DOG x Police Movie Review

Title: Dog x Police
AKA: The K-9 Force
Genre: Action, Police
Origin: Japan
Release date: October 01, 2011
Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Toda Erika, Murakami Jun, Takeyama Takanori, Abe Shinnosuke and Tokito Saburo.

Hayakawa Yusaku (Ichihara Hayato) is an aspiring police officer with the dream of becoming a detective. When a serial bomber racks the streets of Tokyo, he is dreaming of becoming like one of those detectives that solve cases, and actually happens to spot a suspicious man. While running after him and catching him, a man is involved needing to help birth somewhere. Doing his duty, he helps the man, only to find out he is a veterinarian, and delivers puppies. Yusaku witnesses the delivery, and when the last puppy comes out, he is surprised to see it is an albino - and not breathing. The veterinarian says that it is a lost case, but shocked by that Yusaku tries desperately to revive it, and succeeds.
Several months later Yusaku is transferred to a different unit, but is disappointed to find out that it isn’t the detective unit but the K-9 Force. That unit is a dog patrol unit, which teaches dogs to search and to attack criminals. There he meets his instructor Mizuno Natsuki (Toda Erika), a harsh woman, with love for her job. Yusaku on the other hand is annoyed and disappointed in his transfer, so his chief decides to get him a ‘buddy’, a dog. By coincidence he gets buddied up with Shiro, a white dog who happens to be the albino he saved. Slowly he starts to get close to the dog, and they form a bond, but the when the bomber strikes again, it becomes the K-9 Force’s job to help…

Two plusses, Hayato and Erika, and one for the dog Shiro, being super cute, but that’s it. The story is good, but just a bit to newbie’sh for me. I feel good acting, but weak storyline, and screenplay. It almost feels halfhearted, but trying sometimes though, actually getting me teary at the end. So should you watch it? Hmm, it’s not bad, nor is it boring, just yeah, healfhearted…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Runaway ~Aisuru Kimi no Tame ni~ Review

Title:  Runaway

AKA:  Aisuru Kimi no Tame ni

Genre: Thriller

Episodes:  9

Broadcast period: 2011-Oct to 2011-Dec

Cast: Ichihara Hayato, Tsukamoto Takashi, Ueda Tatsuya and Suda Masaki

After being imprisoned for murder of a cop Katsuragi Ataru (Ichihara Hayato) is sentenced to 6 years with hard labor. Having served 5 years, he looks forward to being released in only a year, to be with his now 5 year old daughter and girlfriend. But things change after he finds out that his daughter is diagnosed with heart failure, and unless she gets an expensive heart surgery she will die in three months. Ataru decides to break out to save her, and in order to do so he needs help, this is where Takimoto Kuuya (Ueda Tatsuya) and Kagami Shun (Suda Masaki) come in the picture. Kuuya was falsly charged for someone else’s drug crime, and Shun was unaware of the drugs he delivered: both were innocent and sentenced to 4 and 6 years with hard labor. While planning the outbreak, they are noticed by Kawashima Ryunosuke (Tsukamoto Takashi) a man sentenced for 10 years with hard for murder, which he actually didn’t commit, and he joins the group. The 4 manage to break out, but now the real problem arises, how to make sure they don’t get caught…

This drama is brilliant, amazing and incredibly touching. Being only 9 episodes it is perfectly used, and honestly enough or else you would die of all these feels. While watching this I remembered how much I love Ichihara Hayato, but I can’t point out why. There just is something about him, and the way he acts that touches you deeply. The drama is well written, well executed and also well directed, though I wasn’t that surprised by the climax, I didn’t mind it. I really recommend it, and the reason for not giving it 5/5 is that there were some scenes that were just a bit, well unbelievable.. anyways, recommendable!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Aikurushii Review

Title: Aikurushii
AKA: Sweet
Genre: Family, romance
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2005-Apr to 2005-Jun
Cast:Takenaka Naoto, Harada Mieko, Ichihara Hayato, Ayase Haruka, Kamiki Ryunosuke, Matsumoto Rina, Sugiura Naoki, Shiho, Hongo Kanata, Oguri Shun and Sawajiri Erika

This drama revolves around the Mashiba family of 7: Tetsuo, the loud father (Takenaka Naoto), Meiji, the free-spirited grandfather (Suginara Naoki), Yumi, the sick mother (Harada Mieko), Michiru, the clumsy oldest sister (Ayase Haruka), Go, the ‘almost’ yankee brother (Ichihara Hayato), Horo, the strong kid (our narrator)(Kamiki Ryunsuke), and Uta, the cry-baby youngest little sister (Matsumoto Rina). Horo has never cried before, or to say he doesn’t know how to, so as his mother becomes sick, and everyone starts to cry, he finds himself in a situation where he doesn’t know what to do. He befriends ‘the weird kid’ Nagumo Shu (Hongo Kanata), who lives with his single mother, and Sakamaki Nana (Shiho), who tries to make her guardian angry by doing stupid things.
The story focuses on how the family copes with the mothers hospitalization, and how there are big problems in different families, even though they live on the country side.

Omg! Like this star cast is UNBELIEVABLE! I guess this is how they became famous? :P
I loved the drama, though I have to say some parts of the love story kind of made me annoyed, mostly the Ayase-Oguri love story. It was sweet and all, but damn that girl had a fast change of heart. But otherwise, I found everything brilliant, from the fights at the dining table; to the search for “Rainbow-Soldiers” (if you watch it you’ll understand). And I finally realised what it means when actors shine through the screen. When there are a lot of actors, it’s hard to make all of them look good, which sort of failed for Ayase (though her performance was decent – don’t get me wrong I’m a fan!). Ichihara Hayato, Oguri Shun and Kamiki Ryunsuke shined trough, and made me like them even more.
This drama is TOTALLY a family drama, and it’s REAAAAAAALLY heartfelt, so if you want to watch something like that, this is a GO!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars.

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru Review

Titel: Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru
AKA: Drop-out Teacher Returns to School
Genre: Human Drama
Episodes: 10 + SP
Broadcast period: 2003-Oct-10 to 2003-Dec-12
Theme song: "Aozora no Hate" by Okuda Miwako
Cast: Takenouchi Yutaka, Shinohara Ryoko, Ichige Yoshie, Ichihara Hayato, Kato Natsuki, Aiba Masaki and many more...

The drama is about a tecaher, that from the very school he is to teach at, is his old school. The school is a high school which accepts drop-outs, no matter age, and gives them the oppertunity to graduate. He himself grauated from the school, and became a teacher, because his old teacher Andou-sensei inspired him to it.
The drama does not have the "Gokusen-humor" or the "GTO-brutality" (which would have been your first compaison), its a genre for itself. It is serious, and it is not one if those dramas where the whole world has given up on the students, except the one teacher.. No, in this drama, all teacher see hope and potential in the drop-out. Another funny twist, is that the students arent all same age (but they do make a majority), like one of the main characters who has children and a wife. The story, like many others, follows a class, and their substitude teacher. Like in every story it has some characters that they focus on: Ujiie Touru (Ichihara Hayato), Tsunemoto Akane (Kato Natsuki), Koga Nanae (Sayaka), Shimada Tetsuki (Ishigaki Yuma), Sakuta Kumiko (Otsuka Chihiro), Chiba Kentarou (Oshinari Shugo) and Toda Yuuki (Ichikawa Yui ). The substitude teacher, Yoshimori Masaya (Takenouchi Yutaka), gets the class by a twist of fate, and is from day one hated by the students. It then becomes a story of the students vs teacher and building trust.
Through the drama, the class faces different troubles, which Yoshimori helps them fight through. Troubles like: Extreme bullying, Pregnancy, Drugs and Family relations.
I'm a great fan of High-school dramas, or should I say "Badass-teacher-transforming-deliquent-students-into-good-guys", but this drama is different. It shows the true face of deliquentcy and you cant stop whishing you had the same teacher or classmates. Acting wise, there might be flaws, but nothing you would remember. And since its based on a true story, its kind a understandable; its is said, that it is harder to portray a real person than a fiction one...
All in all this is a definite 'worth of watch'. Its one of those, you should make extra time to watch..

☆☆☆☆½/4.5 out 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
Oh My God! I have never ever in my whole life watched a drama this fast! I mean,, an episode felt like.. like 15 min or so. There was exitement throughout the whole drama. And it is about wht.. the 80'.. now, I usually dont like movies/dramas bout 'the old times' but this.. Wheee.. And the problems the students faced were so realistic. It was a good but serious drama. Something you can learn from. And maybe even relate to. Buuut at some point.. they might have overdone it just a bit, or like it isnt really complete. Thats why Im not sure how many stars I should give it. Im probably more into comedy. But that doesnt mean u shouldnt watch the drama! U should, Definitely! Trust me :P

☆☆☆☆/4 out of 5 stars
♥♥♥♥½ /4,5 out of 5 hearts