I like the way the script tells the story, nothing very fancy but it is presented as it is. God knows I hate stories that try too hard to move the audiences to the desired emotions. In Amachan, (almost) all happens as it is natural. It portrays everyone's tendency to change minds, as what Amano Aki does in the story. At first, she wants to be an ama diver, then a deep-sea diver to an idol and finally saving her hometown. But wait, don't we do change minds as much as hers? Yes, she is determined and passionate but she is by no means regular asadora heroines, who are all focused in one aspect of life or dreams. The character, as well as others in the show, is multidimensional and more intricate compared to most dramas.
The cast is very strong, from the veterans to character actors (surely the arsenal of character actors in this drama is extravagant) to the youngsters. Even the cameos are fascinating. As the lead, Rena Nonsense...errr... I mean Rena Nounen (lol I find it's very funny that her name rhymes that way) does a superb portrayal of Amano Aki. Her range of emotions are awesome and she plays her role with heart that is rare trait for a teenage kid like her. She reminds me of young Ueno Juri a lot and I bet she is the next big thing in Japanese TV and movie scene.
Music-wise, it has a plethora of nice background music. But it is the opening soundtrack that stands out of the rest. I'd dare to say that theme song is one of the best opening theme ever made in any TV shows. Props to the composer who has done a great job.
The ending is a bit unsatisfying, somewhat rushed and a bit too optimistic, the last story arch needs at least 40 episodes to complete while in fact there are only 20 or so. That's why I settled with overall point of 9, it could be another 10 if the ending is good. I hope they have a plan to make a special episode to rectify the "fault", but in my scoring algorithm, 9 is enough to warrant a "must watch" label.
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With this, the "Ama-chan effect" hit me hard. I couldn't stop watching it. I finished this series after 11 days, and I'm sad it ended. This is probably also due to the phenomen, that the episodes are rather short with a runtime of 15 minutes, and you keep watching and watching, while you tell yourself: 'just another one, then i'll stop.', but you just can't. Its one of those series you really never want to end.
The Story itself i really addicting, as its absolutly not repetitve. The constant up and downs make oneself really go with it and feel it. It makes you sad, It makes you cheer, it makes you feel lost. If a series is able to this, then its a masterpiece. Kankuro Kudo really made a awesome job.
The Characters are absolutly memorable. You could really notice the cast was putting their hearts into it. I've never watched a series where the acting was this good. Each actor played their character so well, i could really belive everything could have happened in a village close to mine. There was no way you couldn't feel with your favorite character. (Which was Yui in my case.)
A enormous portion of this series marks the soundtrack. I'm usually one of those people skipping the Opening Sequence, i absolutely refused to do that when i watched Ama-chan. I found myself boucing around whenever the opening started. From the "inserts Songs" which where played pretty often, i must say i never found them annoying at any time, eventho they brought them up a lot in recalls or in different versions. On the other hand, the BGM music really gave this series its essence. Every musicportion in the series transported so many emotions in every single second. It really sticks to your brain and you'll find yourself humming it here and there without even noticing. I had to sing and hum along every single time.
You might wonder about the 9 instead of 10 points for the Rewatch Value. I have to admit, i had to deduct a point, just because its not a series you could watch again in just a single day, but thats about it. This is a Series you really can watch and enjoy everytime. Watch it with your friends, family, girlfriend, they'll love it.
Overall i Can only say, this series made a huge impact and is my new favorite Series of all times. If you haven't i can only say: YOU MUST WATCH IT!
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All the characters are memorable, and the acting of all cast is incredible. It's been a long time since I laughed so much. There are sad and frustrating moments too, but that's why the history isn't repetitive or boring. Also, you don't know what will happen, it's interesting until the last episode.
The soundtrack is brilliant. They sing too many times the same songs but at least there are good songs. The opening song is very good too.
If you are interested in ama or j-idol culture you must watch this series. If you're not interested in them I think you should at least give a try because it's fantastic.
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Some may say that this drama is not lengthy because its only 15 minutes each eps but even that it is freaking long, I feel like I became part of someones life(aki) lol. I'm not complaining here in fact i did enjoy this drama even its a long show it is addicting like chocolates. One more bite, one more episodes then I forgot what hour it is, I even forgot one the the biggest reasons why i watched this show which is ryuhei matsuda and mayu matsuoka. If I am not a busy guy i'm sure i will finish this 3 days minimum, but cause i have work it took me 2 weeks but its worth it.
To me it is basically a coming of age/slice of life/family drama with matching great scenery of countryside japan. In this story you will follow the main character aki and cheer her on whatever goal she has from catching sea urchins to becoming a nanbu diver and becoming an idol (whatever enters her mind). But the main point of the drama is how her character affects other people lives living with her. Its also one of the most complete drama that i have seen from comedy, drama, romance, achieving dreams, family conflicts etc. It was like an emotional roller coaster to me...at one point I was laughing then after I just realize that one scene touch me and i became sad. It is one of those drama that I highly recommend specially if your into japanese culture. Although I can't explain it but it has this feel good ambiance its easy watch..maybe the color, the music, the narration and the pacing have something to do with that i don't know.
script
I just cant believe how the story develops the script is freaking epic kudo kankuro is a genius. From catching sea urchin to becoming and idol then that tsunami then the home...I didn't see that coming specially that idol part. I just don't know how he created that world with that fun characters and how he make it appears real by having real events and real people affect the story. The dialogues were great too from comedy to when they have conflict part, aki's grandma speaks with sense all the time. I love how kankuro handles both over the top comedy part and serious part well..his trademark is when an emotional thing happen he inserts a WTF moment at the end the greatest example is during aki's first heartache. Aki was crying riding her bicycle with all her might with matching great music what a great scene that was then suddenly aki's bike fly then she dropped from the ocean, I was like what in the hell happen I don't know if he used it as a metaphor or what but its freaking epic kinda reminds me of the
"I CAN FLY" scene from ping pong in which he also did the script.
music
the music great too they have different music that suit different scenes, situations and emotions. Because its a long drama to make the music not become too repetitive they made different version of it. I love that opening jazzy pop music but my favorite is that violin theme they used on sad moments...that theme will be added to my list of my why-japan-your-drama/movie-ost-is-hard-to-find list..jeje. They used great songs too and even composed like shiosai no memories, gmt song, and the december caledar thingy( the dance routine of that song is so adorable kawaii).
the acting
I don't know who to praise the guys who cast rena nounen or rena nounen herself, her presence is the biggest reason why this show is huge phenomenon. She is like a kid in a teenagers body I love the way she suddenly cries when her mom hits her LMAO. In my books she became the most adorable kawaii character i watch on tv knocking satomi ishihara's koga haruka in h2. Kirsten stewart should study on how she shows different emotions on screen from sad, over the top sad, happy, over the top happy, curious, jealous, anger, dumb look etc. its too many. But i wont call her great actress yet cause it might become too hard for her to get out from this type of character I just can't imagine her doing serial killer, obsessed lover, rape victim, single mother role. But her role here is one of the most effective roles i have ever seen.
Ai hashimoto is a hit or miss actress in my opinion but she really nailed her character here. I feel the determination I feel the passion I feel the anger. I love how her characters develops and how she handles the change effectively but not losing the core of true yui. I am not surprised on how many people relates to her cause of Ai hashimoto spot on performance.
Koizumi kyoko the one who play aki's mom played the best performance imo. This is the first time i saw her or probably she was cast in drama's that I watched before just like did not standout but nevermind that here she plays that tough mother effectively. I also see that her performance here is one of the reasons why rena nounen is that adorable in this drama. The confrontation between her and aki, confrontation between her mom, her confrontation with futomaki those moments where key in this story and she really nailed that parts convincingly.
Ryuhei matsuda who wears that I don't give a f*ck face proves to me why he is one of the best in showing emotions without saying a single word or even moving a single muscle on his face. I love how he attacks his character and risk the danger of him becoming boring. Tho he made the character invisible you also can feel his passion on his work. I also love the relationship of him and ben-san..you can feel his respect towards his master, I love how they connect the polishing of stone to become a gem to his work on nurturing idols.
If we have villain in this drama then the closest would become furuta arata's futomaki...that actor always put on the spot acting he never disappoints me from simple mannerisms of putting his both hands under his armpits or that annoying laugh. He may appear a comic relief character here but you can feel the human side of his character.
there's plenty of side characters here too but most of them are accomplished actors like ex. taki pierre, denden, omi toshinori, fukikoshi mitsuru, yakushimaru hiroko with some great comedians all of them are memorable even ben-san which they describe as invisible character in the drama.
I also want to say I love the contrast between aki(the one with accent) and yui(the cute one) I think that contrast is the key for their chemistry. The sun and moon represention i think is the right way to describe them.
some performance changed my mind on some actors too..
Arimura kasumi - I thought she is just your girl next door kawaii face and thats it, but her performance here proves she can really act. Yes...she also did her trademark "surpise-kawaii-look" ( if you watch her in some shows you know what i mean) but she really nailed the dramatic part and I can really see the essence of her character.
Among the gmt members my favorite is mayu matsuoka, I find the one who played onodera the cutest but acting wise i will give this to that girl who played kyan eren. I even search about her and found out that she only did 2 movies and 1 drama she, probably she falls in this category of forgotten actress with potential but not given a break cause she is not that cute...jejejeje.
Next is the 2nd best performance IMO tetta sugimotto.....yes I know this character actor is great and capable but he is a real revelation here Just like furuta arata it looks like he is a comic relief character the GHOstBUSTERs part is really epic LMAO THAT FACE, but i can definitely feel his loved on this town and his work. Sugimotto put a memorable excellent performance in that tsunami episode...that moment got me teary eyed cause of the way they did that episode with no background music you really feel the emotions but the FINAL KICK that makes me cry is when sugimotto resurfaced from that tunnel that look in his face damn you can feel the pain I can't help but cry with him.
The negative things i can say in this drama is that the jeje thing becomes annoying at times and the story becomes less interesting specially before the homecoming part but nonetheless I still give this a 10 cause I have 2 more factors to consider in rating dramas which is how I enjoy it and how it affects me.
I knocks my boss, my hero out as my top 5 dramas of all time.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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i even still can't get over it after finishing it.
You'll love the stubborn, naive, unstable, cheerful, annoying Aki.
She has a grat chemistry with her seniors, like Koizumi Kyoko, Yakushimaru Hiroko, and Miyamoto Nobuko
All the character was solid. Everyone got their own portion for this looong story.
I have to admit that Kudo Kankuro can bring Arimura Kasumi to next level. Maybe i like her acting on this only drama.
If i have to pick the weak character is Fukushi Sota (well he always be weak anyway)
Honestly, at first i feel that the shift from being an Amasan to idol is quite shocking and sometimes the story is being dragged. But thanks to Kudo sensei to make a twist development of the story.
Well i have no regret to spare my 35GB space disk for this gem.
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This drama is about loving your family, friends and little town. Aki's family was always there for her, not only her family by blood, but all the people in Kitasanriku. Aki's friendship with Yui-chan made me teary-eyed many times, and I loved the relationship between Suzuka-san and Haruko. Truly, Kudo Kankuro is a genius when it comes to female characters and female relationship. I don't see the Idol world as negative as I used to... these lovely girls just wanted to make people happy. I was so happy seeing the director so proud of his cast/drama in the extra episode; he really loved "Amachan"!
The lenght also kinda scared me at first... but when I was around Ep. 50 I was like, "I wish this was longer". I kept watching it anywhere where I had a little time off... on the bus, waiting my meals, etc. It is perfect to upload a couple of episodes on the cellphone.
I am currently suffering withdrawal symptoms... I loved it!
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This review may contain spoilers
"I'm going back to the North..."♫
"Amachan" is the 24th asadora that I've watched. I hesitated to watch this one since it's SO popular. My track record with popular asadoras hasn't been so good. Thankfully, I pleasantly surprised with "Amachan" and ended up really liking it. It's an interesting blend of comedy and emotional moments, when asadoras (particularly popular ones) usually go for the big historical dramas. However, it is not without its faults. Warning for small spoilers of the endingNon is really sweet as the heroine Amano Aki, and I liked her 99% of the time. But... She can be annoying sometimes with her denseness and naïvete, which is mostly played for laughs. I would also say that her motivations are kind of weak. She wants to be an ama because she likes diving; she wants to be an idol because she likes singing and making people smile. I understand that this is in fact part of character, but I think her weak motivations is probably why viewers don't like the idol arc of the asadora as much. Anyway... I consider Aki's mother and grandmother, Haruko (Koizumi Kyoko) and Natsu (Miyamoto Nobuko), to be the second and third heroines of this asadora. Their performances are honestly perfect and their stories were executed perfectly. *Chef's kiss* Props also to Arimura Kasumi playing young Haruko.
"Amachan" also has the perfect cast of side characters. I know asadoras are known for their wonderful side characters, but "Amachan" is the first I've watched where I liked everyone. I felt like everyone had a well laid-out personality. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering characters in asadoras, but I never had that problem here. I particularly related to Yui (Hashimoto Ai) who has a slightly twisted personality. Her arc isn't perfect, but I liked how it mirrored both Haruko's and Aki's experiences. Then there's Suzuka Hiromi (Yakushimaru Hiroko), an actress who can or cannot sing? [Lol I loved that they left that ambiguous at the the end.] I really wasn't expecting to like that character so much, but Yakushimaru plays her with the right amount of comedy and divaness. And, of course, there's every townsperson of Kitasanriku which is too many to name, but I will carry them within my heart from now on.
Now a couple of complaints. "Amachan" doesn't have much in the way of romance, which is fine but I've come to expect stronger romances in asadoras quite frankly. Aki's love interest Taneichi is kind of just there, and a lot of the drama around their relationship feels forced. Especially when you think of Aki's age lol, though I guess she really is naive. My other complaint is that the music is repetitive. The opening is instrumental and can kind of feel like you're on an amusement park ride if you watch multiple episodes in a row. "Shiosai no Memory," sung by several characters, is nice but only made an impact once I heard it 10+ times. GMT's "Hometown" song I thought was terrible and I found it hard to believe that it was a hit lol. Other than that, I liked the frequent plugs of old 80s songs and Daikichi singing "Ghostbuster randomly.
A lot of asadoras explore the theme of "hometown," but I think "Amachan"'s exploration of this has become my favorite. Aki doesn't particularly like Tokyo, where she was born and grew up. She instead finds her "hometown" in Kitasanriku, where her grandma lives and her mother grew up. Therefore, your "hometown" is where you love to be and where the people you love are. Aki does return to Tokyo for a year and a half, but ultimately decides to pursue her dream of being an idol in Kitasanriku. Yes, she'll never become a superstar that way, but she'll get to stay in the place she loves with the people she loves. Honestly, I really love this sentiment. "Amachan" easily enters my top ten asadoras. I love it so much, even the idol arc ;)
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After a few years, having myself become a bit of a fan of a coupla idol groups (namely, Keyakizaka and its offsprings Hinatazaka and Sakuraza), I went back and decided to give this "Amachan" another chance, as now I knew I could enjoy more than before its second half.
All in all, there are a few nice scenes here and there in this asadora, but also a lot of "meh" moments, therefore I'd totally say this work doesn't belong, alas, to the better ones originated from Kudo Kankoru's pen, It's my humble opinion that the writer was a bit out of his depth here - but then again, to write an asadora is an herculean task (tantamount to writing 26, yep, TWENTY-SIX movies with the same characters to be aired in a 26 weeks time-span - indeed, not a feat every writer can accomplish!) so I can't actually blame him too much!
The cast also gave mixed performances, with Koizumi Kyoko being the best of the lot imho.
The music was pretty good but also terribly repetitive (basically, one song repeated over and over, plus a coupla sidetracks).
A decent production value completes the package. It would be more of a 6.5, but since I don't use decimals, I'll round that up to 7. An OK watch, but no masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned.
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Un asadora que te hará amar a tu ciudad natal.
Bueno, si has visto un "asadora" sabes que estas historias (que en un principio asustan por los 151/156 episodios que tienen pero luego sientes un alivio cuando escuchas que son de 15 minutos cada episodio) son una montaña rusa llena de emociones y Amachan no es la excepción.Con un guión a cargo de Kudo Kankuro, tenemos a Aki, una joven de 16 años con una personalidad algo gris, llega de la gran Tokio a un pueblito muy alegre y solidario llamado Kitasanriku, sin embargo, a medida que pasa el tiempo la chica empieza a abrir su corazón hacia los locales y su entorno, adoptando una personalidad más "sociable" y sobre todo encuentra sueños en los cuales luchar para lograr hacer realidad. En general la historia va a un buen ritmo a excepción de los de las primeras semanas, que los vi algo lentos , aunque nunca se pierde el interés porque es un drama que te muestra varios "mundos" a medida que Aki avanza en su vida.
El reparto de 10, tanto el veterano como el juvenil, hay veces que en ciertos dramas o pelis destaca x o y actor, pero aquí siento que hubo un buen balance, aunque claro, destaca quien debe hacerlo, es decir, Non, que interpreta a nuestra heroína, Aki.
La música casi siempre va de la mano con la historia que se presenta, la melodía del opening a veces fuera de lugar, pero creo que lo más valioso de la música son las canciones originales como "Shiosai no memory" "Jimoto ni kaerou", es bonito leer la letra de estas y ver que en verdad que son más que simples canciones de idol, son canciones que tienen todo un pasado, presente o un futuro en Amachan.
En resumen, si ya tienes experiencia en el mundo de los asadoras o te gustaría empezar, Amachan es muy buena opción, es una producción muy sólida, original y a veces con sus toques fantasiosos (pero disfrutables) que te harán decir "¡Jejejeh!" (esta es una expresión del asadora) o cruelmente realistas que a veces te harán soltar una lagrimita. Historia perfecta para inspirarte y amar a tu ciudad natal.
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