito and Oomasa Aya as well; I won't say they were a "perfect" match for Aiba Masaki's siblings, but they interacted superbly; they seemed to act and play, fight and make up, tease and support each other like a real family would. The story was easy to follow, although at some points in the technical police terms I got lost. Also, make sure you have tissues prepared. Matsuko Deluxe was absolutely hilarious, and the cat (himself/herself) was absolutely wonderful as well! I definitely suggest people watch this drama! And maybe the funds for a calico kitty... but that's just my personal opinion! Hahaha!! ^__^/)

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This show is just as great as the first time I watched it, maybe a few years ago, but I still laughed and cried with every story! Ohno Satoshi is a wonderful actor, in every series/movie I've seen him in its like he completely BECOMES that character and I forget that he is the leader of Arashi! Also, because of this series, I followed after Suda Masaki who is also a wonderful actor! This series has a lot of great guests for each episode, the child actor's I've seen are very talented! The script is really well written; there is a lot of humor, but that doesn't get in the way of the seriousness of the story line. Also, there is a bit of romance, but not too much to make this story fall in to the romance genre. The ending really showed the true Ohno Satoshi! Definitely recommend this series!

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Seriously, this was a great sequel/ending for the first movie. It wrapped things up, but not so much that it would definitely seem that it's the end. The cast was really well done, but I still focused mainly on the Arashi members. They each played such different characters than I'm used to seeing them as, which is fantastic to see because they're all such amazing actors in their own rights. I have to say, I like watching them "branch out" like this, so to say. This is a really good movie; still pretty funny, with more seriousness peppered in, as well as still light on romance and definitely focusing more on a "slice of life" style. I really hope this doesn't give away too much, but convinces others to watch the first movie and this sequel! It's seriously really, really good!

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Two things at the start:

1.) I laughed like hell and repeated the beginning of episode 2 (on dramanice.to) it was absolutely hilarious!

2.) I'm not afraid to say I cried a few times during this series!


To me, this seems like a completely different Ohno Satoshi. The story was like a children's book played out, but made for "older kids"... if that makes sense. The cast was fantastic, Hamada Tatsuomi was really wonderful; I liked him on the VS Arashi episode, too! This is a cute, funny, heartwarming show that just so happens to star an Arashi member; instead of an Arashi member making it famous, it's like they both balanced each other out. I seriously recommend watching this show!

Now on to the specials and movie! I can't wait!

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Epic Meteorology Storytelling

In all honesty, I thought this show would be drowning in scientific and mathematical language that I would never understand, would be so confusing, and would eventually make me quit watching. However, that was far from the truth!

Each episode was filled with different stories of guest characters for that episode and the main cast; filling in the back story and history of the "SDM" quite well. The stories within each episode were vastly different, yet somehow managed to stay on track with the main plotline(s), even helping to showcase each special knowledge/"power" that made up SDM as a whole. I really liked that even though the team was created with civilian safety in mind, meaning the team gathered the most respected and knowledgeable people from each specific field (ie: fire fighter, doctor, meteorologist, topography, mechanics, etc) that they also took in the "black sheep" or the candidate that may have seemed the most unlikely for such a high stakes, high risk job.

The ending completely threw me! Honestly, I don't think I considered what happened in the final episode (give or take a few moments) in the least. While I do think 10 episodes was okay for this story, I really do wish there were more episodes, or maybe a movie or special (like Tokyo MER) to continue such a thrilling, curious, surprising adventure!

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