Iyashi no Otonari-san ni wa Himitsu ga Aru
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This review may contain spoilers
I must confess I started watching this "Iyashi no Otonari-san ni wa Himitsu ga aru" only out of my love for Tanabe Momoko, who's my #1 fave of the current generation of Japanese actresses (and considering that she has some fierce competition there, that's saying quite a lot, isn't it?). And indeed she was once again perfect to a "T", gorgeous and tremendously talented as always.On the other hand, I didn't have any expectation at all about the drama itself: I was actually expecting the Nth crappy hollywoodian story of "the good guy next door seems nice but actually is a psycho, so beware of other people, stay alone and unhappy 'cause that's how we want you to be"...but it ended up being, much to my surprise, quite the other way around!
The writers aren't keeping from us that the ML is a "psycho"; I mean, seriously, they portray him right from the beginning with a demented grin on his face, and on top of that, humming the European Union anthem! Hard to be crazier than that, right? >___<
(...yeah, I know it's Beethoven's "Ode to the Joy", but the EU using it has ruined that completely for me, sorry...)
Back to what I was saying (and more seriously!), what the writers did here was to actually orchestrate an intricate "double play": on the surface, we have the FL finding out, slowly but surely, that the ML ain't what he seems...but on a deeper level, we viewers take just the opposite path, finding out precisely that he's not as crazy (nor as "stalkerish") as we initially thought him to be! So in the end the message is a completely non-hollywoodian "the next person might be a lot better than you think, so open up and be happy", which is pretty damn nice, coming to think about it!
The music is good, the "packaging" too, the scenography great (I want an apartment like that! Of course as long as I could share the balcony with Momoko-chan, LOL).
But the absolute best part is the acting. ALL the cast did marvelously, with virtual standing ovations for both leads!
The only reason I'm not grading this as a "Perfect 10" (SPOILER ahead) is that I've found the stabbing scene with the subsequent endless monologue really forced and overall annoyingly clichéd; had they done that more nicely, it would've been perfect. But it got close.
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As expected, a very light, relaxing, soothing dorama
Very often, as (re)viewers, we may end up being taken aback by this or that dorama: some surprise us positively (and we'll reward them with extra points), some really let us down (and then we accordingly put them down). But sometimes it also happens that what we get is *exactly* what we expected, and that's very pleasant and comforting in its own way.Now, I expected this little dorama to be a very light, relaxing, soothing one...and that's exactly what it is! Although the basically non-existent plot makes it a bit hard to call this a masterpiece, nonetheless the characters are endearing, the acting good (I particularly appreciated Fukuhara Haruka's portrayal of that quirky, lone wolf camping fanatic, Ohara Yuno's rendition of that energetic airhead with the contagious laugh, and Tanabe Momoko's crazy-but-funny outdoor club president), the music is nice (I really liked the ending credits song BTW) and last but not least, the scenery is wonderful. Oh, and it's also a perfect watch for these scorching summer nights, as seeing those girls camping out in winter is enough to send some shivers down your spine, LOL.
p.s.
In case - by some mysterious and unforeseeable circumstance - this review ends up being read by someone working for a Japanese car producer: why don't you guys export here in the West such lovely "Kei SUVs" like the one shown in this dorama? I think many Westerners like me would really love to get one of those and go "yurucamping" with it! ^__^;
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Anyway, although romance ain't normally my cup of tea (and I tend to be particularly wary of the "CEO" tag, LOL), I can assure you that this is really, REALLY good! Shoujo at its best, seriously!
The script is very well done, with the perfect mix of romance, suspense and comedy (which helps keep everything lighter and more entertaining, as far as I'm concerned).
The leads are simply GREAT! Kudos to both of them! I must confess I didn't know Kubota-chan (her filmography is HUGE but apparently I had never seen any of it before) while I already knew and appreciated Maeda-kun (being a straight guy I tend to focus much more on actresses, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize acting talent in actors too, when I see it! And Maeda Goki, whom I had already noticed in "Edo-moiselle" and "Iyashi no Otonari-san..." surely has PLENTY of that!).
A pretty neat "packaging" (directing, editing, photography, OST) adds to the viewing pleasure.
So why am I not rating this a "perfect 10"? In short (and without spoilers), I found the ending a bit too fast-paced, and the villains a bit too caricatured for my taste. Anyway a solid 9/10, highly recommended!
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Masterpiece from the Golden Era!
I'll start with a standing ovation for Kimura Takuya.And given how I've never been a big fan of his, I honestly think this carries a lot more weight than otherwise.
He was simply superb here, period. Well done, man! Chapeau!
But then again, the *whole* cast did marvelously. And what a fantastic cast, by the way! Okamoto Aya, Koyuki, Sakai Masato, Izumiya Shigeru...and then again, Ueno Juri, Kaho, Toda Erika, Oohira Natsumi...wow, just wow!
Of course a big role in this overall superb performance was played by the script, which was basically perfect and worked like a clockwork: *every single character* was tridimensional, *every scene* well thought and well written. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think...the whole nine yards, seriously!
Some *great* music and a pretty high production value complete the package.
If you're in for a masterpiece from the "Golden Era" (early 90s to late Aughts) of Japanese Drama, give this title a chance. You might end up *loving* it just as I did! ^___-
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Just as good, if not honestly even better, than the first one!
It doesn't happen too often that a second season (second installment, sequel or anything of that kind) ends up being just as good, if not honestly even better, than the first one. As a matter of fact, a lot more frequently it's just the other way around and the quality declines (more or less drastically, depending on the case) with time.Luckily, though, there *are* exceptions, and this is exactly one of those, since "Yappari Oshii Keiji" was, imvho, even better than the original "Oshii Keiji".
Having twice the number of episodes as the original series might have had something to do with that feeling, since the tremendously good writer, Uda Manabu, had more room to have fun with continuity, inside jokes etc. etc....whatever the reason, it was a true viewing pleasure from the first to the last minute.
A great script with nicely intricate mystery plots and lots of seriously hilarious comedy, a very convincing performance by the whole cast (with particular praises for the brilliant Kazama Shunsuke, for the lovely Shiraishi Sei and - although she guest-starred only in one episode - for the simply wonderful Kurosaki Reina ^___-), a nice and catchy score, good direction and photography...well, what's not to like?
Perfect 10! ^___-
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2022 starts (quite literally!) with a BANG!!!
I've just finished watching this superb drama and...WHOA!!! Seriously, guys, WOW, just WOW!!!I've seen this described as "Groundhog Day meets Speed", and that's true to some extent, but also totally insufficient to correctly define all its innumerable qualities. It's gripping, moving, bittersweetly realistic and at the same time fascinatingly fictional, and ultimately, extremely entertaining without ever being shallow or silly.
The script was very close to being perfect; not a single scene was redundant, and apart from a coupla very minor characters (the headphones-wearing muscular guy and the wig-wearing female police bigshot) who felt a tad too caricatural to this humble reviewer, all the rest were imho very well written and tridimensional; the premise is as interesting as they come, and its intricate, thought-provoking development absolutely rock-solid.
The whole cast (except for the two characters mentioned above, but then again, I'm willing to "blame" the script there ) deserved a standing ovation, period. Even "minor" characters as the older passengers and the younger cop were brilliantly portrayed. But as far as I'm concerned, Captain Zhang really earned himself a special mention! Chapeau!
Direction, photography, editing and music are all top-notch and add greatly to the overall quality.
And the cherry on top is, for me, represented by the deep, humane messages that the drama managed to convey.
Perfect 10!!!
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Cinema at its best!
One of the best movies I've ever watched, period.Okay, further elaborating on that...what should I name first?
Perhaps the absolutely perfect script, portraying a beautiful, delicate, poetic story of friendship?
Or maybe the fabulous cinematography, which makes it feel almost as if an endless collection of wonderful paintings were seamlessly flowing one after the other in front of the viewers' delighted eyes?
Or maybe again, the superb performance delivered by the whole cast, with a virtual standing ovation for Matsumoto Honoka?
And why not the lovely music, or the marvelous dishes, or any other element of this magnificent production?
Seriously, cinema at its best. Wow, just wow!
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The script is simply marvelous, the direction and photography absolutely top notch (I normally am wary of special effects, as I don't like how they've come to monopolize Western cinematography; but when they solely serve the script, as they do here, they're welcome ^__-), the acting fantastic (Tong Li Ya, whom I had previously admired - alas, too briefly, as her role there was important storywise, but minor as for screentime - in the drama "Waiting For You In The Future", is the very definition of "gorgeous"; and Lei Jia Yin manages to accomplish the not-so-easy feat of portraying two "different" characters and *actually* making it seem like they're different)...last but not least, the music is lovely and contributes greatly to give this lil' gem a kind of "Amélie" feeling.
Perfect 10! ^____^
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Lovely regional dorama
It's the first time I actually appreciated Kanjiya Shihori's acting! Since I couldn't honestly ascribe that to my getting softer with age (leveling with y'all, I'm afraid it's more like the opposite and I'm getting grumpier, LOL), this means she actually WAS good in this dorama SP! And so was Endo Kenichi! Also thanks to a beautifully written script which managed, in such a short time, to touch some big issues like the neverending love/hate relationship between city and countryside, the different approaches people may have to work and work ethics, and more in general, the respect we should always have for others in order to fully function as a society. Once again I ended up totally loving a "regional dorama" - gee, I wish there were, like, a list of those somewhere, so as to make it easier for us fans to find these lil' gems!Was this review helpful to you?
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And I'm happy to be able to say that it's been an extremely satisfying journey from the very first minute to the very last!
The plot is very intricate but the writer(s) managed to wrap everything up nicely, all doubts were resolved, all questions answered - which is a lot more that can be said of many such dramas which instead tend to lack dramatically in that aspect.
The cast did a pretty good job, as a whole.
The "packaging" (production value, music etc.) is top-notch, period.
Perfect 10 as far as I'm concerned!
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1) Motokariya Yuika, whom I must confess having developed an instant crush for ever since her cute "majime" character in the beautiful movie "Swing Girls" ^__^;
2) Narumi Yui, whom I deeply appreciated as the ML's daughter in the recent "Mushoboke".
And neither of them let me down, the former is simply gorgeous and the latter is imho a very promising young actress, who showed in "Mushoboke" her drama skills, and here her comedic talent (alas, too briefly, as her character doesn't get much screentime).
Unfortunately, not only is this drama still unsubbed, but neither could I find Japanese subtitles so that I could run them through a machine-translator, retime them and use them to help me understand more (as I've learned to do so as to better appreciate otherwise RAW J-dramas ^__-). Anyway, the story is pretty straightforward, the rhythm quite slow and the dialogues rather simple, which means that even my little more than basic knowledge of Japanese was enough to get most of it.
The script seems pretty well done to me (not a big surprise, considering that Aso Kumiko is responsible for it - and I've learned to appreciate her writing just as much as her acting skills); without going into details so as not to spoiler anything, the romance is mild and a bit more realistic than usual (hence the slightly bitter aftertaste it may have given to some viewers), and although it still contains a few of the clichés typical of the genre, it doesn't indulge too much on those (something I really appreciated!).
The acting performance is pretty solid from the whole cast, and although the production value isn't anything to call home about, it's still okay. The music commentary instead is *really* very nice, imho! ^___^
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Weren't it for a coupla things, it would've been a real gem
I have somehow mixed feelings about this "Don't Leave After School", as there were things I really, really liked about it but unfortunately also a coupla things I really disliked...What I liked:
1) Li Ting Ting: in my 15+ years of honorable Asian-dramophilia, you can guess I've watched my fair share of high-school themed dramas, and seen many actresses playing the role of a high school girl; well, never have I found a performance more convincing, more strikingly natural, more beautifully "realistic", than the one delivered here by Li Ting Ting! She almost made me believe for a while that I was actually watching a real high school girl, with all the quirky details of a not yet fully matured individual, the weird faces here and there, the goofiness etc.; my virtual standing ovation to an actress who doesn't care about "not looking good" all the time, if that's what it takes to fully portray a character! BTW, the fact that some people here criticized her precisely for that, while other people (or maybe the same people, I'm too lazy to check that detail now, LOL) went so far as to actually praise Tan Song Yun's "performance" in "Dear Mayang Street" (which I, on the contrary, just couldn't stand: that one didn't convince me in the least and, as far as I'm concerned, should be a perfect example of how NOT TO portray a high school girl, what with the annoyingly constant Mona Lisa faint smile and the clear "let's give the cameras my best profile all the time" attitude) is just another proof of how true Clint Eastwood's überfamous quote about opinions is, LOL
2) The subplot with Stephanie Xu's and Li Jun Ting's characters (together with Li Ting Ting's and Xiao Yang's, they were my absolute favorite characters, all beautifully written and masterfully portrayed, BTW), which actually got me more emotionally involved that the main plot regarding the leads, honestly;
3) The OST: not only are the credits songs beautiful (particularly "It's Nice That The Wind Blows" by SIS), but the score is top-notch throughout the entire drama, and adds a lot of value to the whole thing imho!
4) Some of the very creative intro scenes were little masterpieces, really! ^_______^
Were it only for these points, I would've given this a perfect 10, seriously!
Alas, the drama also had a coupla thing I disliked, as previously mentioned, and namely:
1) Not all the characters were so well written, quite a few of the rest (like Fiona, Da Meng, Qiao Mai, Li Da Lai, and the blackmailing creep >___<) were actually basically bidimensional, and that actually pissed me off greatly 'cause it showed some lazy writing in what would've been, otherwise, a real gem.../.__.\
2) The constant use of hand-held cameras; I understand it was meant to kind of "bring the watcher inside the action", but it mostly gave me motion sickness...O___o
All in all, the good points beat the bad ones, so I'm giving this a well-deserved 8...and I'm surely gonna watch more of Li Ting Ting's works in the future! ^___-
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Once again a SP episode ends up being...nothing special! :/
I tend to be a little wary of SPs done after successful dramas, as in the past I've noticed many of those being way below their respective main series' level (and more generally, way below par!)...and this "Tokyo Tarareba Musume 2020" was no exception, unfortunately.Whereas with the original series I had liked more or less everything but the last episode(s), here I kinda like the last 50' or so, but on the other hand I couldn't help but finding the first 45' terribly boring (the definition "yawnfest" comes to mind) and borderline annoying.
The cast did well though, all things considered, particularly Yoshitaka Yuriko and Oshima Yuko (who's been nothing short of brilliant in everything I've seen her in so far!).
If you asked me about the music - despite the fact that I've watched this, like, less than 24 hours ago! - I'd have to reply that I don't even remember the music in it (which means it wasn't terrible, but also not very good).
All in all, once again a SP episode ends up being...nothing special! :/
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