Shima no Sensei Review

Title: Shima no Sensei

AKA: Teacher’s Island

Genre: School, Family

Episodes: 6

Broadcast period: 2013 May to 2013 Jun

Cast: Nakama Yukie, Iura Arata, Tanaka Misato and Aoyama Noriko.

In a remote Island in Kagoshima, a small school takes in children who have educational issues, such as bullying and absence. The school doesn’t have more than 11 students from grade 1 to 9, but the students are close to each teacher and manage to build a close bond. Natsumura Chihiro (Nakama Yukie) was ones a student in that school, and is now a teacher for older kids, there. Even though she hated the school as a kid, she returned much to people’s surprise, with a hidden reason.

Together with the few teachers in the school she deals with the problems of each student, and faces their situations with them.

Hmm, I was very excited to watch this: one, because I like Japanese school dramas, two, it’s Nakama Yukie. That said, I have say, I don’t really remember why I liked Nakama Yukie.. I mean, yes Gokusen, but she is not that good of an actress, I mean her way of standing is just uncomfortable and awakward. I thought that was her charater in Gokusen, but I guess it isn’t.. She really stands like that.

Besides her, the kids in this drama were very good at acting, and the storyline is very adult like and sort of grows on you - even though its only 6 episodes..

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Arifureta Kiseki Review

Title: Arifureta Kiseki
AKA: Ordinary Miracles
Genre: Romance, Family
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2009-Jan to 2009-Mar
Cast: Nakama Yukie, Kase Ryo and Jinnai Takanori

One day Nakashiro Kana (Nakama Yukie) gets off her usual train, and sees a man, Jinnai Takanori (Fujimoto Makoto) standing close to the railway. She gets a strange feeling, but turns away since the man is just standing. Walking down the stairs she passes by Tasaki Shota (Kase Ryo), who notices her turning back, and feels awkward as she can’t seem to make up her mind, weather she wants to stand on the platform or go downstairs. As a train approaches, Jinnai Takanori turns to jump in front of it, but is held back and saved by both Shota and Kana. The two of them get involved and start to find out, how they both knew about his attempt, which didn’t seem like an actual suicide attempt..

So I’m sitting here, unsure of what the meaning of this drama is, and still have no clue. As the drama started the beginning was pretty interesting, though it started lagging towards the ending of the first episode, but then, as the last 5 minutes were about to run out, I became stunned – like for the first time I had no clue that something like this was coming. That made me watch it further, and surprisingly, it didn’t really come together for me. Okay, yeah, I’m picky, but to make a drama with no real reason or meaning, and not to mention the awkward conversations. Gosh, the guy that made the dialogues should go back to school... Well, it’s not a dreadful drama, only, well, useless.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts