jackyyjack

It's interesting to compare Yamada, a character from a 1993~94 manga, to the Hidetoshi Nishijima character in Asunaro Hakusho (1993). Yamada is more realistic (social commentary) of a teen stuck in an economically depressed town, while HN played a rich guy confessing his crush on a college roommate (delicate psychology!) The pinning of one's hope on UFO is also better developed as characterization, than Pixar' Elio (2025).

There are enough gags for repeat viewing. In a cast stuffed with strong actors, the Shogun stands out by doing the least.

Is it easy to get help with mental health in Japan?

This is a mix of true crime, detective mystery thriller, and horror comedy of manners (Takeuchi could've had her own mini movie, lots of backstory there.) Director Kurosawa was starting to experiment in the 2010's, after the J-horror wave. And is there a movie that gathers more tragedies in one poster than this one? They're all solid actors too.

Who knew Yuya Yagira is this funny? I didn't! Is this why he was cast as Beato Takeshi?

It was her stepmom.

Depp's trials were aired on TV and one could not escape all the tawdry details in the news, day in and day out. I think it comes down to the local market's frame of reference. Higashide played roles that appealed to women, so he just needs to work outside that specific type now. Are there less opportunities to play villains, or characters one loves to hate in dorama?

In terms of acting roles, people would not find it believable if Higashide plays nice-guy dads, boyfriends, suitors. Everything else would still work.

Tabloids sat on what they knew until the virus outbreak. The timing was too convenient too.

People just feel sorry for the mother with 3 kids. If one day Karata finds herself in the same situation, people would want to support her too as the victim (to be sure, the married spouse had a vow to uphold, not Karata.)

Kubota was so sleek and mysterious in Cloud (2024), he would've been a Nikkatsu star! So impressive. They got him for Shogun 2? Hope he gets paid well!

I looked forward to this based on recommendations. Eps 1 foreshadows world events, with a virus that is known to have extensive lab work before any spread. Unfortunately, current events make it hard to view the dorama as either entertainment or even realistic/plausible.