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

MONSTERS Review

Title: MONSTERS
Genre: Mystery, comedy
Episodes: 8
Broadcast period:  2012-Oct-21 to 2012-Dec-09
Cast: Katori Shingo, Yamashita Tomohisa, Yanagihara Kanako, Warabino Tomoya, Kikuta Daisuke, Hino Tatsuya, Shiroishi Tomoya, Hinaka Yasukage, Otake Makoto, Endo Kenichi . . .

Saionji Kousuke (Yamashita Tomohisa) is a young man who has fighting his was up to become a detective. On his first day as a rookie detective of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division, he is supposed to meet the Chief, and that is what he does.. he believes. But he is tricked by Hiratsuka Heihachi (Katori Shingo), the odd detective nobody really wants to work with. Hiratsuka makes Saionji do all sorts of weird things making him believe it is all right, since he is the chief, but then when the real cheif walks into his office, Saionji has a hard time explaining himself. The cheif then gives Saionji his mission, which is to watch Hiratsuka and report back any wrongdoing of his, so they can bust Hiratsuka. Hiratsuka is a quite odd person, he is rude yet manner-ly. However compared to the investigation department he seems to be the most capable of solving the mysteries that occur. The rest of the investigation team misses a lot of details and thinks traditionally while Hiratsuka and Saionji manage to catch the small things, using which decide the outcome of most cases. We follow the two solving mystery after mystery.

I must say, this is one of those ridiculous, serious dramas. The humour is ridiculous and it makes you laugh. Bunji recommended this drama, she said she watched 20 minutes and she was still laughing, and I thought well, why not. And it really is those small ridiculous things, like the syncronisation of the police officers, the way they bow, the ridiculous way they handle the cases and such.. but yet it is still serious, when it comes to solving the mysteries, it is quite interesting. But I felt as if it wasn't one of those mystery dramas where you could be a part of solving it. Since it was solved by them being at the scene and seeing things we couldn't see, they had to walk around and look at the crime scene finding things and such. Which made me a bit.. sad? But I was compensated by the laughs lol. It is the kind of detective drama that doesn't make you all tense and completely absorbed, trying to figure it out, it's more laid back, leads you, with fun. Not that it isn't interesting, just not tense. I did enjoy it, it was fun and short. Recommend ;)

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict

Well, the beginning was funny, and the same humor goes on throughout the entire drama. But the murders were just too obvious, especially after episode 2, like I knew who the killer was before the evidence came out. Of course it was interesting to find out HOW, but still when you know the killer, 45min seem long. I liked the last episode story, though again, obvious.
I was happy to see Yamapi in a comedy. And generally an okay drama, just the actors were as the drama, a bit silly (with silly I mean funny yet interesting).

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts