jackyyjack

There's the media version, then there's the reality. (A world reserve currency that can be printed out of thin air, is used to fund endless wars, on behalf a certain country whose members of "diaspora" wield enormous influence across many sectors that shape public's eyes/minds/ears, across many countries. What's extremist about this global network? Their rewards vs punishment for their recruits are on par with Mafias making an offer you can't refuse, backed by the most powerful forces in banking, intelligence/military tech in the world.)

The amount of Lily Franky in trailer surprised me. He never gets to play an imposing, big bad in J films:D

This had a "socially conscious" take on the original, which was centered on "typical male problems". But even an "overbearing MIL" isn't really played as such, making SSH's issues more about class, privilege and money. The ending made me LOL, since it's easy to imagine it's still common in Asia:P So on the nose that the director/writer seem silly.

Nice to see Kim Dae-woo still got it though, after his impressive debut in Forbidden Quest!
Cho Yeon-jeong has become a formidable force, with an unpredictable range.

They're probably paired for being frequently cast in works of Yuji Sakamoto.

Missing this fine actor.

If you speak on irrefutable evidence, "probably" would not be necessary.

Her English in the Sukiyaki trailer is native level. She's emoting, not just speaking the lines.

While it's good to have dramas about unique people, those born before the 90s did not go through a large va**ination schedule -- as all WHO member nations eventually did. I don't expect any drama to touch on the concerns over the new additions to the schedule. Nevertheless, the growing number of fictional characters with autism (that are orders above Ally McBeal's social anxiety + emotional instability) feel like talking around the elephant in the room.

Just read about his former manager of 16 years signing contracts for the advance fees, without telling him. Couldn't he have sued the guy for defrauding him?

EPS 1 is on a higher quality in every department, compared to the same director's Don't Call it Mystery. The house featured is a timeshare villa: https://www.sasazawa.jp/timeshare_lp/

Gripping. Bodes well for the director's Gate of Murder next year.
Among Shibasaki's best "irony lady" performances.
But what's with Japan's sexual assault laws? Why can't someone go to the police instead of tabloids??

Episode 5 "Japanese Dream": Nogi blames the consumers who buy bento in the early hours, for management decision to under-pay foreign labor? CEOs also do not hesitate to exploit and deceive consumers to protect their disproportionate pay, as it has been proven at a fast pace since 2020.

Dramas that explore the abuse of power by the CEO/manager class, such as Scandal Eve (2025), that affect so many lives with some backroom deals, don't manipulate the audience as much.

Does this have the ultimate self-loathing **married obasan? Melrose Place would never have a character like her.
Casting + motivations are much stronger than the same writer's Reboot (2026.)
The music is absolutely kick ass!

They're shooting a sequel now, based on the 3rd part of the trilogy. "By the novelist of Kokuho..."

BBC had 2 documentaries on Johnny Kitagawa/J-pop in 2023. That may have made scripts like this drama move forward more. After all the horrible cases from 2010s+ Kpop/showbiz, this is pretty lightweight. In fact "Restaurant with Many Problems" (2015) also touched on the demeaning jobs available to young women trying to be financially independent, though the depiction is a bit crude.

That escalated quickly.

Wonderful voice. Finally a young male singer who can do emotionally expressive ballads.

Neat, compact story that is so different from today's J-indies trying to be epic and rambling at the same time. Ken Mitsuishi is not as expressive as his supporting roles later. He looked a bit like very normie Ken Takakura!

Sad to hear this. She had the talent for sure -- impressive in Cleopatra and Gintama Mitsuba Hen. That's some range!

This typecast Takako Matsu forever, let's face it. Before Hallyu swept Asia etc, Kimutaku was holding it down solo -- and this is his most accessible, family fare.