Iryu Sosa 2 Review

Title: Iryu Sosa 2

AKA: Iryu Sosa Season 2/ CSI: Crime Scene Talks Season 2

Genre: Police, Mystery, Crime

Episodes: 8

Broadcast period: 2012-Jul to 2012-Sept

Cast: Kamikawa Takaya, Saito Yuki, Yashima Norito, Tanaka Tetsushi, Okada Yoshinori, Masana Bokuzo and Mashima Hidekazu.

This is the second season of the drama series.

After speaking up and undermining the ranks of the force, as he usually does, during an investigation at the First Investigation Division, Itomura Satoshi (Kamikawa Takaya) is demoted to work in a smaller station, in the outskirts of the city. This Investigation Team is led by Mizusawa Kyoko (Saito Yuki), and has few members, as well as small sections, such as traffic and guarding. Here Itomura isn’t tasked with the personal items, but he prefers to look at them, and investigate based on them. Though his team find him weird and occasionally annoying, they let him focus on the items left by the victims and have him investigate. This creates teamwork, as Itomura focuses on the families left behind, and his colleague focus on the crime…

Compared to season 1, this one I like way better. Not that it is much different: the premise and lead actor is the same. But I liked the supporting cast more in this one. Even if the characters didn’t support the lead, I felt that there was more teamwork in this season, compared to the first one. The characters are really likeable, and the side stories are good. Also, the guest stars were good actors, so an upgrade there…

This season has a bit more humor as well, and honestly, it is much more relatable, though I have to say, I am very surprised of how Itomura manages to find all those thigs out - but that is TV for you.

All in all, a good season, but better than the first one.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Botchan 2016 SP Review

Title: Botchan

Genre: Period, School

Broadcast date: January 3, 2016

Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Matsushita Nao, Furuta Arata, Yashima Norito, Mitsuhiro Oikawa and Yamamoto Koji.

Botchan (Ninomiya Kazunari) is a newly educated teacher who hates injustice and lies. After being offered a job far from his hometown, he is sent to a rural town. Here he meets several different characters, but is put in a pinch when he tells his honest opinion to the school’s vice-principle (Mitsuhiro Oikawa). Unlike every other teacher in the school, Botchan tells the truth, which leads to a fight of power versus honesty…

Sorry for the short summary, but this is one special that would ruin the entire thing if I spoiled too much.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ninomiya in a drama – Yowakutemo Katemasu (2014) I think was the last, so having him do a TV SP is quite refreshing. But generally, any drama or movie he does is good, so I never hesitate to watch his dramas or movies.

This special is good as it doesn’t focus on disharmony of an institution but the chaos too much harmony can bring. I love that the setting is in the early 19’s, which gives it and form of discipline yet shows that children will always be children no matter the year. Nino does a great job, and so does the rest of the cast.

To sum up, the special is interesting and fun to watch, so I would recommend it to history and school drama fans.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

HERO Movie Review

Title: Hero

Genre: Legal, Crime

Broadcast date: September 8, 2007

Origin:  Japan

Cast: Kimura Takuya, Matsu Takako, Abe Hiroshi, Lee Byung Hun, Otsuka Nene, Katsumura Masanou, Kohinata Fumiyo, Yashima Norito and Ayase Haruka.

After the entire incident with the Kimura family on Yamaguchi Island, Kuryu Kohei (Kimura Takuya) returns to the Josai branch in Tokyo, and teams up with his former colleagues and former paralegal Amamiya Maiko (Matsu Takako) who is not forgiving Kohei for not keeping his promises to her.

When homicide case lands on Kuryus desk after another prosecutor has personal business to take care of, Kuryu is shocked when the accused pleads not guilty after having plead guilty before. That being a common thing for prosecutors they decides to not think too much of it, but soon they find out that there is so much more going on behind the homicide. And for some reason the secretary of a former minister is helping the accused…

Compared to the drama and the special the movie has a bigger focus on actual court room situations, which happens after indication of suspects. And to be honest it kind of gives a better idea of how capacious a prosecutor’s work actually is. Also compared to the other cases this one is kind of a bigger scale type of case, and involves all the prosecutors, which yeah we do see in the drama and special, but here it really goes all the way, and I like that the original cast is in it. Besides that I would’ve liked them to make it a bit faster, it really goes on a slow pace. Of course there are tense moments but there are way too many of those quiet and dull moments they could have cut out or replaced.

But all in all a good movie that you could watch with ease…

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

HERO Review

Title: Hero

Genre: Legal, Crime

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2001-Jan to 2001-Mar

Cast: Kimura Takuya, Mastu Takako, Otsuka Nene, Abe Hiroshi, Katsumura Masanou, Kohinata Fumiyo and Yashima Norito.

Once a high school dropout, Prosecutor Kuryu Kaohei (Kimura Takuya) is assigned the Josai Bureau in Tokyo. He is a different kind of prosecutor as he takes his time to evaluate every case until the very last minute, and doesn’t seem to differentiate in cases: be it a murder case or being it a theft case. In his eyes all cases are of equal importance. He is paired up with a paralegal, Amamiya Maiko (Mastu Takako), who is the complete opposite. She dreams of becoming a prosecutor, even volunteers to help Kuryu so that she’ll get better points from her boss. At first she finds him repulsive and lazy, but as time passes she notices how diligent and observing he is, and starts to admire him.

Together with the other prosecutors and paralegals they encounter different, often absurd, people, and deal with them as well as their own family and love lives.

Okay so this drama is one old drama, with an extremely young cast that I today know as the ‘oldies’ of jdorama. I’m not only talking about Kimura Takuya but every other cast member that I know as old actors - who were then pretty young, and with black hair. I never really wanted to watch it; one because Jenji said she was unable to finish even episode one. And two, well it’s from 2001.. That is 13 years ago!

BUT I have to admit, it is really a classic. Ones you get used to the way the camera shoots, you will sort of like it. It has the typical ‘awkward humor’ with the long silence and long stare, which at the beginning I kind of felt boring, but ones you get a hang of the ideal, you kind of can’t stop laughing. And yes it most defiantly is a classic.

I liked the storyline(s) and every character, and I completely understand the huge ratings! So! To watch and not to watch? I would recommend it for Takuya fans and for classic drama lovers. But if you can’t deal with old dramas, this probably shouldn’t be your choice.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Kaibutsu-kun The Movie Review

Title: Kaibutsu-kun The Movie

Genre:  Comedy

Origin: Japan

Relese date: November 26, 2011

Cast: Ohno Satoshi, Yashima Norito, Ueshima Ryuhei, Choi Hong Man a.m.o

Right at his coronation, the prince Kaibutsu (Ohno Satoshi) is met by objection from his kingdom due to his selfishness. When his father demands from Kaibutsu’s three guardians/advisers, Dracula (Yashima Norito), Wolfman (Ueshima Ryuhei) and Franken (Choi Hong Man), to bring him back and apologize or they are stripped from their positions, they run after him, but missing the human world and his friends, and refusing to do things he dislikes, Kaibutsu decides to leave the monster world, and the three ends up going with him. While flying on a magic dragon, they miss a tornado, and end up in India, where the people confuse him with a legendary warrior. Liking the royal treatment, Kaibutsu decides to stay, but still refuses to do things for the people. That is until they tell him that they’ll make the world’s best curry, if he saves the kidnapped princess…

I love Kaibutsu-kun: I loved the anime, the manga and I love the live action! I enjoyed the drama, special and now the movie is as good! I can’t really hate it though, and that has probably to with my childhood, and my love for the original Kaibutsu-kun, so yes I am very biased. It is such a family movie, and it is very entertaining. 

That said, it really is a kids movie, and it doesn’t make you all into it. The character is very much the same, as he always was never really changing and Demokin and Demorina (the bad guys) are still trying to use humans for each other resurrection, so things don’t really change. LOL.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Kaibutsu-kun Review

Title: Kaibutsu-kun
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Episodes: 9 + SP
Broadcast period: 2010-Apr to 2010-Jun
Theme song: Monster by Arashi
Cast: Ohno Satoshi,  Kaga Takeshi,Yashima Norito, Ueshima Ryuhe, Matsuoka Masahiro, Hamada Tatsuomi  and Kawashima Umika.

Prince Kaibutsutaro (Ohno Satoshi) is to be crowned as the next monster king, but his father Daiou (Kaga Takeshi) is of another impression: he decides to send his spoiled and selfish son to the human realm to learn things he couldn’t teach his son. Kaibutsutaro is sent to the human realm with three of his servants; there he meets Hiroshi (Hamada Tatsuomi) a human child, who doesn’t have any friends, but soon befriends the monsters. While Kaibutsutaro, now Kaibutsu-kun, learns the values he never knew of, the demons start to make havoc in the human realm, also the demon prince Demokin (Matsuoka Masahiro) is to be awaken from his 100 years of sleep..

I have no idea why, but this drama is so likeable! Even though it’s meant for a much much younger audience, I found it fun, and very cute to be honest. I remember watching the anime when I was a kid, but I wasn’t much of a fan. Somehow it turned me around, and even made me like the tacky part. I do believe that the bias I have towards Ohno has a lot to do with the heart rating, but honestly even if you don’t like him, you gotta admit, he’s adorable here! Also, this is a fun drama you know, I think there were at least 5 crying scenes, and one was so tough, like Kaibutsu-kun was crying, omg, Ohno he’s wow…

Last but not least: HUNGA!

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts