chillingindoors

5 episodes in, this is so heartwarming & fun. You can't go wrong with this screenwriter & Nagase Tomoya. The whole cast is great too, I love them all :)
Also I love how they present the backstories in the form of a stage play incorporating Noh. Coooool.

I love a lot of this writer's dramas. These are all really good!!
Never Let Me Go
Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita
Tenno no Ryoriban
JIN
Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu
Byakuyako

Spoiler tag please.
I think the ending was PERFECT. As much as I wanted them together, had the show ended with them together, I would have found it sappy. So I quite liked the way the writer wrote that ending with the switch at the end. It leaves you with the whole 'will they, will they not?'
But with all that they went through, I think they would eventually. Maybe it would take some time, but they will.. esp Hidaka's feelings for her were really strong (the way he smiled at her when he saw her on the bridge, or even in E9 when he said he won't bring her to hell with him, that was one hell of a confession.)
I had to be like BE STILL, MY BEATING HEART lolllll
And I was someone who was hoping that the show wouldn't go for a romance angle. But the way the writer brought the whole romance to the front in the final 2 episodes, it was so well done that I ended up loving it.

Wasn't the letter sent by Azuma to call Hidaka out on the bridge? Or am I remembering wrongly haha. That's the problem with watching something ongoing sometimes, I tend to forget the minor details even though I try not to.

Wow I didn't see it that way. I thought he dolled her up because he was getting a kick out of teasing her & wanted to gain an upper hand over her. He wanted her to know that he's a psychopath & that she shouldn't mess around with him. I don't think either of them developed feelings for each other until much much later in the drama. Speaking of which.. I can't even remember when & how they started falling in love. Probably need to go & re-watch the drama lol.

RE: When I mentioned a story of love, I was actually referring more towards
(1) Mum's love for Hidaka & Azuma so much that she left the rock for them
(2) Hidaka & Azuma's love for each other in wanting to protect one another

But yes Hidaka & Mochizuki's love definitely adds into this list. It really moved me in the final 2 episodes. I definitely was not expecting their love story to be so stirring esp since it came out of the blue (even though everything was actually building up to it).. it's more like it was hidden so well beneath all those layers of upping one another.

Now I really need to re-watch some parts of the drama to figure out when the feelings were shifting. It was in E6 or E7 I think. But it went full blown in E9.

Thank you for your reply! Appreciate the discussion :)

I don't really follow any social media regarding J dramas except for this site. A lot of the posts that I have tried to look up on social media are in Japanese so I rely pretty much on MDL for everything lol. I also must admit I used to watch most of the stuff on dramacool till last year because they're more accessible. I only started watching from the subbers' site directly after realising that J dramas are all fansubbed & you guys are not even paid to do this. I watched J dramas for like a good 20 years without even knowing this LOL but that's also because I only joined MDL last year. So I must admit that most of my opinion (esp on J dramas & viewership) comes from MDL& I barely have an idea on what is popular in Japan unless a user posts about it. Doesn't help that I haven't really heard a concept of international rankings/ratings when it comes to J dramas, unlike K dramas.

I don't care about reviews to be honest because one thing I've learnt is that we know ourselves best (like you said, we should form our own opinions) & I've watched too many stuff that people disliked but I loved. I have come to appreciate, though, that they are very useful for many & that many want to have general consensus that they're watching something that is worth their time.

Based on my experience, I do think it's very rare nowadays to find people who watch/read something without any prior opinion / knowledge about it. Doesn't help that social media hypes everything up so much so that it is difficult not to have buzz about something (unless that's the way the production / team wants it). I respect the fact that you go in unbiased.

I see people get triggered by the smallest differences in opinion that it's nice to have a fruitful discussion. THANK YOU :)

Hmm.. let me put it this way.

Its hard to find a person who started reading or playing something without prior knowledge that he or she received from another source. Either that, or somebody introduces that to you as a positive experience. It is the same thing with a drama. No drama would exist without word of mouth. Reviews, to an extent, work as word of mouth.
Just because someone reads a review, it does not mean they are automatically skewed towards the reviewer's opinion. I have watched dramas people rated poorly but ended up loving it. If reviews didn't exist, no one would watch it. Proof is very much here on MDL website. There are nice J dramas that less than 10 people have watched. Look at the page, there are no reviews & no comments.. pretty much explaining how reviews do help generating viewership that in turn generates buzz & more viewership.

Reviews are also important because certain people may be triggered or uncomfortable watching certain kinds of scenes. So reviews warn them of those. I remember watching one of my first few J dramas back in the 90s with a friend & the rape scene really triggered her because she experienced something similar. Unfortunately, internet was not prominent back then so access to reviews was hard. Till today, she does not watch anything with rape & always looks to reviews to ensure that she's not watching anything that has anything of that nature. (With J dramas especially they can start of positive & romantic then get really dark.)

That's all I wanted to say.

E1. Kinda emotional right now so I am sharing it here. E1 was not an easy watch for me.

As a kid, I also used to watch wrestling (WWF) with my family. We'd laugh & get really excited over the matches. I remember WWF very fondly also because my brother wanted to be a boxer back then. Over time, like Juichi & his family, we spoke lesser & lesser as my parents grew busy with their business. We also stopped spending time together. I used to watch my parents the way Juichi watched his dad, wishing deep down that we'd speak again. I partly joined the profession I am in currently hoping to please them.
Things are better now though. I count my blessings that I didn't have to express myself in the circumstances that Juichi did :(

The second half of the episode with Juichi trying to bathe his father - I did the same thing for my grandma each day before she passed away last year. She had Parkinsons & the doctors were also suspecting dementia so I remember the doctor asking similar questions to my grandma to test her memory & how much info she was able to retain. It was an emotionally & physically straining journey with her. I found myself questioning at times when she was around why I had to be the one doing that (like Juichi) when she didn't even love me & was always distant. Despite that, watching her slowly deteriorate each day was hard. I pray each day that my parents never reach that state that my grandma did.

Never thought a drama would stir that personal (& precise) a memory for me.

YES! COUNT ME IN FOR THIS PLOT!
Somebody please sub this. Onegai!!!

Maybe it's just me but I like the fact that the leads are just friends? Probably the J drama fan in me is speaking here but can we please have a K drama that has two leads who end up as best friends for once? I don't need romance being thrown in here.

They didn't include a kiss scene on purpose because the backdrop of this was centred around COVID & social distancing. It was a drama looking at intimacy & relationships in a socially distant setting :)

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT 'I AM YOU, AND YOU ARE ME' WAS A WAY OF SAYING I LOVE YOU?

Takahashi Issei & Ayase Haruka hit it out of the park in the finale, esp during the interrogation scene. Damn I cried. They were just FANTASTIC. And their meeting at the bridge (towards the end) man I had flutters when Hidaka smiled at Mochizuki like that. I wanted more to happen between them, & my heart broke a little when they said sayonara. But with this writer, expect the unexpected. I FREAKING SCREAMED WHEN THEY SWITCHED!! Like hell yeah! And then it ended & I was like NOOOOOOOOOO DON'T FREAKING END. That is how you keep a show A1 all the way.

I enjoyed everybody's acting from Sekuhara to Yamaki to Riku, to Azuma, to Hidaka to Mochizuki. They were all so so good. The characters were an interesting mix of gray with no one conforming to a particular character type.

I must say that Sekuhara really surprised me in the finale by doing the right thing. I like that despite being sexist & selfish, he was shown in the finale to have a very humane side. I love how he felt uncomfortable with Hidaka wanting to protect Mochizuki. It's like the goodness was rubbing off him & made him want to do the right thing?

Riku, though, was a character that I definitely wanted them to explore more.. but then maybe I liked that they kinda kept him mysterious. There were a lot of things that he did that made me feel like something was off with him. For instance, talking to a dead Azuma then remarking 'oh you are dead' or the lack of fear when he found out that Azuma was a murderer, or even when he suspected initially that Mochizuki was a criminal. An interesting character indeed. His subtle confession to Mochizuki definitely surprised me because I never realised that he loved her? Yes he was attracted but then I did not even realise that he had an emotional attachment to her.

What a FANTASTIC finale that was as intense & gripping as it was emotionally compelling. Hats off to the writer for the gripping plot & mystery (all the freaking way till the ending scene in the finale) & the incredibly talented cast & crew for bringing their A game to this.

I consider myself a tough grader, but damn this was a 10 all the way for me. Never at any point did I see my rating for this dropping. In fact, it just kept getting BETTER and BETTER. When it started I had no idea where this was go. I had some expectations though. But boy was I in for a ride, because this went to places I did not see coming & even expect. Twist after twist, this blew my mind. And the last 2 episodes, I cried at some parts. Who would have thought that such an intense drama titled 'Heaven & Hell: 2 Psychos' was actually a story of love?

Anyone that wants to watch a good tight-scripted mystery, THIS IS IT. Highly recommended!!

I have only seen the first 2 episodes & I liked it. It is subpar to the C version in terms of the budget, the costumes, the game effects, the CGI. But I quite like the way they leads interacted outside the game. In the C version, the ML creepily asked the FL 'when were we never in a relationship' on their first date together (when she first finds out who he is). This one, on the other hand, shows them interacting more outside the game than within.
Of course, this is just based on my viewing of the first 2 episodes. I don't know how it pans out in the later episodes.

Of course we'll form our own opinion. But there is a reason people look for reviews before watching something. You want a general idea of what you're in for. We were not asking for your detailed review, we were just asking whether it was good. Quite a simple question that requires a simple answer of yes / no / it's decent.

There are many subpar stuff that gets subbed so I don't think that everyone subs stuff just because they like it. Sometimes people also sub stuff due to popular demand or anticipation to watch a show that may start off well, but end up subpar & subbers just continue it because they started on it.

Anyway, to each his own, I was just taken aback by your response to our simple question.

Thank you subber san! Is this good?

Haha nope because they are different people even though they look similar. I don't see why I should judge her or be uncomfortable watching her when they are not related in any way.

Also I don't judge actors for cheating. A different story if he committed acts of crime involving trafficking/murder/rape/assault/bullying etc.

THANK YOU! I'll check them out :)

A drama focusing on the inner workings of a police academy from the tight training the to-be police officers receive, to their struggles & the way their time at the academy changes their lives. Overseeing them, you have a strict instructor played by the amazing Kimura Takuya who, with his observation & intellect, is able to figure out what they are up to & use that to their disadvantage. An interesting psychological police procedural that is packed with mystery & intensity.
Highly recommended for all!

Check out Kyojo as well! It is really really good.

Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru was a drama from last year & I felt the stiffness & lack of emotion more than ever. But I have not watched Ai Uta. Will check it out, thank you :)