Nou ni Sumaho ga Umerareta Review

Title: Nou ni Sumaho ga Umerareta

AKA: The Smartphone Guy

Genre: Comedy, Sci-fi

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2017-Jul to 2017-Sep

Cast: Ito Atsushi, Shinkawa Yua and Kishitani Goro.

Orimo Keita (Ito Atsushi) is salaryman working at the fashion company Exaltant. He is dull guy, divorced, with child, and has hopes of reuniting with his ex, but is let down when he finds out his ex has a fiancé. To make matters worse he becomes a target of restructuring, and he is asked to voluntarily retire. One evening while sitting in the park, he is suddenly struck by a shooting star, only to wake up, and be able to peak into other people's phones: he has become a smartphone on his own. At first, he hates the idea: he finds out his coworkers dislike him, and that his closes friend tries to get him fired. But soon enough a girl appears in front of him, Ishino Ryuko (Shinkawa Yua), telling him to use his powers for good. Ryuko wants Keita to help her take revenge of their boss Kurube Jin (Kishitani Goro), who had made her business go down, by stealing her ideas.

Wanting to help her and deciding to use his power for good, the two become a great team, but soon enough they notice that every other "smartphone-human" they had encountered before, seems to disappear one by one...

As Japanese dramas go, this one is right up their ally. It’s absurd, funny, silly, teaches you about morals and explains values, all at the same time. If you aren’t used to those dramas, you’ve been watching the wrong type, because that is why I love Japanese dramas. It’s not serious, and does not have a heart wrenching romance or plot, but still manages to make you like all characters. It might not be the most well-written screenplay, or even make sense most of the time, but I believe that is the charm.

I am a fan of Ito Atsushi, but I can’t explain why. I seriously check him out to see if he has new dramas, because I want to see him acting - I think it’s his acting I enjoy most. The female lead I don’t remember, but she does look familiar, so I might have seen her before.

All that aside, it is not a drama most ‘drama-lovers’ would enjoy (except people like me, or Japanese drama lovers), but I think it’s an okay drama. Unfortunately, not one I would recommend.

So, all in all: an okay drama, which I enjoyed watching.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Kazokugari Review

Title: Kazokugari

AKA: Family hunter

Genre:  Mystery

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2014-Jul to 2014-Sep

Cast: Matsuyuki Yasuko, Ito Atsushi, Endo Kenichi, Kitayama Hiromitsu and Mizuno Miki.

Hizaki Yuko (Matsuyuki Yasuko) is social worker, working in a childcare center. Every day she deals with children with abusive parents, and takes them away as a precaution measure. Sometimes she manages to get the children completely away from the parents, other times she tries to get the parents to ‘clean up their act’ so that the children can return. Either way she never gets thanked or any gratitude for her work, yet she is unable to let go. The situation at home isn’t much easier as her Alzheimer struck father and gambling mother can’t seem to function without her.

Sudo Shunsuke (Ito Atsushi) is high school arts teacher with no interest in his students or their lives, especially when they don’t seem to care for his existence – not that he tries to change that. Being undeceives and quite bad with social situations he after a one-night-stand ends up having a girlfriend who happens to be a coworker whom he doesn’t care for – yet he is unable to break up with her.

These two meet at a police station when a female student claims to have been raped by Sudo, and Hizaki won’t let him defend himself – basically thinks he is a rapist. After the allegation clear up the two get involved in another case where a family is set to have committed ‘family suicide’, but police officer Mamihara Koki (Endo Kenichi) believes they have been murdered – and both Sudo’s and Hizaki’s name come up during the investigation…

Sorry for the long into. I was wondering what to tell and what not to, and to be completely honest, the less you know about the main story the better. This drama has a very ‘dark’ and ‘dramatic’ tune, which kind of gave me the creeps. Not as in noir, but as in the dark side of frustration. Like what people are capable off and why they would either think that way or do it that way. I liked the way it was going and how slow the pace was, it really was not action packed – rather sad with a dim of light. 

I started this because of Ito Atsushi, I don’t know what it is but I like him. The rest of the cast was quite good, though the younger cast overacted just a bit too much for my taste.

All in all: a good drama with a bit of ‘borderline to crazy’ feel.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Team Batista 4 Review

Title: Team Batista 4

AKA: Raden Meikyu

Genre: Medical, Mystery

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2014-Jan to 2014-Mar

Cast: Ito Atsushi, Nakamura Toru, Yanagiba Toshiro, Aitsuki Akiko and Kuriyama Chiaki.

Dr. Taguchi (Ito Atsushi) and Shiratori (Nakamura Toru) are back again, this time at a family hospital “Hekisuiin” owned by the doctor family Sakuramiya. After being demoted to another hospital, Taguchi is sent to Hekisuiin Hospital, which serves like a hospice for patients without a possible cure for their illness. There he is meets the family owning the hospital, consisting two doctor daughters and the father as the director. While getting accustoms to the place, he meets a familiar face: “Dr.” Shiratori, who is posing as dermatologist.

Still undercover, Shiratori meets the another hospitals radiologist who tells Shiratori that he has some ‘evidence’ about bad thing happening at Hekisuiin hospital, and arranges a meeting with Shiratori. Having received a message directly from an anonymous source about the hospital, Shiratori waits for the radiologist, but he never shows.

After receiving Ai images of a dead body from the radiologist, Shiratori informs Taguchi about it, and the two are once again teaming up to find out the truth behind the letter and Ai…

I really like this franchise, and I really enjoy these two on screen together. I have to say I was a tiny bit annoyed when I started watching this since I didn’t like the overall theme, but different than the other 3 seasons this one freaked my completely out. I was actually scared of this family, and also what they did/do to these people. I mean yeah I get they want to be of help to each other and others as well, but that is just too extreme.

The duo was even more fun this time around and I like that they both influence each other, though they have different ways of doing so. I also like that they are dependent of one another, which really makes them a team - I am thinking back on seasons 1 where Shiratori kept pushing Taguchi around, and Taguchi being incredibly displeased and over trusting towards everyone.

That said it is a good drama and great season, and I can’t wait for the final movie.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Team Batista 3 Review

Title: Team Batista 3

AKA: Ariadne no Dangan

Genre: Medical, Mystery

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2011-Jul to 2011-Sept

Cast: Ito Atasushi, Nakamura Toru, Takashi Katsunori, Konishi Manami and Nakamura Yasuhi.

“Ai - Autopsy imaging: Placing a corpse through CT and MRI to apply light into a faulty. Cause of Death Investigation system. Who could have predicted how the establishment of this Ai Center... would lead to a mysterious incident?" (Intro of series)

After a hard night of drinking, Taguchi Kohei (Ito Atasushi) wakes up at a trash site, where he finds a man lying next to him. As he shakes him he notices that the man has no pulse and is cold, so he calls the police. The police examine him on the spot and announce him as “death by ischemic heart attack” which is common diagnosis if there is no visual foul play, even though Taguchi points out remembering the man being carried to the dump site. As there are rarely done any autopsies in Japan, Taguchi suggests Ai.

At the same time Shiratori Keisuke (Nakamura Toru) holds a meeting about the Ai which is a rather popular compared to autopsies, but is less known to the public. After hearing that Taguchi had taken on a case, he adds him to the list of people to the new project: Ai center, in which he becomes the Chief.

All seems to be working somehow, until one day a man is killed in the Ai room, and for some reason the top in the police seems to be involved…

Since there are two prior seasons I have to compare them, and yes this is most defiantly the best out of 3. It seriously has everything: medicine, crime, police and action, which is sort of my cup of tea. The duo getting better and more familiar with each other, so the overall dynamic is kind of fun to watch - like the 10 second jokes become 3 times more funny, because they come rarely.

The theme this season around is Ai basically MRI on dead bodies instead of autopsies which is very much disliked in Japanese society due to the cutting open of the bodies (side not from bunji: which is the most ridicules this ever since they all just burn the bodies. I mean what the puck… They don’t even have the open basket funerals man.) The theme is okay, and again we have the famous view of the police about ‘losing their image if they admit their fault’ which is even more annoying, but kind of gives it spice.

All in all the best out of 3, and yes recommendable.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Team Batista 2 Review

Title: Team Batista 2

AKA: The Triumphant return of General Rouge

Genre: Medical, Mystery

Episodes: 12 + SP

Broadcast period: 2010 Apr to 2010 Jun

Cast: Ito Atasushi, Nakamura Toru, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Kato Ai and Matsuaka Tori

Six months after the Batista incident, Taguchi Kohei (Ito Atasushi) is still working in the Special Complaint Department. When a former patient of his gets admitted to the Emergency Room he is called upon and meets the famous ‘General Rouge’ Hayami Koichi (Nishijima Hidetoshi) a man famous for accepting all patients and never letting anyone rest. At the same time he stumbles upon Shiratori Keisuke (Nakamura Toru) who is back to do a compulsory audit on the hospital, and becomes fairly interested in Hayami whom he seems to have a former relationship with. When some doubtful documents pop up, Shiratori makes Taguchi join the Emergency Room team as the ‘Mental Care’ doctor, meaning dealing with the mental states of the patients, but also helping them overcome their emotions. With Taguchi there it gives Shiratori the ability to check up on Hayami, and to find out what really is going on…

Again the great thing about dramas is that you can get to know the characters and their situations better than in a movie, and that is what I think makes the biggest difference between the movie and drama. Though the movie was great the drama sort of is much more detailed and much more heartfelt - kind of lets you like the characters more, even though they are not all that great. The duo has grown even more on me - like Sherlock and Watson - they have these comic moments and usually work extremely well together, yet they are complete opposites. And honestly I like season 2 a bit better than season 1 :)

But you can watch season 2 without having watched season 1, though season 1 is great watch too..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Team Batista no Eiko Review

Title: Team Batista no Eiko

AKA: The Glorious Team Batista / The Glory of Team Batista

Genre: Medical, Mystery

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: Oct-2008 to Dec-2008

Cast: Ito Atsushi, Nakamura Toru, Shirota Yuu and Tsuyoshi Ihara.

This drama is based on the movie with the same name, but the cast is completely changed and most of the story is altered.

“When a sudden streak of patient’s death has occurred with cause unknown, the question is: where they just unfortunate accidents? Or was it malpractice? Or was it a serial killing?” (Intro)

Taguchi Kohei (Ito Atsushi) is a doctor working in the “Special Complaints Outpatient Clinic” at Tokyo Hospital, where he basically listens to patients complains about their medical case or their treatment, but sometimes he gets serious cases where he works as a counselor. One day he is called up by the director who asks him to investigate the numerous deaths occur to the team Batista - a team the handle a special kind of heart surgery. The team is annoyed and mostly against Taguchi’s involvement, but they reluctantly agree.

At the same time a man is admitted to the hospital, Shiratori Keisuke (Nakamura Toru) who is acting a bit weird, and for some reason believes the death are murders and wants to help Taguchi solve it…

Okay, so I thought that the movie with the same name was the first stepping stone to this franchise, which I found out it was not! It basically is a drama based on the movie, with some few changes like the ‘killer’ and who he might be, which surprisingly I thought made more sense than the movie. Also it focused more on the real life situation compared to the movie with the entire board being involved and everything. But honestly the most surprising part was that Taguchi is a man! LOL… Or in the drama at least.

Anyways, if you haven’t watched the movie, you can still without any problem watch the drama!

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts 

Umizaru Movie Review

Title: Umizaru

AKA: Sea monkeys

Genre: Action, Romance

Origin: Japan

Release date: June 12, 2004

Cast: Ito Hideaki, Kato Ai, Kaito Ken, Karina, Ito Atsushi and Murata Mitsu.

Senzaki Daisuke (Ito Hideaki) is a new coast guard recruit, with a master diving license. He joined the coast guard due to boredom at being a salary man. Being cocky and sort of undisciplined, he isn’t really interested in being a diver, but when Mishima Yuji (Kaito Ken) pokes at his pride, he decides to fight back.

On a day out Daisuke meets Izawa Kanna (Kato Ai), a fashion journalist, who he almost has a one night stand with. Even though they decided to part, they keep meeting again.

When the trainees are introduced to the ‘buddy’ system, Daisuke is teamed up with Kudo Hajime (Ito Atsushi), the lowest trainee, and the most likely to be released from duty. At first Daisuke finds him annoying and thinks of him as being in the way, but as time passes they become close.

Now he has to make sure that Hajime passes the test…

First of all bad summary, but sort of what this movie about. That said, I like this, maybe much more than I thought I would. If you’ve watched and liked those Japanese inspiration dramas, like when someome has a hobby or a dream, and then fights for it, you will probably love this too. I mean, for a movie that is almost 10 years old, I honestly was moved. Seriously people sacrificing their lives for other people, is honestly something Japanese are great at making movies off. Acting wise, great. Chemisty, there too, and lastly story, pretty good. Oh yeah, and a whole loads of butts. (Don’t ask)

All in all, a great Japanese movie.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts