The script is as crazy and quirky as they come, being a perfect example of the typically Japanese paradoxical comedy - a genre at which they excel, indeed! Expect lots and lots of wild fantasy (such a refreshing contrast to the ever-surging wave of bland, neutered, politically-correct homogeneity which has laid waste to the Western scriptwriting world, and has started attacking Japan as well, alas). Dialogues are witty and funny.
The acting is mostly superb (apart from one or two minor characters; but the three leads are all impeccable - a virtual standing ovation to them! Oh, and to the lovely Konishi Sakurako as well - too bad her role is not a leading one T__T).
Some pretty nice music and a tremendously high production value complete the package.
Highly recommended! Oh, and be sure to watch the following movie as well!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Interesting premise, totally ruined by a lousy script
Apart from the cheesy title, this "Zambi" had a pretty interesting premise, with a first episode full of eery atmosphere. But from them on, unfortunately (and particularly from the start of the zombie outbreak - pardon, "zambi" outbreak ^_^;...), the whole thing was completely ruined by one of the lousiest scripts I've ever seen, filled to the brim with inconsistencies, plotholes, horribly poor dialogues, and idiotic scenes (just a few examples - SPOILERS AHEAD, jump to the next paragraph if you want to avoid them! - out of all the teens in the dormitory, apparently only one had her phone with her - like, seriously?!? - but then when the FL awakes inside the coffin, she has a lighter with her - and when another girl is stuck climbing outside a window, she repels a "zambi" using a big spray can - where did she find it? and where had she hidden it until then?!?...as for the dialogues, a memorable example is when one of the girls gets killed - UNMISTAKENLY killed, what with the knife stuck in her heart, the eyes wide open and dead - and in the next scene, a girl asks "Was she really dead?" - Duh! Whaddaya think, girl?!? >_____<)The acting was quite poor, but with that script, there's nothing they could have done about that - and some of the girls showed how well they can act in another drama, "Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!" (more on that in my upcoming review of that title).
The music was nothing worth calling hoe about it, either.
Summing it all up: watch it only if you're a Nogizaka fan.
Was this review helpful to you?
In Japan it's been pretty successful (leading to two more seasons and a movie!), but unfortunately only this first season got subbed so far.
Of course this is partially explainable with the fact that it's quite hard to translate dramas like this into another language, so full as it is with cultural references, inside jokes, quotes etc.
But I'm afraid that the biggest "problem" is the average age of the leads - and that's particularly sad, specially for "oji-sans" like me! T_____T
If you wanna take my advice though (and take a break from the more usual dramas and their mostly "ageists" casts, give this a try, as it's really very good! ^___-
A meta-drama with a cast filled to the brim with great Japanese actors (both as leads as well as the weekly guests), most of them playing themselves, though of course in fictional situations (you know the "...no Satsukyu" series? A bit like that! ^___-)
A great declaration of love for dramas and the people working on (and mostly, IN) them!
The acting was superb, as expected; the script really brilliant; the music, imho, spectacularly good!
What's not to like? Perfect 10! ^___^
Was this review helpful to you?
Why don't I rate it higher, then?
Well, in all honesty, the subs are a bit of a hit or miss (some episodes are well done, but some are of rather poor quality, to the point that several lines are barely comprehensible, unfortunately) and this, alas, hinders a bit the viewing pleasure. And the same can be said of the script: some episodes are little masterpieces, seriously...but others are just "meh". Generally speaking, I mostly found the last third of the series to be of lower quality, compared to the previous two thirds (and also a bit too dark and depressing - whereas one of the strong points of this drama had been, until there, its humor).
The cast did a very good job, with honorable mentions for Chen He among the main cast, and Charlene Chen and Maggie Lee among the guests.
The music is top-notch, and so are direction, photography and editing.
Not *absolutely* perfect, but still very enjoyable. 8/10
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Although I won't go too much into details, so as to avoid major spoilers, I have to say that right until literally just a few minutes before the end of the last episode, I was pondering within myself whether I was gonna give this a 9 (or more probably an 8, 'cause it did have its faults anyway - more on this in a while), but then imho the writer decided to ruin everything just for the sake of a silly, shallow, "hollywoodian" final scare. If I ever rewatch this, I'll make sure to stop watching before that point (just as with an American TV series I liked as well, but only except the very last minutes, "Point Pleasant" - but that's another story).Too bad, 'cause otherwise this dorama could've been a much better one, more coherently Japanese (in that horror is used also to convey deeper moral messages), despite the fact that it still had some script problems (most of all, the inconsistence in some characters' behavior - namely, the FL's BF and the mom - but also the fact that it had too much going on for only 7 episodes, and the writer wasn't able to wrap everything up nicely anyway).
Acting wise, another great performance by the lovely Shiraishi Sei and Kuroki Hitomi, whereas the rest of the cast was ok but nothing to call home about, imho. Direction, photography and music were also OK.
All in all, if you're a fan of Japanese horror, a pleasant watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
The script, just as expected, was really very good (maybe not *absolutely* perfect, but pretty close); the cast was great (kudos also to the female leads: I knew I was gonna get a good performance by Arimura Kasumi, but I must confess not knowing well the other two, Furukawa Kotone and Yoshine Kyoko, and they were a nice surprise, both really beautiful AND talented - particularly the former, playing that marvelous character!), and the "packaging" (directing, editing, photography, OST) was, as I consider totally key, perfectly supporting the script, rather than trying to stand out so as to cover its faults (as it is, alas, the case of many modern series, all form and too little substance).
All in all, highly recommended! ^___^
Was this review helpful to you?
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! ^___-
Was this review helpful to you?
Why have I chosen NMB48, of all the gazillion 48 groups?
In all honesty, I was drawn by Watanabe Miyuki, whom I already knew for her photobooks.
And then, being a cat person, the leopard patch in their logo also caught my eye, I'll admit it, LOL!
Anyway, I can say I'm quite glad about the choice! ^__^
Googling a bit, I noticed they're, like, the only major female idol group not produced by the ubiquitous Aki-P, but rather by Yoshimoto (at least, so it was at the time of this show) and that explains the strong focus on comedy - something I particularly appreciated, given how I'm much more interested in the variety aspects of the idols' world, rather than in songs and choreographies...^_^;;;
The show itself is a quirky-and-funny mix of idol variety, sitcom, and comedy show. Ogiri, manzai, boke, tsukkomi...if you already know these terms, you'll know what to expect. If not, try watching it just the same, chances are you might like it. True, some parts are funnier than others, but the girls did a decent job overall, and some of them did very well indeed! (Honorable mentions for Ogasawara Mayu, Yamamoto Sayaka, Yamada Nana...but also Watanabe did well enough - she's a good "tennen"....and as gorgeous as they come! ^___^;;;
The music is ok, particularly the catchy OP song, "Mousou Girlfriend".
I'm gonna watch the two following seasons for sure! ^___-
Was this review helpful to you?
While reviewing "Cheat", in fact, I had been quite harsh to him, doubting his acting skills - although I *did* add that "....maybe the fault lies with the script...". Apparently, that was it indeed, as in this "Oshii Keiji", also thanks to the masterfully written script by Uda Manabu (such a talented writer, seriously!), Kazama was nothing short of brilliant! ^____^
Add a pretty good performance by the rest of the cast (let me spend a word for the totally gorgeous Ishikawa Ren and Yasuda Seia!), the afore-mentioned great script (mixing nicely elaborate mystery plots with so many absolutely hilarious scenes!), an extremely nice soundtrack and a definitely better than average production value...and what you get is, simply put, a lil' gem of a drama.
Can't wait to watch the sequel too! ^___-
Was this review helpful to you?
It's therefore no surprise that the mystery plots featured in this drama were well written and always interesting; mystery fans won't be let down.
Acting-wise, though, don't expect too much: the guest stars were, in all honestly, mostly terrible and contributed greatly in bringing down the average acting grade; the main cast did ok though (I must confess not being a fan of Namase Katsuhisa normally, but he was particularly good here, and the comic relief scenes between him and the always funny Muroi Shigeru were mostly hilarious; too bad Takenaka Naoto's part is so small, as he was just a ghostly presence throughout the whole series, except for one episode where he actually appeared in flesh and had some screentime). Oh, talking about episodes, as it's always to be expected in this type of drama, some were better than others.
Last but not least, the music commentary was always on spot, imho, and added to the overall quality.
All in all, a nice mystery interspersed with comedic elements and a nice family in the center of it all.
It felt much older than it actually is (in the best sense possible: I mean it reminded me of a drama from the Golden Era! ^___^)
Was this review helpful to you?
Don't take me wrong, I've found the script great (more on that in a while), the acting very good (the ML, Kitamura Yukiya, doesn't have many leading roles in his filmography, alas...but I find him a brilliant actor indeed!), the music commentary and OST absolutely superb, and the cinematography classy, innovative and artistic in the best possible sense of the word (as in, NOT artsy and pretentious...there's a whole lot of substance here! Take the "baseball" scene in episode 6 for example...a pure stroke of genius!).
The only thing is, it's a lot darker and much more depressing than I had expected it to be.
The author, Abera Hidenobu (young and talented scriptwriter, I'm definitely gonna keep an eye on him!), didn't sugarcoat it much, quite the opposite...the traumatic psychological consequences of the ML's jail time are a constant presence in the drama...sometimes they'll end up resulting (bitterly) funny, but most of the time they're just a deeply sad reality.
But then again, I asked myself: doesn't that make the drama's message (about how we shouldn't waste our life but rather treasure what - and who - makes it special and brings some light into the darkness) so much more powerful?
And that's when I realized I just had to reward it with the top grade.
Yep, this "Mushoboke" can be pretty gloomy here and there, some scenes will make you cry...but you'll be left with a nice aftertaste and a lovely message in the end. Once again, my hat goes off to both the scriptwriter and the ML, it wasn't an easy feat to make me relate to such a main character, but they managed to do so brilliantly.
Was this review helpful to you?
In regards to the former, although both dramas convey nice, uplifting messages (and that alone earns them an extra point as far as I'm concerned!), "Dasada" was imho the better written one; it had a light but not shallow approach and the comedy parts were at times hilarious, whereas in "Koeharu!" the comic relief is more often than not ridiculous rather than funny, and there are some more serious, realistic, borderline gloomy moments (not a problem per se, of course! But the two aspects combined felt a bit confusing, honestly >__<).
The acting, though (and this, despite the less convincing script!), is imho definetely better in "Koeharu!", proof that the girls have indeed honed their skills meanwhile, kudos to them! ^___-
The "problem" - and the reason why I can only give this a "7", despite being a full-fledged "ohisama" (= Hinatazaka's fan ^_^) by now - is that "Koeharu!" loses quite badly when compared to "Koe Girl", particularly script-wise.
Was this review helpful to you?
Alibi Kuzushi Uketamawarimasu Tokubetsuhen
2 people found this review helpful
Much better than the parent series!
I honestly don't remember the last time I had found a SP episode better than the series it originated from, 'cause normally it's the other way around and SP episodes tend to be, alas, complete let-downs.It could very well be that, not having liked the original dorama that much (I rated it 5 out of 10), I had set my expectations pretty low and was therefore positively surprised?
Or maybe that I was quite happy to see Morimoto Leo again (I dearly remembered him from the "Shomuni" franchise)?
Or perhaps that the writer was different than the one from the series, and this one is way better (considered how he managed to give some depths to those previously bidimensional characters)?
Whatever the reason, I must say I've really enjoyed this "Alibi Kuzushi Uketamawarimasu Tokubetsuhen"! ^__-
Was this review helpful to you?
That said, some of the girls did objectively well enough, acting-wise; the script is simple yet very uplifting and, at times, even pretty funny; the music is kinda catchy (though, in all honesty, not really my cup of tea...but that's a matter of personal taste, and as such, as my Latin ancestors would have said, "non est disputandum" - "ain't no matter for debate", LOL).
All in all, a cute little drama with a cute little plot filled with many cute idols and some pretty nice, positive messages to boot. Indeed, what the drama conveys about the importance of friendship and about the whole "better be 'lame' but real, than 'cool' but fake" is a big part of why I'm giving this such a high grade. ^__-
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This special double-episode "Bank Over! Shijo Saijaku no Goto" is, very simply put, a brilliant, hilarious comedy!The premise is simple: two guys enter a bank to rob it...just to find there two more guys doing exactly that!
What follows is a masterfully scripted, very well acted and excellently filmed and directed lil' gem!
One by one we'll discover, in a series of flashbacks, the various characters' stories, what brought them there, their motives and (sometimes) secrets...and the story will proceed with twists and turns and loads and loads of fun along the way.
Now, I don't give this a "perfect 10" just because of a coupla pretty minor details that could have (imho) been done a little better/differently, but I was so positively impressed by this script that, upon finding out that the screenwriter (who's worked, either solo or in a team, on *dozens* of dramas BTW - some of them I had already watched and appreciated, and I'm probably gonna check out quite a few of the rest!),well, finding out that he didn't have a profile page here on MDL, I simply *had to* spend around an hour creating one...^_^;;;
I wish there were more dramas/SPs like this one, seriously! ^___-
Was this review helpful to you?
