I'm Home Review

Title: I’m Home

Genre: Family, Drama, Suspense, Mystery

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2015-Apr to 2015-Jun

Cast: Kimura Takuya, Ueto Aya, Tanaka Kei and Mizuno Miki

“About half a year ago, I was in an accident. I lost nearly 5 years of memories. Everything is a blur. But there is one thing for certain. My wife and kid's faces seems to be wearing masks in my eyes.” (intro)

After an accident, Ieji Hisashi (Kimura Takuya) wakes ups with partial amnesia unable to remember the past 5 years of his life. While spending 6 months in recovery, he finds out that the woman he used to be married to is his ex-wife and that he got re-married to Ieji Megumi (Ueto Aya) and they now have a son. To make matters worse he us unable to see the faces of his wife and child: he sees them wearing masks. After losing the top position at his job and being demoted, he finds himself unable to get his life back without his memories.

In his possession, he had a bundle of 10 keys, which he has no idea whom they belong – so he decides to trace back his memories and return the keys, unknowingly that his life isn't as simple as it looks...

Hmm, I am not sure I got the real suspense explained in the summary, but if you watch the first 10 minutes of this drama you’ll understand it immediately.

This drama is what me and Jenji call “A Takuya Drama”, meaning it is perfect for him and he just makes the character his, so you will be amazed no matter what. The thing about this is that he only appears once a year with a drama, and every time he does he either makes a “what is this” or a “dear God yes” types. So, having him do a “Takuya Drama” is very nice to experience. I have personally loved Ueta Aya since her first dramas, so having her in the role as a mother/house mother is quite the difference – and opposite Takuya even better. The only thing I was annoyed about was that they weren’t great in hiding the actress’s pregnancy. I mean I could see her bump - even if they tried with ‘movie magic’ to make it look like she’s not, I could tell (blame that on my years of TV watching). But the general audience wouldn’t necessarily notice.

The drama was great to watch, and very enjoyable. I felt his frustration and hers – and I liked how everything made sense at the end. So, this drama I most defiantly would call a great drama with a good story and superb acting.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Kuruma isu de Boku wa Sora wo Tobu SP Review

Title: Kuruma Isu de Boku wa Sora wo Tobu

AKA: I Will Soar to the Skies in my Wheelchair

Genre: Human drama

Broadcast date: 2012-Aug-25

Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Ueto Aya, Ikematsu Sosuke, Suzuki Fuku  and Yakushimaru Hiroko

Haseba Yasuyuki (Ninomiya Kazunari) is a delinquent who lived life with no seriousness. One day he gets into trouble with a gang, and in the mist of running away he jumps from a building, only to wake up in a hospital being told that he will never walk on his own feet ever again, matter of the fact his entire lower body is paralyzed. He loses any wish to live, until he meets Ishii Daisuke (Suzuki Fuku) a little kid suffering from cancer and Kato Kumi (Ueto Aya) a store staff, to whom he slowly confides to. But when Daisuke gets transferred and Kumi suddenly quits her job, and is released from the hospital, he starts to grasp the reality of his disability. He starts feeling that he is “a bother” to other people…

Wow. That’s what I can come up with: wow. This TV SP is amazing, like from the story to the acting all the way to the screenplay. And omg, I love the messages conveyed... Completely different from other dramas this one touches your heart directly, and the characters grow on you with the speed of light. Ninomiya is amazing completely believable, and everyone make it just more realistic. There are some parts that don’t seem to work, like happening to sudden, or you don’t get it completely, but it grows on you. Though I can’t say that everyone will love it, I can say that most will like it :)

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Zettai Reido 2 Review

Title: Zettai Reido 2
Genre: Police, Crime
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2011-Jul to 2011-Sep
Cast: Ueto Aya, Kiritani Kenta, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Maruyama Tomomi and Kitagawa Hiromi.

After the death of Tsukamoto Keigo (Miyasako Hiroyuki) in the SP, the team gets split up, and the most of the members get transferred into a special unit, the undercover team. Sakuragi Izumi (Ueto Aya) has issues fitting in, since she is so slow at learning how to lie and to fake identities also the death on Tsukamoto is bugging her, but her real problem is her partner: Takigawa Shinjiro (Kiritami Kenta) who is a genius in undercover operations, and is very strict. He is to teach her everything he knows in the three months he has left in the unit…

This drama is a lot like the typical Japanese police dramas, and yet not; it’s a lot more action-packed and pretty nerve-wracking. Now, I’ve watched a lot of police dramas, mainly with the CSI and Cold Cases (like the first season of Zettai Reido), but this is my first time to watch something about undercover agents (and that also covers all the American series I’ve watched). And to be honest, I was shocked! Didn’t know that all those things they do are legal.. lol..
The lead characters make a superb team; I wish they had given them some more screentime together; it’s very limited in my opinion.
On the other hand, it’s simply just a Japanese police drama, no problems between the officers, no love story and no serious issues expect for one…

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite Review

Title: Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite
AKA: Still Love You In 10 Years
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 6
Broadcast period: 2010-Aug-31 to 2010-Oct-05
Theme Song: Time of Love by Crystal Kay
Cast: Ueto Aya and Uchino Masaaki.

Onozawa Rika (Ueto Aya) is a single 26-year old Book editor, who has little luck in love. One day she meets a man, who she believed was a stalker that followed her around, and confronts him, but that man makes little sense and Rika avoids him. Next day she meets him again, and he gives her a weird request, asking her not to board the bus she was waiting on. Annoyed she walks away from the busstop, walks through a park, and meets a man, Maruyama Hiroshi (Uchino Masaaki), an engineer, whom she finds interesting and exchanges numbers with.
Little does she know that the ‘stalker’ is Hiroshi, 10 years from the future, trying to fix their marriage.

So this drama caught my attention for a long time ago, ever since I read about it for the first time, which was when it was still in progress, and I was thrilled when I saw that it was up and subbed. Ueto Aya is amazing here, every scene and emotion was perfectly displayed. That said, I have to say this drama didn’t really live up to my expectations. It’s a good drama, no doubt about that, it just wasn’t that good. It had great moments, but the drama really didn’t shine through. Scenes which should have moved me, were little dull, and gosh, some of the dialogues are dull. But it’s worth a shot, if you don’t have anything else to do…

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Zettai Reido Review

Title: Zettai Reido
AKA: Absolute Zero
Genre: Crime, Police
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2010-Apr to 2010-Jun
Cast: Ueto Aya, Miyasako Hiroyuki, Yamaguchi Sayaka, Maruyama Tomomi.

The story revolves around the rookie detective Sakuragi Izumi (Ueto Aya), working unsolved cases (cold cases), without any feel of being a detective, meaning she doesn’t qualify in any detective ability. On the other hand, she has a strong sense of empathy, meaning she not only feels the pain of the victims, but is able to put herself in their shoes and almost rein act the last scenes of their lives. Or is able to understand their emotions, as well as understanding their logic, making her much different than the usual police.

Okay, first off if this drama shows how the police WAS in Japan, I have to say, they are insanely stupid. I mean, several of the unsolved cases were honestly easy to find out, if you just look through the evidence. Like, there was one of the ’tough’ ones, were high scholars were killed. And all they had to do was check out one of the students phone! Instead of just going after loads of crap. Hmph!
Anyhows, beside the fact that I was able to guess 7 out of 9 cases (the two last ones were GOOD), I have to admit that the sentimental part of the drama is decent. I actually got teary a couple of times. Points for that.
But facts on the table, it’s nowhere near the American series Cold Case, even though it’s basically the same thought. And it really has moments when I rolled my eyes.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Namida wo Fuite Review

Title: Namida wo Fuite
AKA: Wipe Your Tears
Genre: Family
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2000-Oct to 2000-Dec
Theme songs: "Tobenai Tori" by Yuzu & "Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi" by Arashi
Cast: Eguchi Yosuke, Ninomiya Kazunari, Ueto Aya, Uchida Yuki Tatsumi Yuudai and Kamiki Ryunosuke

The story is about a family of six, the Fuchigami family, who one horrible night experience a fire which not only burns the house down, but also ends the life of the father while saving the life of the mother, who ends up in a coma. The four children; Kenta (Ninomiya Kazunari) the oldest and rebellious one, Kota (Tatsumi Yuudai) second youngest and serious one, Momo (Ueto Aya) second oldest and only girl and Ryota (Kamiki Ryunosuke) the youngest who still wets his bed, are now left without guardian, and no one steps up to take responsibility, except Onishi Katsuo (Eguchi Yosuke). Katsuo is their father’s kouhei, and in a spur of the moment says that he is going to take care of the children, because he believes that he owns their parents, and he doesn’t want to lose (it’s kind of difficult to explain, but if you watch it you’ll understand immediately).
In the beginning there are misunderstandings, but eventually they come to understand each other...

I liked it, a lot. I usually don’t like ‘old’ dramas, because it seems like, in Japan, the fashion is lagging, so a movie from 2000 seems like it’s from 1990, and I gotta admit the scripts are usually very slow and unnecessarily emotional, like beyond normal, from what we would call a trivial thing, they go further and see it as the end of the world. But to be honest, I didn’t mind it in this drama, mainly because the problems are very ‘this year’; like bullying, selling yourself and responsibility. Loved it. And I love that it wasn’t a teacher this time around, it was a useless adult, who learns from his own mistakes, but still teaches the kids what and how. Acting wise I was surprised to see three actors, whom I only know as adults; Ninomiya Kazunari (a J.E. that is known for his sarcastic tone) we see him here as an 17 year old caring big brother, Ueto Aya (one of my fave actresses) we see as an 14 year old girl trying to be all grown up, and Kamiki Ryunosuke (Kyu from Tantei Gakuen Q) we see as an 7 year old kid, who wets his bed. All in all, loving it.

☆☆☆½ / 3,5 out of 5 stars.

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Attention Please Review

Title: Attention Please
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 11 (+ 2 specials)
Broadcast period: 2006-Apr-18 to 2006-Jun-27
Cast: Ueto Aya, Nishikido Ryo, Maya Miki, Aibu Saki, Uehara Misa, Koizumi Kotaro, Aso.

Misaki Yoko (Ueto Aya -Azumi) is a boyish girl, she grew up with 3 brothers and is the lead singer in a rock band. But because one her 4 boy friends has to move to tokyo the band breaks up. Misaki had started liking the boy who is leaving and he tells her as some cabin attendants pass by that he would like to see her in a cabin attendant's uniform. This 'inspires' Misaki to become a cabin attendant. But it is not going to be easy. She talks, walks, eats, dresses different than all the other cabin attendants. And so she is being made fun of and people doubt that she will ever become a cabin attendant. But that just makes her wanna become one even more. So she starts working hard at the 'cabin attendant school' at the airport and there she also becomes friends with two other girls from her class, a pilot trainee and an engineer. She also starts developing feelings towards the engineer even though one of her friends are trying to confess to him, well she cant control her feelings and the other girl is always hesitating. But the engineer turns the girl down when she confesses cause he too got feelings for Misaki. Well Misaki has to go through tough training and it takes a while before she can become a real cabin attendant but in the end it is all worth it.

FUN FUN FUN !! Again i choose to watch a comedy. Tanashgataaa ..! Lots and lots of fun. So much fun watching Ueto Aya with this kind of role. Im used to seeing her slaughter people ahahahha. But she was so much fun in this drama. Omg and not to mention Nishikido Ryo.. I think this is my first drama with him in it.. if im not wrong. But omg i liked it! he is so cool ^^ . Seriously watching this drama i laughed so much. Even though its like a 'serious "job drama" ' it couldnt have been more fun. Ueto Aya is also a great actress. I think actually it was only her who had a 'funny' role. All the others were really serious while she was 'gokusen kinda??' i dont knw why it reminds me of gokusen.. Maybe because of those moments when the actor turns to the camera and makes funny comments and funny faces. Well, to me, those kinda dramas always rate high ..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
This drama has you keeping a smile all the way trough. From her clumsiness to her bickering relationship with the engineer it's huge fun and cuteness. This drama actually made me like Ueto Aya, and made me love Ryo even more. Actually I fell head over heels for him, because of this drama. I still remember, even though it's years back since I watched this drama, the scene where he tells Aya about his wish to become a pilot, but it wasn't possible because of his eyes, some sort of small problem, which didn't make him blind, it just didn't allow him to become a pilot. My baby it’s okay, so sad and AMAZINGLY acted. I wish that some other J.E would act that way (hint: Kamenashi) Lols, okay he did good acting in YNSH, but that was the script that made THAT scene amazing, whereas the scene Ryo did is his all the way :)
And Jenji, out of all dramas, GOKUSEN?! Eiish..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts