Zulu-Niner

Acchan 2.0 lol

SAY IT LOUDER BRO

I concur, the new Rika is like the original Rika with steroids and high-dose caffeine :D. She is so damn agressive, but I think it has to do with her being not only carefree but also naive. Like that in the original series, it will bite her back later but in this version I reckon it will hit her even harder.

Another notable difference I notice among the characters is that in the new version Ken is more sleazy, but just as charismatic as young Eguchi somehow.

A prequel where the mom turns out to be a doppelganger (or long lost twin sister) of her future fiancee's boss.

IKR!

Forgive me if I'm veering the topic, I seriously think Sairi needs her own show, instead of as someone else's sidekick all over again. She is more underrated than Kaho, who herself already has very solid credentials.

Everyone loves Kaho

The camera works in Ep.8 is one of the very bests I've seen on Japanese TV, especially on scene transition involving jump between timelines.

They announced the 3rd season will air at the end of the year

This show is a very example of a less-novel concept that works because they did almost everything just right - directing, screenplay, smooth and believable transition all the way to the end (despite short duration and time frame), character development, acting, casting. Abema TV seems has propensity to utilize very good looking set of cast (see Follow Saretara) and this is definitely not an exception at all, although all especially Iitoyo perform well. There are lots of quiet moments that are typically the hallmarks of slice-of-life J-Movies. The episode where Mei and Kouta set to seek Kouta's mom in Tokyo is my favorite, it ends with really positive remarks. A few criticism on some scenes were handled can be warranted, such as the customary marathon-running scenes of which the characters run dozens of miles to find others instead of taking cars or at least taxi lol (although in this case it can be assumed the entire town the characters live in is small enough to be navigated on foot), but I think the positives notes still well out-weight the negatives. But the standout is the cinematography, they really use it to great effect.

Yes she was. In fact she's known more for being little Ai in Conan Live Action (I think she was 8-9 years old then). Shame she hasn't got a limelight afterwards but you know her age group is full of talents of similar caliber and a diversity in terms of acting style that it's hard to really stand out.

Judging from the trailer, Kentaro looks a bit too young for the role. On the other hand, Shizuka seems ready to go all out. Won't be surprised if this ends up to be her breakout role. It's apparent the producers and screenwriters alter her character significantly that it would juxtapose Rika Akana as we know it in the original series. Kiyohara and Anna look good together as a pair btw. In particular Anna has potentials to bring new colors to the character Satomi.

Dat eyes lol

lol Nikaido Fumi and Yamamoto Maika lookalike

This is surprisingly fun ride, I thought it would be super campy but it turns out to work. I like the decision from the production team to make the show like a sketch comedy, so that they can cram a lot of stories from the original material without sacrificing the tempo.

Marie Iitoyo is the actress younger Gakky wished to be (skill-wise)

Fantastic and very adventurous screenwriter, but I found his recent works often undermined by either bad execution and/or inappropriate casting.

Ao no Kaerimichi and Kokoro no Kizu

Watched it at Osaka Asian Film Festival in March 2020. I just can't believe how come a relatively short movie about four person who knew little of each others sitting at the supporter stand (in a school-level high school tournament) can be this entertaining. Like how things in the latter part of the movie can come into being and how one can symphatize with all its characters despite the time limitation. I kid you not, this is not just a run-of-a-mill school-themed movie. If you are into youth-themed shows with unconventional plot and realistic acting the likes of Kirishima Bukatsu Yametteruto etc, this is right up your alley. Easily 9/10 and movie of the year of 2020 for me.

This show is so underrated. I'm glad in Episode 6 they brought forward an important issue any other series hadn't yet to convey, namely the controversies surrounding alternative medicine and why some patients (or family of patients) believe in such quack. It's so realistic and I hope many medical doramas continue to show educative yet enjoyable and relevant materials like this.