Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo S04 (Neo) Review

Title: Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Neo

AKA: Files of Young Kindaichi Neo

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Episodes: 9

Broadcast date: 2014-Jul to 2014-Oct

Cast: Yamada Ryosuke, Kawaguchi Haruna, Daiki Arioka, Asari Yosuke and Narimiya Hiroki.

This is the fourth season of the drama following young Kindaichi Hajime - the grandson of the great detective Kindaichi.

Kindaichi Hajime (Yamada Ryosuke) together with his friends Nanase Miyuki (Kawaguchi Haruna) and Saki Ryuta (Daiki Arioka) have joined the school Mystery Club. As always they are an unrepeatable trio, but school isn’t easy when being Kindaichi Hajime, as murder is always around the corner, even in the club next door. And when the Hell’s puppeteer Takato Yuichi (Narimiya Hiroki), a crime producer - making plans of how to commit the perfect crime for payment, seems to be behind a lot of the killings, Hajime can’t keep still and decides to fight him directly and uncover the tricks the way he knows - in the name of his grandfather…

Finally at the fourth season of this drama and I know I should have expected it, but the deaths are way too circumstantial for Hajime to be there every single time. I mean more people die in this drama than average, and those three are witness to too many murders compared to the regular high school student.

That said, besides the acting not a single thing was even interesting, and yeah I count the murders in too. I didn’t know who the murders were a lot of the time, but usually I could guess when a famous/known actor/actress guest starred there was a 95% they were the killers, and sometimes the way of killing was just ridiculous. Also after the murders, and confessions of course, Hajima had this idea of ‘understanding’ the killers and talk to them - which was bull. I mean the way these people are killed is just coldblooded, why would you need to talk to them? Sorry I don’t see remorse or regret, so yeah.

All in all an interesting drama with loop holes.

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥½ / 2½ out of 5 hearts

Ouran High School Host Club Movie Review

Title: Ouran High School Host Club

Genre: Comedy, Teen, School

Origin: Japan

Release date: March 17, 2012

Cast: Kawaguchi Haruna, Yamamoto Yusuke, Daito Shunsuke, Ryusei Ryo, Chiba Yudai, Nakamura Masaya, Takagi Manpei, Takagi Shinpei, Shinoda Mariko, Nickhun and Ichikawa Tomohiro.

As it’s time for the annual school contest the host club is preparing to win this year, as they unfortunately had to come in second. Even though Haruhi (Kawaguchi Haruna) doesn’t understand the rich ways, she for the first time has no idea why her heart flutters every single time she thinks of Tamaki (Yamamoto Yusuke). But when a new girl enters the school (Shinoda Mariko) Tamaki acts differently, even ignoring his host club members, which confuses Haruhi ones again. The girl is arrogant, rude and expiecially imporlte towards Haruhi, but this doesn’t change Tamaki. And for some reason Ootori Kyoya (Daito Shunsuke) is helping Tamaki deal with her. What is going on with him, and who is this girl?

I had to watch this in order to get the last part of the drama - which ended quite annoyingly. But here I got what I wanted to know, though I made the mistake of expecting more - never do that. It really is the same like the drama, like an episode extra, and yes Nickhun is in it, and no, he is not a good actor. I have not watched his dramas or anything he has made, but this was just useless. Besides him, another female is here, I like her, or used to do in Majisuka Gakuen, but I see now it’s because of her character, because she can’t act. Okay, so how is the movie? I think you could watch it as another episode, but I don’t get the people who went to the movies to watch it.

So to sum up: like the drama, if not the same.

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Ouran High School Host Club Review

Title: Ouran High School Host Club

Genre: School, Comedy

Episodes: 11

Broadcast date: 2011-Jul to 2011-Sep

Cast: Kawaguchi Haruna, Yamamoto Yusuke, Daito Shunsuke, Nakamura Masaya, Chiba Yudai, Takagi Shinpei and Takagi Manpei.

Ouran High School: One of the few schools elite schools in Japan for children of the wealthy.

Fujioka Haruhi (Kawaguchi Haruna) is a bright student being awarded a scholarship for Ouran High School. Even though she only focuses on school and homework, everyone around her is wealthy beyond measure.  One day, while looking for a place to study, she enters the schools Host Club, and due to her clumsiness drops an 800 mil yen vase. This forces her to pay off the host club lead by Suou Tamaki (Yamamoto Yusuke), a bit of an airhead with no worries at all. He offers her a job as a host unaware that she in fact is a girl, but due to her poor status she has no other option but accept, and keep it a secret from the rest of the school…

I really don’t know what I was expecting while watching this. I mean yeah kind of sound silly, but it really is ridiculous, and yes even for  a Japanese drama it goes on to be just absurd. But funny enough, they grow on you. I don’t know if it is because the cast is likeable or just that the story is so innocent, but they really become bearable to watch, if you understand what I mean…

I won’t talk anymore because I have no idea what to say: it’s either going to be critique or blabbering about the similarity to MANGA.  And I think my ratings speak for themselves..

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo 2013 SP Review

Title: Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo Hong Kong Kowloon Zaiho Satsujin Jiken

AKA: Kindaichi Boy’s Accident Files 2013 SP / The Files of Young Kindaichi 2013 SP

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Broadcast date: 2013 January 12

Cast: Yamada Ryosuke, Kawaguchi Haruna, Arioka Daiki, Seung Ri, Wu Chun, Kiritani Kenta, Vivian Tsu and Komatsu Takuya.

This is the story renewed once again with a different cast and storyline.

Kindaichi Hajime (Yamada Ryosuke) together with his friends Nanase Miyuki (Kawaguchi Haruna) and Saki Ryuji (Arioka Daiki) travel to Hong King when Miyuki gets chosen as a stand in for a model that refused in the last minute. Arriving in Hong Kong they are excited to sightsee, but it is not long lived as Miyuki gets kidnapped. While running after the kidnapper they end up in a ruin which has been made into a park, and they meet Yang Lan (Kawaguchi Haruna) who looks exatly alike Miyuki. They find out that she is the model that had refused, but for some reason was worried about Miyuki since people where after her. Hajime decides to take her to the model contest and make her pose as Miyuki so that they might be able to find the kidnapper.

At the contest they meet waiter Kim Yong Dong (Seung Ri), police officer Li Bai Long (Wu Chun), talent searcher Takigawa Ryuta (Kirirtani Kenta) who found Miyuki, designer Ivy Liu (Vivian), and Xin Li (Komatsu Takuya).

While dining a man at their table dies after drinking champagne which was poured by Yong Dong, and he immediately gets suspected for murder, but that’s when Hajime steps in…

Oh man, no matter which year these are, the mysteries are all just as weird. And the way they are made are just as messed up, and practically impossible if it were a real crime. Or that is what I think, but I guess that is what makes it interesting for viewer. Yamada is okay as Hajime, I sort of was not expecting him to be as good as he is, but I think he did a good job making everyone believe he is Hajime. The rest of the cast is great as well, though I really felt it was weird having the Chinese cast in a Japanese drama, but also some of the acting was really bad. It might have something to do with the script, but I was face palming myself almost all of the time.

The story was good, but had a lot of bad points which made me pretty bored most of the time.

All in all it is good if you are a fan of the actors, but don’t expect anything grand…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Naka nai to Kimeta Hi Review

Title: Naka nai to Kimeta Hi
Genre: Bussniss, Work
Episodes: 8
Broadcast period: 2010-Jan-26 to 2010-Mar-16
Cast: Eikura Nana, Kawaguchi Haruna, Fujiki Naohito, Kaname Jun and Anne.

Tsunoda Miki (Eikura Nana) just finished college, and was lucky enough to get hired in a big firm. Her younger sister has a leg injury, and has to get surgery because of it, so this job will help her pay the hospital bills. Together as a newbie is Tachibana Marika (Anne), with whom she befriends instantly. She even finds an office romance with Nakahara Shota (Kaname Jun), who fell for her sweet personality. Life couldn’t get better, except life isn’t as easy as it seems. Due to minor mistake, and jealousy from Marika, Miki becomes a target for severe bulling where she once almost lost her life. But instead of running away she decides to stay and deal with it…

When it started I liked it, a lot, but it suddenly became too ‘goody-goody’. Like suddenly even the wrongdoers, who almost killed the lead twice AND was probably a good reason for another time where the lead actress tried to kill herself, were forgiven and, which was the worst part, got what she wanted. I mean, I know it’s a drama, but honestly, it’s not that realistic. There is no way in hell one would forgive that, heck not only forgive, but just live with people like that, second even if she were able to do so, why would they? I mean its bull… Watch it if you like the theme bulling, and have some weird dream about it being able to solve itself with “the goodwill of one’s heart” (sarcastic)… Make me annoyed…

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts