pash

Zetsumeshi Forever! ^____^

I've found out about this dorama by chance (I loved "Bank Over!" so much that I thoroughly searched the - pretty vast! - filmography by the screenwriter, Mori Hayashi, and this title was the one that first caught my eye) and I'm sooo glad I did! ^___^
It's at the same time pretty addictive and quite relaxing, to follow the adventures of this funny salaryman, who roams the roads of Japan aboard his minivan in search for "endangered meals" (that is, delicious meals in old, inexpensive restaurants that risk disappearing in the future).
The dorama shines, needless to say it, thanks to a very nice and original script, to a convincing performance by the whole cast (Hamatsu Takayuki and Yamamoto Koji - who wouldn't want a friend like him, right? - really steal the show here) and last but certainly not least to a beautiful soundtrack (both the ending credits song and the various pieces accompanying the whole series are extremely good indeed).
But the real cherry on top, imho, is the photo, shown at the end of every episode, portraying the real people who run those "endangered restaurants" next to the actor/s who impersonated them. That small detail gives so much more depth to the whole thing, as it makes the viewers fully understand and appreciate the beautiful humaneness behind the ML's (at first glance, a bit weird) hobby. Thanks to that, this isn't the Nth shallow food-drama about a glutton stuffing his or her face day in and day out, but rather a bittersweet and oh-so-Japanese tale of the real people behind those dishes, their stories and dreams, hopes and difficulties.
Very, very nice indeed!
The only reason I don't give this a "perfect 10" is that a coupla questions are left unanswered: did Kaburagi eventually reconcile with his wife? Did he meet again with the ML and maybe with his daughter too? And then again, did the ML's wife finally see the beauty of her husband's hobby - just like their daughter had done? It could be that all those questions - and yet some - get answered in the SP, but since I couldn't find it anywhere, I have no way to know for sure.../.___.\
But hey, there's always hope that they'll come up with a second season, right? If that's the case, here's one who's totally looking forward to that! ^___-

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Solid 80s' mystery

If you're a "Shōwa person" like me (and that could mean either that you were born in the Shōwa era, or that you feel a particular affinity to it - or both, as is my case, LOL), there's a high chance you too will like this "Kekkon Annai Mystery".
Right from the first minutes of it, thanks to the music, the clothes, and most of all to that dark computer screen with the bright green text (which all help bring us older viewers back to the '80s quicker than Doc Brown's DeLorean would ^_^), you get that unmistakeable "end of Shōwa" flavor, and that's already half of the movie's charm.
The rest is done by the exquisite directing (I guess the director had studied proficiently the Italian Golden Age Thriller Masters, like Lucio Fulci and the first Dario Argento - and indeed, the first scene reminds a bit the beginning of "Profondo Rosso", while several others will make the more knowledgeable among you reminisce about movies like "Sette Note in Nero"...and why not, some takes were done in the style of Hitchcock's classics too!), by the score, the editing, and by the general, intriguing atmosphere. The cast did well, with a particular praise to Nagayama Aiko who really stole the show here!
The fact that, being only 90' long, the movie felt a bit rushed, and that the mystery's solution imho felt a bit bland, prevented me from giving this a "perfect 10". It's still a solid "9" for this lovely "oldie but goldie" though! ^___-

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Original and funny!

The absurdly funny premise reminded me of a creativity-enhancing exercise I had been taught to use when I had studied scriptwriting (and then taught myself when I found myself teaching the same subject a few years later): you'd have to take a few sheets of paper and randomly write, on one of them, 10 characters (for example: a killer, an accountant, a nurse, a truck driver, etc.), on another 10 objects (like: a dagger, a Mayan idol, a bottle of scotch, etc.), on a third one 10 places (a school, an elevator, a back alley, etc.) and on a fourth one 10 genres (mystery, comedy, horror, etc.). Then you'd fold the sheets, pile them together, and pierce through them with something sharp. At the end, you'd just unfold the sheets and select the different elements which were closer to the holes, at which point you'd have to create a plot with whatever you ended up with (which could mean something as weird as "a drug dealer, a secretary, an ancient scroll, a Playstation, a dance school, a diner, SF and romance", LOL).
Now, I honestly don't know whether the same exercise is being taught in Japan as well, but if it is, then we could guess this dorama's writer came up with "an interviewee, a detective, a love hotel, water, time-leaping and comedy"...^_^;
However the funny premise originated, though, the good thing is, it's been then pretty nicely developed with some endearing characters, a good cast (particular praises to Ohara Sakurako - too bad her singing career is making her filmography relatively short, 'cause she's not only cute as pie, but also knows how to act), some hilarious scenes (I think there's at least one or two in every episode where you'll end up laughing out loud - at least, so did I), a lovely jazzy score, and last but not least, some nice messages.
Too bad there were also a coupla weaker episodes, plus the usual portrayal of foreigners as weirdos (so common in Japanese comedies, alas) which I honestly could very well live without; otherwise I'd have given this an even higher grade!
It's still a solid "8" as far as I'm concerned, though! ^___^
Don't be discouraged by the weird premise, and for Heaven's sake, don't think - not even for a millisecond - that there might be anything remotely lewd in the "soaking wet" part, 'cause there isn't, it's a quite tasteful drama instead.

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A beautiful and original mix! ^____^

The first two characters of the original title (京阪) can actually serve as a perfect symbol of what this dorama is. How so? Bear with me a little, I'ma explain that right away...^_^;

For those of you who are unfamiliar with "kanji" (the "Chinese" characters used in Japanese together with the native hiragana and katakana), those two characters are actually the first kanji of "Kyōto" and the second one of "Ōsaka" (I'll spare you the lengthy explanation of why the hell they are not read as "Kyōsaka" then, but rather as "Keihan", LOL), the two cities connected by the eponimous railway line and named at the very beginning of every episode, where they point out how different they are: on the one hand, the traditional, calm and refined Kyōto, and on the other hand, the modern, lively and more down-to-earth Ōsaka. And in the middle, the fictitious Kizunaya inn, with its lovely humane staff, a weird but oh-so-nice house rule, and the various guests with all their stories and their problems.

And that's just it: this dorama stands in the middle between many opposites, and manages to perfectly mix so many different ingredients and turn them into an original dish: you'll find some comedy and some drama, some deep moments and some silly ones, some calm and some tension, some jazzy, lively music, and some relaxing, classical pieces, etc. etc....and in the end, if your taste is anything close to mine, you'll end up being totally satisfied by the original mix!

Honorable mentions to the script, to Konishi Sakurako and, most of all, to the kid actress Niitsu Chise who was so impressively good! (to be able to act that well at that young age is kinda scary, seriously! ^_^;...)

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The premise of this "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald" reminded me a bit of the American movie "Noises Off" (1992), with Michael Caine and Cristopher Reeve. And indeed both are adapted from a play, and both portray the crazily funny misadventures of a troupe. Whereas that one was written from the point of view of a director, though, this one is actually done from that of a writer. And as anyone who's ever tried writing professionally will be able to confirm, it is surely based on the many frustrations and troubles writers have to go through (unbeknownst to the vast public, the final version of a script has often little to do with its first draft; some of the changes have sound reasons - like budget restrictions, for example! - but it might often happen that retouches are actually caused by frivulous motivations - a long list of which is funnily depicted here! ^__^)
Just like that other movie, though, this one as well suffers from some silliness and some exaggerations...so the script is very good but not perfect.
The cast is great, and refreshingly so imho due to the absence of high-school-aged idols, LOL (particular mentions for the always great Toda Keiko and Nishimura Masahiko!)

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I liked this dorama a lot! ^__^ I found it somehow hard to believe that it's from 2003, as it has a much older flavour (in the best sense possible...I mean it totally feels like a classic from the 90's imho). Extremely well written, with many funny moments, and also very well acted by the female cast: Fukacchan is great as always, but also the mother-in-law and the 3 "elder sisters" of the title are very good (my personal fave among them being Harada Tomoyo - too bad her previous dorama "Straight News" and "Dessin" - where she had the main role btw - not only are so hard to find info about, but also, if I'm not mistaken, have never been subbed! T__T)

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Recipe for a perfect dorama: take two great leads (Wakui Emi is simply to die for, here...and I guess Fukikoshi Mitsuru will have the same effect on the female audience), add some very good supporting actors (Amami Yuki and Ono Takehiko most of all, but everyone else also does a good job), mix everything with a nice, light and entertaining plot and most of all with lots and lots of witty and überfunny dialogues, give everything that unmistakable, unbeatable 90's flavor, and finally serve: the viewers will appreciate. Now, I can't speak for everyone else, of course, but believe me, THIS viewer was delighted from the very first minute to the very last! Perfect 10/10! :)

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I'm seriously considering using this, from now on, as a quick way to answer the question "Why do you like Japanese drama so much?" Why? Well, Watch this and you'll know! What more can I say? Sheer perfection, seriously! An end-of-summer tale, set in a beautiful scenery and featuring such a poetic story - and such a superb performance by the always amazing Wakui Emi! At the end of the movie, the viewer is left with a bittersweet, nostalgic, oh-so-japanese feeling, one of painful yet heartwarming longing...as far as I'm concerned, this is a little M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E!!!

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With a different ending/message, it would have ended up in my top10 of all times...

I had great expectations regarding this "Umi no Hajimari", and the first half (or even 2/3) of it kept those expectations at himalayan heights...but unfortunately the last third of it, the ending and more generally the message it conveyed proved to be such a huge let-down, as far as I'm concerned.

First things first, what I liked:

1) Izutani Rana
As I always put it in such cases, to think that someone can be so good at acting at a such young age is actually kinda scary! This little child could teach many grown up actresses a lesson or two, really. Chapeau, Rana-chan!

2) the OST
Catchy and haunting, it'll stay with you even long after having finished watching the series. It reminded me a lot of "1 lt. no Namida", which is a huge compliment, in my book.

3) the "packaging"
Direction, editing, photography...all top-notch, period.

And now on to what I didn't like (impossible to explain it without SPOILERS so consider yourselves warned and stop reading NOW if you wanna avoid them!):

as briefly mentioned in the opening paragraph, the series went downhill right after episode 8, and the downward spiral just kept going until the end.
In my very humble opinion (and I totally agree with thecheesz_'s review so at least I know I'm not the only one thinking this!), the problem lies with selfishness and making wrong choices that lead to others' suffering being portrayed as a good thing. It's so not-Japanese it hurts!!! >_______<
In a Confucian society, the ethical imperative is that self-sacrifice is *necessary* for harmony. In a nutshell, your freedom ends where the others' begins, and that's something you should always keep in mind. Disregarding this simple truth should be frowned upon, not celebrated. Instead, we have Natsu-kun, Tsuno-san, the grandparents and most of all the poor Umi-chan horribly suffering from the very poor choices of two immature and selfish individuals (Mizuki and Yayoi) who are, on top of that, portrayed as role models for having made others suffer.
And finally their "example" leads Natsu-kun to make another poor choice that in its turn makes Umi-chan suffer even more (when he listens to Yayoi instead of taking Umi's grandpa's advice and makes Umi change school and home). Which is the obvious outcome of making choices based solely on your own volition, not taking others into account. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

This is how I would have written the last third of the series:

a) First of all, I would've had Yayoi-san make no U-turn whatsover and stay instead where she was at - that is, being a caring, selfless person who would've been just all too eager to become Umi-chan's new mom. So no break-up.

b) Secondly, I would have made Mizuki-san explain her choices as follows: going to the pre-abortion ob-gyn, she was informed of her cancer and given two options: either remove it and forever lose the ability to procreate, or else procede with the pregnancy and risk that the cancer become inoperable. She chose to give birth to Umi, and to push Natsu away (and later on, to not let Tsuno get too close) because she didn't want to burden them (which I'm not saying it's actually right either - but at least it would've been a lot more consistent with Japanese culture!!!)

c) Thirdly, I would've had Natsu take the grampa's advice and move in with them, even if it had meant to change jobs (for crying out loud, he's a freaking *salesman*, not Dr. Schweitzer nor Mother Teresa, he could've changed jobs and the world wouldn't have been any worse for it! >____<)

d) Lastly, I would've had Natsu, Yayoi and Umi build a happy family together in the end - oh, and while at it, I would've made sure that Tsuno too found a better half (like, one of Yayoi's colleagues perhaps).

And all would've lived happily ever after...

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