Bokura no Yuuki - Miman City SP

Title: Bokura no Yuuki – Miman City Special

AKA: Our Courage – Miman City Special

Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Suspense

Broadcast date: 21 July 2017

Cast: Domoto Koichi, Domoto Tsuyoshi, Matsumoto Jun, Aiba Masaki, Kohara Yuki and Mukai Osamu.

20 years ago, Shindo Yamato (Domoto Koichi), Takigawa Takeru (Domoto Tsuyoshi), Eguchi Morio (Matsumoto Jun), Inagawa Akira (Aiba Masaki) and Okamoto Kiichi (Kohara Yuki) made a promise to reunite again at Makuhara. 20 years later, they meet again, but only Yamato, Takeru and Akira arrive, and the Makuhara they know, now looks completely different than it used to. The city has been trying to get on its feet after the cover up, and a lot of money has been invested in the rebuild.

One year later both Yamato and Takeru realize that something weird is happening with Akira, and while asking around they find out that he has been asking around for money. Morio had turned Akira down, and wants nothing to do with the past, so the duo decides to find him. Soon enough they realize that Makuhara isn't as safe as it is made out to be, but compared to before they might be too grown up to deal with the threat...

If you haven't watched the 1997 drama this summary might very well confuse you. I remember the drama being one of the first dramas I had watched in my early drama watching days, and I was so hooked due to the 'dark' elements of it. This special took me right back to those days, but it also took it up a notch. I was amazed that I didn't see 20 years of difference in their acting, and the reality of 'becoming a grownup' is so clear even in this special. Of course, I noticed things (such as lacking acting and lousy cover up) that made my eyebrows wrinkle, but it doesn't ruin the overall experience. It made me very nostalgic, and happy.

To sum up: a good special of the continuation story, of the 1997 drama – but I would recommend to watch the drama before the special.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Hanamizuki Movie Review

Title: Hanamizuki
Genre:  Romance
Origin: Japan
Release date: 21 August 2010

Cast: Aragaki Yui, Ikuta Toma, and Mukai Osamu.

Hirasawa Sae (Aragaki Yui) and Kouhei Kyochi (Ikuta Toma)met by accident as they both were running late for exams; Sae in an all-girls high school, and Kyochi in a fisherman’s high school. When their train stops, they run after the bus, only to miss it. Sae then sees a car and asks Kyochi to drive it, which ends with the car crashing in the gutter. Kyochi takes the fall for it - and gets severely punished by his father, and Sae gets suspended for hanging around with ‘that kind of boy’. Feeling bad Kyochi tries to apologize to her, only to be rejected, but as they start conversing they both open up.

Sae starts cram school, and Kyochi gets a part-time job, so the two take the train together home, soon friendship becomes love. Everything’s great until Sae passes her exams, and leaves for Tokyo to study: the two separate.

In the beginning, they keep in touch through phone, but as Sae meets Kitami Junichi (Mukai Osamu), a senpai that is - like Sae’s passed away dad- a photographer, gets her involved with school activities and a job, she ends up not having time for Kyochi. The two meet for Christmas after a long while, only to end up fighting. They manage to make up, but as time passes, life take unexpected turns and their views on live changes. Will their love be able to maintain the hardships to come?

Now I can’t help and compare this movie with the movie I watched recently: Architecture 101. Two countries, same theme, but completely different stories, and feel to it. Really.

This movie follows two people’s lives, loads of things happen and yet manage to keep me entertained, and that is something very hard to do. I don’t really like ‘life stories’ - am going to now - mainly because I watched some that didn’t really make me sit. And then this pops up, and for some reason, it made me really bubbly inside, both sad (mostly), and smiley. It’s a really good movie, and very enjoyable.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Atashinchi no Danshi Review

Title: Atashinchi no Danshi
AKA: My boys
Genre: Comedy
Episodes: 11
Broadcast period: 2009-Apr-14 to 2009-Jun-23
Cast: Horikita Maki, Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori, Mukai Osamu, Yamamoto Yusuke, Seto Koji, Okayama Tomoki and Kusakari Masao.

Mineta Chisato (Horikita Maki, Hana Kimi, Kurosagi..) has been living as a homeless for some years. The reason for that is that she is being chased by debt-collectors, because her father left her a huge debt without her approval. One day as she is running away from some debt collectors a man helps her and says that he will pay her debt if she agrees to be his wife for a month. A month because he believes he only has a month left to live in. So she agrees cause there is no way she can pay the debt on her own. But she does not know what awaits her after the man dies. She now has to spend 3 months in a castle with the man's 6 sons. She has to be their mother and unless she fulfills the 10 goals the man has written her to do the debt will not be paid and all her work was for nothing. It is not an easy job she has gotten because the boys dont have a bond at all. So she has to start from the scratch and first of all make them all eat dinner together. But that is gonna be hard when one of them doesnt even live at home, the other doesnt come out of his room, the third has a fear of women aso. But somehow she manages them all to be together and finally bond. But it only gets worse when the company of the man who died is being taken over by his secretary because he wants the treasure hidden in the castle. And they can only protect the castle, their home, by fulfilling the 10 goals.

I suddenly decided to watch this drama, before i thought it was just a drama about a bunch of homeless people but after watching just the first episode i found it really funny and interesting. It's a comedy so just the thing for me. Lots of fun especially with the secretary being all weird and the boys got all different personalties. And the girl omo. Like in 1 episode she moves out and in to the castle like 5 times. She just cant decide whether to stay or not ahaha. And so fun with her father, like whenever she sees him she starts yelling at him and he immediately starts running away yelling "Do ur best to pay of the debt!" hahaha and omg there are like 5 boys who like her and she doesnt even notice haha. Anyway its definetly a drama u gotta watch, lots of fun -of course when its japanese it gotta b fun. And it like grabs ur attention right away. And thats always a good sign.. I mean who would watch a drama that gets exciting at the .. 16th episode.. gaah. Hate those kind of dramas.. especially when they spend 5 episodes explaining the past.

Ill be kind and give it ^^ :

☆☆☆☆/4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
Hahaha! ''She'll be kind'' - as if the drama needs kindness!! Lols, sorry.
The drama is pretty different and a lot of fun, but again very typical when it comes to Japanese dramas. Like one girl and a lot of guys, where have we heard that before? hmm, let me name a few: Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2, Hana Kimi, Yamato Nadeshiko Shinchi Henge, Gokusen 1 & 2 & 3(okay, not the same, but u get the point) and so on. So it's pretty tiring. Even though this time around, she plays the role of the mother, makes the story more fun, and the love blossoming more interesting, BUT still VERY typical..
I’m pretty fond of detailed and precise background stories, as well as interesting “why did that happen” reasoning. The 6 brothers have all different backgrounds, and different personality, which makes it totally worth watching.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ /4 out of 5 hearts