YueofBlueGables

It's been a long time since I've been this giddy with happiness watching a drama. A fresh (pink) air of breath XD Each episode was better than the previous one. And every time I finished an episode, I couldn't wait for the next week, so I'd rewatched the last episode and couldn't think of nothing else for the following days XD

As the J-netizens said, I would like to think Yuri was the heroine of this drama. I loved how supportive was everyone of him. There isn't a single bad character here. And all 3 rivals were nice, handsome guys who wanted nothing more than Junko's happiness. Each one of the guys had their amount of support from the netizens, I am not sure who was the most popular. But since episode 1 I had my favorite, and that is because I am a huge fan of manga-Shinkumi <3

I have yet to watch the final episode subbed, but just watching it raw I loved it (I covered my eyes but peeked between my fingers in the last scene). I'll write a proper review (with a proper rant over this actor whom I fell head over heels) when I finish the last episode subbed.

Favorite scenes, in no particular order:
- The "heroine in a dating game" (but the whole study camp made me happy)
- The "betrayed" look in front of Junko's house
- All the hugs (kyaa they were all amazing, the most romantic I've even seen)
- every time my fave smiled
- Nishioi and Miwa were funny, but together they were hilarious

Favorite drama of the year? XD too early to tell but I loved it so much I am having drama withdrawal symptoms ^_^ And listening to the OST ("Happy birthday" by back number) isn't helping ^_^

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According to the recommendations in MDL, this one is similar to "Juhan Shuttai", which I can totally understand. It is about work and the heroine being inspired by it and inspire people around her.

I think Ishihara Satomi was spectacular as Konno Ecchan. She has that bubbly personality that fits the character. Her laughs always made me laugh, they are so silly and contagious. Her clothes were beautiful and fit her like glove. I love the various hairstyles and accessories she wears throughout the episodes. Since I am a huge fan of nail art, I was a bit disappointed to see that her nails were simple done, nothing fancy. I get that her character is based on a girl who loves fashion, but it was also a bit unrealistic that she wears a different outfit every day, wears a different piyamas every day, and has a elaborated hairstyle every day. Oh well, at least she repeats the shoes...

But more than anything, I liked how hard she worked (even though Proofreading wasn't her vocation) and how her work inspired her co-workers to give it all. Maybe Proofreading is a bit tedious, and I don't think it involves all the research they did, but I wanted so much to work in that Editorial, it looked so much fun. Reading books and researching, to check that all facts were correct. With a calm work group and a nice boss. What more to ask??

There is more romance than I thought it would be, but I wouldn't watch this for it (in my humble opinion, I think she falls for the wrong guy...not that he is a jerk, quite the contrary, he is the nicest, but she has more chemistry with another guy). The beauty of this show is the characters and the the motivation to and for work.

I loved the OP sequence and song, catchy and fun and kinda girly.

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Five seconds into the first episode and I was "this is my favorite 2017 drama". Not because of the setting, not because of some cute  actor... no, the first line had already hooked me. Never happened to me before. I wish I was more eloquent in English, to describe how much I love this drama. Every second of it.

For people who want eye-candy, there is the Shoujo Prince and two Tokusatsu heroes... but their pretty faces can't beat the talent of the veteran actor Yakusho Koji.  His gentle smile, his determination to achieve his goals, his  tears of frustration, of happiness. President Miyazawa, who loved his little company, his employees... always wearing his blue hanten. This man impressed me so much I was constantly posting about him.

Short version of my review: this drama reminded a lot of the anime "Haikyuu", in spirit.

Real rating: 100/10... thank you to yamazaki-kento dot com for subbing this amazing drama <3

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I am sad that this lovely dorama had low ratings. As fan of NwP, I think this was a wonderful reunion. Kame's and Yamapi's roles were perfect for them, and I could feel that they had fun working together again. I much prefer Kame in this kind of role: honest, a bit enthusiastic, hard-working, a bit silly, a bit naive. Kinda like his character in "One Pound Gospel", only less, LESS, enthusiastic. And Yamapi, dead-fish-eyes Yamapi, whom I don't really like (although I can't hate either, since he is so calm, and, well, nice), was lovely as GOD. Anyway, both of them were perfect in their roles, and their scenes together were so enjoyable to watch.

Maybe Horikita Maki has retired, but Kimura Fumino looked a bit like Maki (in my opinion) in this dorama. It may be her short hair. It may be her high cheekbones and sweet smile. From certain angles, she looked like Maki.

I don't understand why some people say she was frustrating in the first couple of episodes. I think any girl, especially any girl with bad experience in love, would be wary of any guy, no matter how cute or honest he looks, who approaches her and tells her he is her destiny. It is expected of the girl to be cautious, to be in doubt. If she agreed to be with him from the very beginning, I would have thought she was too naive and easy.

The story has the perfect amount of friendship (Makoto and his "rival", Haruko and Mitsue), good comradeship (Makoto and GOD, Makoto and his boss, Makoto and his coworkers), a nice rival (who is not really a rival, and who is just one of the nicest guys ever), present parents (who are there for their daughter). I liked the different tasks Makoto had to do, since it all served for a reason.

I am not satisfied with the ending. I was left with a "this is it??". I think there should be a SP. There HAS to be.

I love the OP and ED sequences. The dance was cute, and the song is pretty. I also like Yamapi's smirk when both of them are sitting in the couch, in the ED sequence. Only that, that same smirk is somewhat bittersweet in the final episode :(

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I loved it. Only 3 episodes long, perfect length, perfect cast, perfect everything.

To think I once didn't like Sato Ryuta *face-palm* and I blame it on the roles he played (the idiotic but kind secondary guy). He was excellent as the MC in this drama, I love how he goes from a judgemental, ignorant guy to a understanding friend. His twin brother, Ryoji, was gay, he died and his Canadian husband comes to Japan to meet his brother-in-law Yaichi and all the places Ryoji loved.

I confess I usually don't like the foreign actors in J-dramas since it seems like anyone who is foreign but speaks a little of Japanese can be an actor; meaning, terrible acting. But Baruto, as Mike Flanagan, was perfect, he portrayed perfectly the gentle giant (he is gigantic! I remember how Nakai loved to pat his belly in SMAP Bistro XD)

This is a very realistic slice of life, where there would be ignorant people who rejects homosexuality or just refuse to accept it. At the beginning, Yaichi was all "would be make a move on me?", or just calling him "my brother's friend" or not liking Mike near his daughter. Slowly, he begins to see that Mike was a nice guy who just happened to love men. Mike was never ashamed of who he was, and he taught his niece and his niece's friends that men can love men (and marry them) and same with girls. And the little girls were confused at first, but they quickly were "if you love someone, is wonderful you can marry that person, even if the both of you are guys" :D

I smiled, I cried, I loved it! Very recommended. I will read the manga as well (the author was in my "banned" list but this one is very different from what I thought).

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Jpn dramas are the best when it comes to human stories

If it wasn't because a regular subber started working on this sub, I wouldn't have picked it. Boy, am I glad I watched this! One of my favorite dramas of this season. It was sweet, with a wonderful cast, soothing OST, and amazing script. Like Kounodori S.1. Medical dramas in the pediatrician department is usually more moving, and it always depend on the scriptwriter to not make it corny, and it worked with GD.

I have to apologize to Yamazaki Kento, since when I've read he was going to be the lead, I wasn't interested. He is OK, but that's all for me. But he was amazing as Minato-sensei, since the very first episode. Portrayed wonderfully a sweet guy with Autism and Savant Syndrome (I've read that he did a research over the subject, so he was well prepared). I have not seen Freddie Highmore's version so I can't compare.

Of course, to me the MVP was Ueno Juri, such an amazing actress. Very natural, and looked very comfortable working with YamaKen.

I think I shed tears in every episode. I loved each one of them. Every episode was heartwarming, emotional and to the point.

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Production-wise, it is a very well done drama. I liked the use of illustrations to show battles and fires and flood.... I was expecting more use of it because it was unique.

The script wasn't very good imo. It was trying too hard to sell the audience that the characters **ehemChanggeehem** were smart. In almost every episode someone was saying "you are so smart". Huh, where? Changge is making a bad decision in almost every episode, puts people in danger (better said, made them killed); she is also supposed to be a smart strategist, and all she said was "let's put this group to the right and this to the left" and the other party was "wow Changge, you are so smart, be my right-hand commander". It didn't help at all that at the same time I was watching another drama where the smart MC is actually smart, and the script is actually good, so I was like, She is supposed to be SMART ???

First episode, Changge is this intelligent, tomboy girl who knows how to fight, physically and mentally. Second episode, Changge swears to take revenge. 40 episodes later and all Changge did was saying a few blah-blah and oh, she was the smartest; as for the battles, where was the girl so agile who could fight? She was constantly saved by others; the forever damsel in distress. I was expecting Sun to save her every time she messed up, and yup, here comes the hero. I don't mind damsels in distress, but I do mind when the plot is trying to sell me this brave, strong female character that isn't. Yueyan was stronger imo.

Unfortunately I didn't fall in love with Yueyan/Hao Du as I was hoping. She has a lovely character development (she actually overcomes them ON HER OWN, unlike Changge) but the romance was... ehhh, she loves Shuyu for 40 episodes, gets her heart broken and in the same episode realizes Hao Du is the one. Ehhh.

OST is excellent. Performed by the King an Queen of CDramas OST.

This drama was 10 episodes too long; should have ended around 40 at least.

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Girl Power and Strong Female Bond. This is how I would describe this amazing drama. I don't think there are many dramas that revolve around this 2 subjects... mixed (female and male), yes; male, yes. 100% female, no. The plot is about 5 women kidnapping a powerful man. Episode 1 is the kidnapping and till Ep. 9 all happens in the same night. Except that each episode shows flashbacks of these women when they meet in prison, start to bond and finally, to plan the kidnapping and the justice for Hime/Yusuke.

I took half a star because I truly feel like this needed an extra episode... Ep 10 felt a bit rushed.

It is a very fun drama that made me laugh several times and cried a bit over the Yusuke story. The cast is colorful, each girl is amazing, and the villain is super charming. ED song is "Showtime", by Amuro Namie. I loved it, catchy and girly.

I'll definitely rewatch this when my sister decides to watch it. Super recommended.

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Heartwarming Family Drama

The drama with the highest rating of the season. And it deserved it. Not only because Ayase Haruka is and will be forever Japan's favorite girl, but because this was funny and sweet and with zero drama and a real representative of a Japanese Slice of Life Drama.

The story is divided in two parts, so it was like Season 1 and Season 2 together. From ep01 to ep05 is one timeline, and from ep06 to 10 is another, 9 years later (that was a total surprise for me!). I adored "Season 1" and it was my favorite. Akiko-san trying, first, to be accepted as a stepmom to Miyuki, and then, her first duties as a mother. I love the little girl who played Miyuki (Yokomizo Naho), awesome actress! She behaved like a little girl behaves, not like a smart-ass girl who talks like an adult. My favorite episodes were 2 and 3: ep2 because I loved the little "game" Akiko-san and Miyuki played at the supermarket, and ep3, because of the "battle" of Akiko against the Parents Association.

Ep 06 was a total shock to me because of the time-slip and because of... well, change of actors. Still, the actress who played older Miyuki was really good and likeable (Hiroki-kun too. Both boy and older boy are so cute!), and some of her expressions resembled her younger-self (both girls have big eyes). I liked how Akiko-san starts working again; her role in the bakery was amazing, totally plausible. I love how everything she does, it is because she is thinking in her daughter. And everything Miyuki does, she always has her stepmom in mind. They may not be blood-related, but their love for each other was as strong as a blood-related mother and daughter have.

If there has to be a minus it would be that Akiko-san looks the same after the time-slip. Same as Shimoyama-san (even the highlights in her hair...)

In spite of the many comedic scenes, there were also some touching scenes :( I am still not sure of the ending, only because I did not fully understand it. I know that it was a "miracle" too, but why? What does the train ticket mean??

All actors were excellent, except for Takeru Sato. I think goofy roles don't suit him. I noticed that some "cool" actors, like him, do wonderfully in action and cool roles, but when it comes to goofy roles... nah. And too bad he had to go and fall in love. I mean, it provided many funny scenes XD but Akiko-san and Ryuchi forever <3 And I was disappointed since I truly thought he was going to be some kind of angel, the one who was going to bring a miracle into Akiko-san's and Miyuki's lives. I guess he sort of did, but not the way I wanted. And at the end, it was really Akiko who was like a miracle to him.

The little touches, like the miracles (I thought it was going to have a bigger role, like **coughcoughthefathercoughcough**), and minor characters, like Taguchi-kun, were very nice. I actually laughed out loud several times with Taguchi-kun, he was a silly sweetheart :)

The OST was excellent, I want it. And the funny one made the scene even funnier XD I did not pay attention to the ED song tbh.

So overall, first part is a 10 and second part is a 9 for me. I love this kind of "non-drama" drama :D

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I love stories with Sign Language. I think it is a beautiful form of communication. I tried to find books to learn it, but there are so many  (American, British, Spanish, Mexican) so I am not sure which one to  get. Anyway, I strongly recommend this dorama to people who watched/read "Koe no Katachi" and loved it. The big difference is that this story is not in school, but the adult life of a deaf girl. How she starts to be part of the society (by working), how she meets her future husband, how other people who meet her starts to learn Sign Language. How hard for her is to become a mother, to be married, etc. The story is  simple, yet beautiful. I shed many tears while watching it, and it is not because it is a sad story. No, it is simply because there are certain scenes that were too emotional. Like when her future-mother-in-law comes to Mieko's house to ask her to please not marry her son. Like the speech Mieko's daughter gives at school, both  out loud and with signs. And all the times someone talks to her (thru  signs) for the first time: Hirofumi, his mother, the doctor, etc. It was so poignant every time someone tried their best to talk to her.Kanno Miho is the sweetest girl and best fit for this role. She cries many times throughout the 5 episodes, but they all were understandable. Since she is deaf, she has little confidence in herself, and for every mistake or hardship that brings her deafness to the people she loves, she blames  herself. Thank Godness she marries the most patient and sweetest guy on  Earth. Besides her, I loved, LOVED the mothers: her mother and  her mother-in-law. Strong women who loved Mieko, and some time later,  their granddaughter. My favorite episodes were 1, 2 and 3. I have watched Episode 1 twice (I finished this a couple of days ago, and  rewatched Ep. 1 yesterday). There are only 5 episodes, 1 hour and 30  minutes long. First episode is from 1997, 2nd from 1998, 3rd from 1999,  4th from 2000 and the last one from 2001. Like most people, I prefer to watch recent dorama, but it is for the quality of the video only. In regards to story, oldies are better: they are simpler, they are sweeter.  Romance is much better without cellphones and other technologies. For  example, in this dorama, there are no cellphones, so Mieko and Hirofumi  send each other faxes to talk at night. Isn't that cute? The song "I just called to say I love you" fit the dorama perfectly. Beautiful story, totally recommended!

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I picked this up not only because it was subbed by a trusted subber (thank you aoihachi!) -and by "trusted" I mean I know this subber will finish the subbing, but also because I've watched the TFP episode where the 3 leads guested, and I loved their team spirit, which is reflected again in the drama and it is one of the highlights of the show.

This is a fun, light show, there are no villains, it is a slice of life, involving music, friendship and romance. The beautiful "Air" by Bach is a wonderful companion throughout the drama, and it is also a big part of the plot. There is a character development in all characters, from Yaeko-san, Rihito-kun and Yukie (the 3 main leads). For their relationship alone, I love the entire drama, but all in all, even the romance was sweet and fun and far from corny or believable. Thank God there was a chemistry between Haru and Taishi, and in spite of the 7-8 years gap, it wasn't obvious at all since Taishi does look older than in his twenties.

Even the OP song was cute.. I love all of it :)

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My reviews almost always have spoilers, so I will keep it short so I don't spoil anything.

It is true that this drama is flawed, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It is very suspenseful, with creepy characters (most of the times creepy characters are far more enjoyable than nice characters) and a mystery that you can find in any Agatha Christie book. In this episode you will suspect of A character; next episode would be B character.

So there are still many questions unanswered. And that ending was O_O so unexpected. Like WOW, I was-left-speechless-kind-of-unexpected.

I wasn't going to watch the SP, because I didn't have any interest in Shota's and Nana's love story, but I surprisingly liked it. Will definitely watch the sequel, no doubt. In fact, can't wait for it.

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I was prepared for a very angsty drama. The plot is about a young mother, Yui, whose son was kidnapped when he was 3 years old. 9 years later, she is told that his son is in an institution. Turns out, he was found a short while after being kidnapped, by Asako, who raised him like she was her real mother. So this is the story of the woman who gave him birth, the woman who raised him, and how he comes back to his real family.

The first couple of episodes were painful to watch, since THAT letter was too cruel. I hated Asako, and I didn't like the boy. Actually, till the end, I couldn't figure this boy out. But on the other hand, I felt too sorry for Asako, in spite of all her many mistakes. While Yui was suffering for almost a decade for the lost of her baby boy, Asako's intentions of being a mother were mostly selfish. She wanted a son because of social pressure, because of loneliness... But still, what does being a mother mean? Doesn't it mean to love and raise the child to be someone, to be there for the child, to give him everything the child needs in order to become a better person?

While there were many painful scenes, and scenes that make you upset (like when Asako was telling Yui SHE was the one who raised Kou, SHE was the one who knew him better... thank Heavens for that slap!), there were also many light scenes, heartwarming scenes. This dorama is mostly about family, not only blood-related, but also people who are always there for support and interventions and good and bad moments.

I love the cast, specially the women. I think Sawajiri Erika may be too young to be a mother of a teenage boy, but she was dressed very homely in order to look more mature, with baggy clothes and light-to-zero make-up. Her friend, interpreted by Itaya Yuka, was excellent. She always plays the sweetest and kindest friend to perfection. I think it is her smile. But the one who deserved all awards was, for me, Koike Eiko. Her role, as the woman who raised the boy, was meant to be hateful. But her tears... oh gawd, her tears made ME tearful. For about 8 episodes I had a love-hate feelings for her, but by the end, I pitied her enormously. Poor woman, in spite of everything!

The husbands were good as well, nice sidekicks. But what impressed me the most was Nakajima Yuto. This guy has everything to play a romantic MC; he is tall, young, handsome and can act, and here again we have him, as a serious worker who should be played by someone older. WHYYYY...

The kids were ok, obviously with the least experience and you can tell, especially since the older cast is so good. Still, the boy who played Kou was adorable.

I love the OST! Very moving, and I love the EP, "Just you and I", by Amuro Namie. I am currently listening to it. The lyrics are very meaningful.

The ending was satisfying. I think this is one of those doramas that will be liked by anyone, specially those who like family genre.

The other cover is much better and meaningful that the one here on MDL.

Mini-reunions: "1 Liter of Tears", "Hotaru no Hikari", "Kounodori", "Date".

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For anyone who likes to watch Gourmet channels and/or Travel shows, this would be highly enjoyable and recommended. It doesn't really have a plot: Goro-san has a job that is related to importation goods, so he goes here and there to meet his clients. That takes around 3 minutes of the show. Then he walks down the neighborhood where he is visiting, makes some remarks about the place, while we the audience can enjoy beautiful sights of the Japanese town. There are mostly in Tokyo, but he also visits the outside, like Chiba. That takes around 3 minutes as well.

Then, he suddenly stops and makes a funny expression. "Ah... I am hungry". Zoom out, zoom out, with a funny OST. This happens all the time, and after that, he goes looking for a restaurant/dining, which is mostly a familiar, cozy, simple one. He orders his food.. it is always different, but 99% of the time, one of his side dish would be rice. Goro-san loves rice (there is an episode where he even eats his Neapolitan spaghetti with rice!). Actually, he loves any kind of food. He is the happiest man on Earth when he is eating. While he is eating, internally he is commenting about his food. ""Ii janaika", is mostly his remark XD He loves it, he is so happy to have picked THAT place and THAT food. And how he eats! You wonder how such a skinny man can eat so much and be that thin. Sometimes he orders 2, 3 different things. And he eats so fast, even when the food is super hot.

The last 3 minutes is the author of the dorama going to the same dining and eating almost always the same food. My, how happy his author is! You can't help but be happy with him, he is 100% smiles.

I loved this, I realized I had to have my dinner first before watching an episode, since all dishes are mouthwatering.

Recommended specially to people who is going to visit Japan and are looking for places to eat. The restaurants Goro-san visits are real; the rest are all actors.

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