Summer Nude Review

Title: Summer Nude

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2013-Jul to 2013-Sept

Theme song: Summer Nude’13 by Yamashita Tomohisa

Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Toda Erika, Karina and Nagasawa Masami.

This is a story about three people changing their lives over a summer.

Chiyohara Natsuki (Karina) is getting married in a small town close to the beach. Prior to the wedding she was chef what she had always dreamed of becoming, but she gladly left it behind so she could be with her fiancé. On her wedding say though, her fiancé decides to run away, leaving her devastated and without anything. Capturing the worst moment of her life is Mikuriya Asahi (Yamashita Tomohisa), a wedding photographer who lives near the beach. After the eventful day, Asahi reluctantly sends the bill for the wedding photos. With the bill he attaches a note saying that he wishes her happiness and hopes that she will find her smile back again. This message makes Natsuki call Asahi, to thank him, but as friend’s restaurant is without cook, Asahi asks for Natsuki’s help. Thinking it’s only a day, Natsuki agrees, only to be met by expectations to stay an entire summer. After meeting the people of the town, and being persuaded by Taniyama Hanae (Toda Erika) Asahi’s best friend, and who has a 10 year one-sided-love for Asahi, but was always disregarded because Asahi can’t get over his first love Ichikura Kasumi (Nagasawa Masami).

Asahi had waited 3 years for Kasumi to return but in vain, so Natsuki decides to help Hanae out and get them two together, only to start something she wasn’t expecting..

I don’t know, I really don’t. I mean what the hell was it about, no idea, who was I rooting for, no idea. The drama has heart - I think - but it somehow ends up being too ‘celebrity preoccupied’, I mean no one in their real mind would shift this fast to another love story, if they cared for their characters. It’s like a game of ping pong, seriously hitting the characters back and forth as if they are really nothing more than puppets. It really loses all form of reality, and everything in that sense. There is no way people bounce that fast, and there is no way they can be THAT easy to fall in love with. I don’t know. Maybe I was expecting a bit much. I was hoping for a good Yamapi love story :( but got some bad ping pong game instead…

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 4 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

Freeter, Ie o Kau Review

Title (romaji): Freeter, Ie o Kau.
Genre: Human dram, Family
Episodes: 10 + SP
Broadcast period: 2010-Oct to 2010-Dec
Theme song: Hatenai Sora by Arashi
Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Karina, Igawa Haruka, Maruyama Ryuhei, Inoue Masahiro and Okamoto Rei

The story revolves around the 25 year old Take Seiji (Ninomiya Kazunari) who quits his job after only being there for three months because he feels unappreciated by his boss. But the problem is; now he can’t seem to find another one. For a year he has several part time jobs, but due to his stubborn personality he quits then shortly after. Getting criticized by his father all the time, and being unable to keep a job, he ends up becoming a hikikomori. This changes though after his mother falls ill with depression, he immediately finds a highly paid job. The only highly paid job he’s able to get: at a construction site. Here he meets Chiba Manami (Karina) who is the complete opposite of him, the two butt heads, but soon get a mutual understanding..

I’ve known about this drama for some time, but the story never really spoke to, sounded too serious for my taste. But when I actually started it, it was somehow refreshing. Nino is the one Arashi member that I wasn’t that fond of, and I’m not saying he is now, but somehow, I gotta take my hat off for him. He does a splendid job as Seiji, and he impressed me with the emotional scenes as well. I actually would recommend this drama, mainly because of this family, pretty average but likeable. Thumps up!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Misaki Number One!! Review

Title: Misaki Number One!!
Tagline: The number hostess at a Roppongi Club becomes a passionate high school teacher!
Genre: School
Episodes: 10
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Mar
Theme song: Nanika Hitotsu feat. JAY'ED & Wakadanna by JAMOSA
Opening song: No.1 (FIRE BEAT) by Kis-My-Ft2
Cast: Karina, Fujigaya Taisuke, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Oomasa Aya, Ichikawa Tomohiro and Ohno Takuro.

Tenonji Misaki (Karin) is known as the number one hostess in the Southern Sea Host Club, where no matter who or which kind of guest it is, she would be able to send every customer home with a smile. One day she finally gets a letter, saying that she has been accepted as a teacher at Mido High School, but when she arrives at the school she is given the position as the home room teacher of 2-Z, the yankees. She finds out that the students are outcasts, who the vice-principle has put together, so they hopefully would leave one after another. The students have lost all faith in the school (and teachers), and refuse to return to the school.
Being a ex-hostess, Misaki does not see the yankees as outcast, but as students, so she takes on the fight to help them realize their worth…

Weeh! Another Yankee class, iih! I so love these kinds of stories, heart-warming, likeable, and not to mention the huge amount of eye candy.. hmmmm~~<3 Lol, but seriously every 'bad-students-need-good-teacher' dramas have insanely good looking guys in it, and not just 1, at least a handful! swoooon...
The story was good, actually little more believable than Gokusen, but still a bit, how do I put it... absurd? Lol, then again it's all about prejudice, when we think: how can a ex-hostess be a teacher, and how can a future yakuza head be one.. not that it would ever happen---
I loved and enjoyed it, typical? YES! But not really lecturing, more... encouraging! :P Anyhow.. Recommended if you enjoy ANY school drama... And GOD, how I miss these kind of dramas... :/

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
For another japanese drama about high school they... did a really god job! yup yup i know, all those high school dramas remind of each other but still this one managed to pull it out. I watched the first episode and thought yaaaaay! another one of those gokusen-like-dramas, but! it waaaasnt reeeeally as i expected it would be, maybe because Bunji kept saying "oh my god oh my god its go good you gotta watch it ! it might,, even,, be better than ,,, gokusen" and i thought "wooooahh, this gotta be good" you know. But again for me, somewhere in the middle lost that,, ..thang. It got better later on, but for me it wasnt like gokusen, maybe because gokusen was one of my first, and like daebak for me. So it would definitely get top grades for quality but my personal opinion,, not bad but not best! but the plus, as Bunji says, no preaching! Gokusen had too much preaching and everybody just listen,. Much better in Misaki nr 1 !

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½/ 3.5 out of 5 hearts