Signal: Choki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sosahan Review

Title: Signal

AKA: Signal - Choki Mikaiketsu Jiken Sosahan

Genre: Suspense, (Time-travel)

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2018-Apr to 2018-Jun

Cast: Sakaguchi Kentaro, Kitamura Kazuki, Kichise Michiko and Kamio Fuju.

This is the Japanese version of the Korean drama with the same name.

Working freelance, Saegusa Kento (Sakaguchi Kentaro) spends most of his time getting scoop for random gossip magazines, though he’d finished police school. One day he gets picked up by the police, and reprimanded, but let go, due to lack of lawbreaking. While leaving, he accidently passes a garbage truck, and notices a walkie-talkie calling out to him. Confused and curious, he picks it up and starts talking to Oyama Takeshi (Kitamura Kazuki), who asks him about an abandoned hospital. Their call gets cut abruptly, and in order to soothe his curiosity, Saegusa visits the abandons place, only to find a skeleton. Surprisingly, a 15-year-old case that has haunted Saegusa with guilt in the past, has now resurfaced.

Bewildered, Saegusa reconnects with Oyama to ask about the case, but Oyama claims he’s from 15 years ago, and that the case had just happened…

After watching the Korean version, I decided to give this one a go, especially since I loved the original. Compared to the original, this one is shorter, and does not incorporate all stories you get from the Korean version. Thankfully it is the one story that I really didn’t like from the original that they didn’t add, so I was pleasantly surprised. I tend to like the Japanese remakes of Korean dramas, as the stories are good, without the “over-the-top” drama/dilemma. Its very clean cut, and it also is very well acted. Also, I like the two veteran actors, another nice surprise. The lead actor I don’t remember seeing before, but he did a good job, considering the original almost blew me away. So, another plus.

That said, I did feel the ending summed up too fast. I know it is because I had the original in my head, but I felt it being hurried, and little bit messy - not much, just enough for a kdrama fan to notice.

Anyways, I enjoyed it, and I liked it.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Naeil's Cantabile Review

Title: Naeil’s Cantabile
AKA: Tomorrow Cantabile / Cantabile Tomorrow

Genre: Romance, Musical, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast date: 2014-Oct to 2014-Dec

Cast: Joo Won, Shim Eun Kyung, Park Bo Geum, Bae Min Jun and Ko Gyung Pyo.

This is the Korean remake of the Japanese drama called Nodame Cantabile.

Cha Yoo Jin (Joo Won) is a talented young pianist, who excels in all kinds of instruments, but dreams of becoming a conductor. Having a stubborn and rude personality and firm belief that no one can match up to his own talents, he is almost thrown out of the school. As he is unable to leave the country due to his fear of water and flying, he is unable to leave South Korea. Then he is offered to play a duet with an eccentric girl called Seo Nae Il (Shim Eun Kyung) who due to past trauma only is able to play piano if she finds it fun. Though at first he is reluctant, he notices how talented Nae Il is and decides to perform the duet with her. This makes Nae Il fall for Yoo Jin.

When the world famous conductor Franz Stresemann arrives at the school as a teacher guest and wants to make a new school orchestra, Yoo Jin decides to change majors to conducting, but for some reason Franz refuses to let him change to conducting and announces as long as he is there, Yoo Jin will never be able to change the major. What is Yoo Jin going to do?

If you’ve watched the Japanese version you will get what this review is about, and if not, I hope I didn’t make it sound too dull. Out of all Japanese remakes ever done this one has the same feel to it – the goofy story and kind of silly people who are very weird yet grown on you fast. To be honest I don’t remember that much of the Japanese drama except the goofy Nodame and the arrogant Chiaki, and they really do manage to be loyal to that part. Both Joo Won and Shim Eun Kyung are great as lead characters, but the one that stole my heart was Ko Kyung Pyo acting as Yoo Il Rak. If you remember blonde Eita as Mine, Yoo Il Rak was his counterpart, and he does the job perfectly.

I am not really able to compare the two storylines as I don’t remember, but the Japanese is one of my favorite ones out there – though this Korean remake was kind of not that great. I can’t say I wasn't entertained, but I was kind of annoyed at the love triangle, and the fact that 16 episodes pass without really having a climax – or rather I don’t remember one at all.

Okay, summing it up: an okay drama with good acting, and a semi interesting plot/storyline.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

GTO 2012 Review

Title: Great Teacher Onizuka

AKA: GTO

Genre: School, human drama

Episodes: 11 + SP

Broadcast period: 2012-Jul to 2012-Sep

Theme song: 24karats TRIBE OF GOLD by EXILE TRIBE

Cast: AKIRA, Takimoto Miori, Yamamoto Yusuke, Yano Masato, Fujisawa Ayano, Nagasawa Nao and Kabayashi Yumi.

This story is the remake of the 1998 GTO.

Fuyutsuki Azusa (Takimoto) is a fairly new teacher in charge of the troublesome 2 : 4 class, who are known for being cruel towards new teachers and making them quit in matter of minutes. One day a part-timer knocks out the head teacher for calling drop out student’s trash in front of the director and Fuyutsuki. That man happens to be Onizuka Eikichi (AKIRA) who is the leader of a bike gang, and is known for his wicked side. The director notices that Onizuka has a special side, so she decides to make him the head teacher of class 2 : 4 to change them. But it isn’t as simple as it seems: the class is not only troublesome, they have a deep hatred for teachers..

Being a fan of the original GTO from 1998, I was actually expecting a lot, and honestly I was slightly disappointed, even though it had all the old highlights, with a spice of modern. I just don’t really see Onizuka in AKIRA, and I couldn’t help but imagining how cool it would have been if Akanishi Jin was playing Onizuka, which he was supposed to. Anyways, the drama is typical Japanese, and I love high school drama especially Japanese ones, hehe.. The acting was a bit.. Tacky, but I’m going to give it 4 stars, 1 for the storyline, 1 for the messengers conveyed in the drama, 1 for being able to make me watch it from beginning to end and the last one, for making me a bit teary in the end. All in all 4 stars, though I have to say, watch the original one.. It’s a bit better :P

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts