Iryu 4 Review

Title: Iryu 4

AKA: Dragon Medical Team 4 / Dragon Team 4

Genre: Medical

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2014-Jan to 2014-Mar

Cast: Sakaguchi Kenji, Inamori Izumi, Mizukawa Asami, Abe Sadao and Koike Teppei.

Several years have passed and the Dragon Team has split in numerous different places and occupations. Dr. Asada (Sakaguchi Kenji) has left to his usual ‘doctors without borders’ and is saving victims of war. Dr. Kato (Inamori Izumi) is working in the lab and has found ways to make surgery easier and has made different kinds of medical equipment and medicine, though she is not recognized for due to jealousy. Dr. Ijyuuin (Koike Teppei) is working as a chief in the transplant section of Meikyuu Hospital, but is still looked down upon because he tries to save people and doesn’t worry about the costs. Dr. Arase (Abe Sadao) has gotten a job in a wealthy hospital where rich people get treated. Dr. Fujiyoshi (Sasaki Kuranosuke) is working at a smaller hospital taking care of a little girl with the same illness as his deceased daughter, and at the same time working on a cure.

When Asada is called back to Japan by his former mentor of Sakurai Hospital, a smaller regional hospital, to help him take over the hospital for the time since many patients are in need of help, but since the newest hospital L&P, a fancy all tech hospital, claims patients the Sakurai Hospital is at its end.  Asada decides to call upon all his friends and make sure Sakurai Hospital stays active, but when a familiar hated face returns with a new ally Okamura Tadashi (Takahasi Katsunori), and they both have plans with the Dragon Team…

I started watching this when it aired, and finished it almost 10 months later. Why? Because of the lack of subs, and yes, I regret starting it so soon. You kind of feel each episode ends short might be because it does end at most exciting part. Though I did feel that I was bored out at the end of it as the fourth season kind of goes on and on, though it was interesting to see the story of the characters and how they grow I felt that they finally should end it. I mean I can’t get excited at the same situations all the time (by the way season 2 is best), and the annoying antagonist simply is bugging you all the way through all the freaking time, so the fact that they keep him as that character annoys me so damn much.

But is a good drama with good episode stories, so it’s not a complete bore.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Shitsuren Chocolatier Review

Title: Shitsuren Chocolatier

AKA: Heartbroken Chocolatier

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2013-Jan to 2013-Mar

Theme song: Bittersweet by Arashi

Cast: Matsumoto Jun, Ishihara Satomi, Mizukawa Asami, Mizuhara Kiko, Mizobata Junpei, Kato Shigeaki, Sato Ryuta and Arimura Kasumi.

Falling in love at first sight, Koyurugi Souta (Matsumoto Jun) spends most of his time around her because it makes him happy and he wants to make her his girlfriend. And after more than three years of courting he finally manages to date her for two months. But after being dumped, Takahashi Saeko (Ishihara Satomi), tells him that she never even thought of him as a boyfriend. When he comes home he spends days in his room, and while continuously thinking about her, he is reminded that she likes a special sort of chocolate which is only made in Paris, France. He then decides to leave Japan in order to work at the store making that very type of chocolate, so he can bring it back and make it for her.

Six years later he returns to Japan, looking forward to seeing her again, opening up his own chocolate store, only to find out that she is engaged to get married. But still he is not able to stop loving her, and when Saeko keeps sending mixed signals, Souta is getting confused. So he decides to change his personality in order to make her fall in love with him: to become a bad boy, which he believes is her type.

But when he meets Elena (Mizuhara Kiko) he is surprised to find out that he isn’t the only one with unrequited feelings, and for some reason he is able to talk to Elena like he never was able to do before.

Will his heart change for Elena, or will he make Saeko fall in love with him?

Another drama like Summer Nude, except this one made me hungry. The concept of being heartbroken was so deep in this drama I still am stunned that they had it go through all 11 episodes. I mean the beginning was kind of funny, but not only did they drag it on, they honestly made me dislike the main couple. I heard people disliked the main actress in the beginning and liked her later on. I did not like her AT ALL. I felt she was a brat from beginning to end. Matsumoto’s character was kind of okay in the first few episodes, but he got on my nerves. Honestly at the end, everyone got on my nerves. The entire drama did. Like a bunch of people not knowing what they want and having weird ideas of how to fix things or make others like them. Oh man. Though I liked the more realistic view of how these couples behave. Like no over protective personalities, or just simple kisses.

To sum up, I wouldn’t watch it again.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Iryu 2 Review

Title: Iryu 2

AKA: Dragon Medical Team 2 / Dragon Team 2

Genre: Medical

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2007-Oct to 2007-Dec

Cast: Sakaguchi Kenji, Uchida Yuki, Mizukawa Asami and Koike Teppei.

After Dr. Asada (Sakguchi Kenji) had left Japan, Meishii University Hospital has come to a downfall where the new professors don’t even have practical knowledge making life hard for the interns. Tying to sustain his honor as a doctor Ijyuuin Noboru (Koike Teppei) has a hard time respecting the professors, and with Dr. Fujiyoshi (Sasaki Kuranosuke) transferred to Fukuoka, his allies have decreased. When every prior member of the dragon team gets a letter telling the dragon team to assemble, all members return to Meishii. Dr. Asada returns to just in time to save Kataoka Kazumi (Uchida Yuki) a hit-and-run patient, and joins the team. To their surprise no one seems to know who sent the letter, but as they find out, the team is split and Ijyuuin, Asada and Fujiyoshi are labeled as bad and shipped to a sister hospital that is sure to be failed with only outcasts. Now begins the fight to save the reputation of the newly built dragon team…

Hmm, compared to season 1 this is better, though a bit more focused on the business part of the medicine. I think it is because of the new character which makes the drama fresher, but still changes the overall feel. I have a thing for Arase (the blonde dude) and I have no idea why. I seriously get more excited seeing him appear than the main lead, even though he isn’t that much on. The cast is great and the storyline is also better - which is hard and rare for a serial which has a good first season. The amazing part is that I felt tired after finishing this drama, not because it was hard, stuffy or annoying, but because I was so focused, it felt like I was having lectures on heart surgery. Lol, but besides that it really is interesting - even though the clichés and repeats are a bit annoying you still are able to like them… and expect them.

All in all, good watch!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Iryu Review

Title: Iryu

AKA: Dragon Medical Team / Dragon Team

Genre: Medical

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2006-Apr to 2006-Jun

Cast: Sakaguchi Kenji, Inamori Izumi, Mizukawa Asami and Koike Teppei.

After spending some years in refugee camps as a MSAP doctor Asada Ryutaro (Sakaguchi Kenji) returns to Japan and lives life drinking and doing nothing. Having given up on medicine, Asada who was once known as a genius surgeon, he cannot seem to find a purpose in his life, until he meets Kato Akira (Inamori Izumi). Kato had heard about him when she was in MSAP herself and had witnessed one of his surgeries, so she had decided to bring him to Meishii University hospital and make him the head of the Batista team, so she can start writing her thesis about the surgery.

Interested Asada decides to go and see the hospital for himself, but is repulsed by the system the hospital is having. Patients without insurance are turned down, patients with hard surgeries are moved to other hospitals, drugs with severe side effects are used on dying patients, and no matter whether or not the patient is to die, no one is allowed to defy the people above them.

With the persuasion and constant reminder that he will be the one deciding his Batista team, Asada agrees and the battle for the Team Dragon starts…

Another franchise for me, and yes I love them.

I have to say I liked it more than I expected and I think that is because of the visual of the surgeries. Kind of makes me believe that they are actually doing real surgery, and they are making me understand how and why as well. Though I found it funny that a ‘yankee-ish’ character was a genius doctor, I was surprised to see that I liked it a lot. But this drama has made me realize one thing: I do not want to get sick, in any way. Even if I do understand that the idea is a group of doctors fighting for their patients against the money driven hospitals, I feel bad knowing that there actually are patients who are not treated due to the lack of success rate.

On the other hand I love how the team is made, and how good they are together, even if it is a bit preposterous to have a “super team” like that.

All in all I enjoyed it, and I think you should give it a shot if you haven’t got anything on your plate.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of hearts

Inu wo Kau to Iu koto Review

Title: Inu wo Kau to Iu koto

Genre: Family

Episodes: 9

Broadcast period: 2011-Apr to 2011-Jun

Theme song: My Home by Kanjani8

Cast: Nishikido Ryo, Mizukawa Asami, Kuge Kokoro and Yamasaki Ryutaro.

This story is about the Hongo family: the father Hongo Yuuji (Nishikido Ryo), the mother Hongo Sachiko (Mizukawa Asami), the son Hongo Masaru (Yamasaki Ryutaro) and the narrator, the daughter and youngest Hongo Mako (Kuge Kokoro).

Yuuji works as a salary man, and has a hard time, getting all the dirty work by requiring the resignations from factory workers - which mostly ends up with him kneeling, or the one people vent their anger on. Sachiko is a housewife, but also works part-time several places in order for the family to survive. Though poor, the family is scraping money in order to take a family trip, by saving pennies.

One day Mako sees a stray dog that keeps returning to the same spot, abandoned by his owner. She ends up saving the dog from dog catchers and decides to bring it home. And changes the family for good…

This is one cute family drama! It has all the real-life issues that people have a hard time dealing with, and surprisingly very educational - not in the teaching aspect, but more of an inspirational characteristic… I honestly have a weird feeling that Nishikido Ryo has some secret family somewhere and he is preparing all his fans by making them watch all these family dramas, so that they won’t be shocked to see him with family. Besides that this drama has great actors, the kids even, which made it more enjoyable. The dog in this drama wasn’t the complete focus, yet part of the bigger picture.

Overall pretty enjoyable!

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts