Good Luck!! (2003)

First, I have a question: Do you ever have that mood, when you're trying a bunch of different and good dramas, and you can't watch even a 1/3 of episode, and none of them stands out. And then you find it, a GEM, you put the drama on and you know: THIS IS IT! And then you can't stop watching until you end it in a marathon? Well, because it happened to me yesterday with this drama... I'm still recovering...

Why is it worth a perfect score?

Story: I love this kind of stories. It's a story about people who have a very responsible and demanding job, who love that job and practically live for it. It's a really motivating drama, makes you wanna find your dream profession, pursue it and then do something meaningful in your life. The drama does not drag at any moment(well the beauty of jdramas- they have only 9-11 episodes and you're left wanting more). There is also a love story, though not a heart-wrecking romance as somebody observed, but as it normally happens - you meet someone you like, so you want to be with them and you wish all the best for them. There is also a great bromance,heart-warming family(Shinkai dad-GREAT!)and random hilarity (the girl next door-LOL) in it as well. Generally, all of the characters were very well crafted and you want to know more about them.

Cast: It's Kimutaku in his prime - with his boyish charm and in uniform ^_^. But all the cast members were great and their characters were complex and interesting.

Music: As it didn't attract my attention at all, I have nothing to say about it.

Rewatch: I already want to rewatch! Actually I even did a bit- the best scenes.. ;)

This drama is really outstanding in my opinion, so I highly recommend it.

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This is one of shows that sparked my enthusiasm towards anything related to air travel and commercial aviation. And still is. Good Luck is one of those very rare well-written, well-acted, and realistic aviation-related shows. Well, actually few details are not that accurate, but they are just little nuisances among the greatness of this show.

I like the way its scriptwriter measures various contents in Good Luck!! because they are well-balanced. Most of the story lines are revolves around the career of Shinkai. Every details and his job in the airlines (such as safety, seniority, check lists, training, and even periodic medical check-up) are portrayed very well. It's not suprising that this big-budget drama is supported by a premium airlines in Japan, All Nippon Airlines, so it didn't fail its expectation. Not only the pilot's everyday life, but his relation with fellow pilots, family, girlfriend, and neighbor are amusing as well. It's all natural and very realistic. Some anticlimax near the end may have deducting the overall points of this drama, but that's not a great deal.

Perhaps what bring this drama into life are the actors portraying the characters, particularly Kimura as young first officer (one rank below captain) Shinkai and Tsutsumi (my personal favorite actor) as Captain Koda. While Kimura plays his usual style, Tsutsumi stole the limelight with his superb acting and depth. The supporting casts play well too, while the actress playing the veteran flight attendant Togashi deserves honorable mention. Even some actors who are not known for their acting prowess play well here.

Last but not least, this solid drama may make you turned into an aviation enthusiast like I was. If it's not, at least you will be entertained along the show.

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