Kasuka na Kanajo Review

Title: Kasuka na Kanajo

Genre: School, Comedy

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2013-Apr to 2013

Cast: Katori Shingo, Anne, Maeda Atsuko, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Morimoto Shintaro and Jinguji Yuta.

Starting his new job at a junior high, Kamiyama Akira (Katori Shingo) decides not to get involved with any of his students, due to bad memories from his last school. Here he meets students with various problems, and teachers with weird views on the teacher-student relationships. He wants to live normal as possible, but that’s one thing he is not able to do: he cans see ghosts. Though he refuses to talk to them, they keep bugging him, so he has learned how to deal with them: salt and charms. That is until he moves into his new apartment, where a female ghost lives, and on top of that a former teacher. Her name is Akane (Anne) and is very jolly, even though she has been a ghost for more than 20 years, and has no recollection of how and why she died.

Though Akira refuses to listen to her, when one of his students gets into trouble, he is scolded by Akane, and slowly she starts to affect him, and they start to grow on each other. Akira starts to love his job once again, and decides to help Akane figure out her past..

I am a sucker for Japanese dramas, and school dramas. Mixing those together makes me EXTREMELY happy. The drama has heart, is really makes you understand being a teen and teacher, and how the system has changed. Also shows the relationship of humans and their role in society. This is not like Gokusen, with those ridiculous preaching, but an honest heart-to-heart convo between a troubled teen and caring teacher.

The ghost part gives it a bit of a twist, and gives you great laughs as well. I really recommend it for those who want a good story, which isn’t stuffy.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou Movie Review

Title: Shiritsu Bakaleya Kouou
Genre: Comedy, Teen, School
Origin: Japanese
Release date: October 13, 2012
Cast: Morimoto Shintaro, Matsumura Hokuto, Shimazaki Haruka, Oba Mina and Takaki Yuya.

After finally managing to merge Catteleya#2 and Bakada as one, the school board has decided to move the students from one class to Catteleya#1 for a month. This worries the class, mainly the class president Fumie (Shimazaki Haruka) since the rules of Catteleya#1 are harsher and stricter, and one little mistake can expel a student. The boys on the other hand are pretty sure of themselves, even though a split amongst the Bakada boys has happened.
Arriving at the school the “Bakaleya” students are met with disgust and hostility, by the new school president, who sees the girls as “failures” and the boys as “possible danger”. The boys somehow manage to stay under the radar, but when a different school starts to ravage other delinquent schools aiming for Bakada, the boys have a hard time sitting still. On top of that Fumie gets an offer she has a hard time declining…

If I think about the drama - which happens since it’s a continued story from the drama - this movie seems more like a last episodes. I can’t believe people went to the movies to watch this.. I mean it’s not worth a movie ticket at all. It has the typical drama feature, but it was completely like the drama, very low-budget, and same rhythm.. like the possibility of getting suspended, the save the friend in need, and the girl vs. girl competition.
Only reason I could enjoy it was because I watched the drama, and wanted the ending of this drama - which wasn’t all that.
Watch if you liked the drama, though if you haven’t you can still follow it, and understand it, but sort of becomes boring if you haven’t.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou Review

Title: Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou

Genre: School drama

Episodes: 12
Broadcast period: 2012-Apr to 2012-Jun
Theme song: Shake it up! by Kiss-my-ft2
Cast: Morimoto Shintaro, Matsumura Hokuto, Shimazaki Haruka, Oba Mina and Takaki Yuya

This story is about two schools, Bakada High School an all-boys yankee school and Cattelya High School a prestige all-girl school, merges.

When Bakada High School is to be closed the chairman decides to merge the two schools in order to save the school. Bakada is an infamous school known for the Yankees that fight all the time and students getting into trouble with the law outside the school. He decides to merge it with Cattaleya High School, famous with an amazing reputation for perfect scores and decent rich girls, with great manners.

The merging not only leaves both sides shocked of the difference, but as the girls see it as a mission, they decide to change the boys, from top to bottom. The boys on the other hand refuse to even be changed, so they rebel, with all they have.

This is the beginning of two different worlds colliding, but they start mutual understandings…

First of all, I don’t know any of these Johnnys (except Yuya) or any of the AKB48. Second of all, that doesn’t even matter: they are worth watching! Even though the acting is a bit… well bad, they somehow grow on you.  But generally Yankees grow on me :P I didn’t really like the Yankee school + pretty girl school love story idea, since in my eyes Yankees are either innocent when it comes to girls, or too vulgar, but somehow they managed to keep it on a friendly basis, so it wasn’t all that bad. My favorite would be Yuya, not because I knew him, but because of his character. The rest was good too, considering it’s their first real drama, lol, I think. Okay, anyways, a drama about guys fighting, girls trying to change them, the higher ups ruining everything, and love stories here and there…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts