Oh wow, what a drama we have here.
I've never watched a medical drama which keeps me excited and thrilled from start to the end like this. Usually when the main plot starts to be unfolded, the story might quickly de-escalate towards the last 2-3 episodes but not the case with Tokyo MER. They managed to have a balance in the medication, character growth, and also the power struggle. There are some sprinkles of well-delivered life lessons in between too. You still can find some usual tropes and there are times where the CG effect is a bit low in quality, but for me it did not really affect how the story progresses.
I really liked Suzuki Ryohei as Dr. Kitami and Kaku Kento as Dr. Otowa here, they delivered the two contrasting main characters really well (especially Otowa's face expressions). We also have great actors and actresses as the MER members that made the supporting characters are not just a mere extra people for the team. The politicians and Shirota Yu also deserved the credit for making the story even more exciting.
For me this is the best drama I've watched this year. I would definitely recommend it because this is not your usual medical drama. Go watch it if you haven't!

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At first Night Doctor started with the focus on the emergency cases and you might think that this is an action filled case-by-case type medical drama. But as the story progresses, you will be taken to another side of the night doctors which has their own personal struggles and also faced with the unpleasant judgements from others. As we dive into each of the main leads' problems, we are gently being reminded that doctors are also humans which are not perfect and also have things to do outside the hospital.

The stories are well prepared and you can see the growth of each of the Night Doctors as an individual (especially Fukazawa). Unfortunately, for me it did not manage to capture the emotions to the level that I expected. I don't really feel like it is super touching or any strong emotions in most of them. I felt the same thing when watching Unsung Cinderella, where they have many personal stories but they were just 'Good' and that's it.

Regarding the acting, you don't really have anything to doubt from the star studded casts. Haru, Kei Tanaka, and Ikki Sawamura are solid as usual. Sae Okazaki might be the one who is overlooked in this drama, but she did very well here. Kishi in here is just Kishi with medical knowledge (side-effect of watching him too much in varieties I suppose), but hey his facial expressions are the main highlight here. Takumi Kitamura also nailed his role as a man who seems to be happy and always positive but actually have many secrets. Also shout out to Zen Kajihara as the 'main antagonist' in the hospital.

They have many insert songs here and I liked all of them. Might end up in my playlist soon.

So to sum it up, if you wanted to watch a medical drama which focuses on the character story or personal growth, then this is the right one for you.

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Despite only having 6 episodes, I think the plot progressed well and I don't feel rushed when watching this drama. The balance between the comedic and serious parts are very nice. However if you have watched many police/detective themed drama, the cases might not be as complicated as the others (not much guessing game in it). I also did not really like the way how they 'stop' the culprit, for me it was less realistic (in real life the situation you won't do that).

In term of acting, you got a strong chemistry between Kei Tanaka and Ryosuke Yamada. Kei Tanaka is superb in his role, the 'big brother' vibe by him is very strong here. Yamada did very well in his face expressions, no stiffness when he changed from funny to sad to serious expressions. Sekimizu also did well in her role, I can feel that she cares about the two male leads and not just a random help to bait the criminals. I also liked Eriko Noguchi and Jesse in the drama, maybe I'll consider to watch the spinoff.

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First of all, this is not your usual drama but rather a 10-episode sitcom/comedy skit. So if you do not enjoy such things and not a fan of the two main leads, you might not have a reason to watch.

The story is just OK for me, you got moments where you laughed out loud and also moments where you just smirked at the jokes. I felt that the story is a bit scattered - a few aspects were just thrown and fitted in to the episode since they only have 3 rooms in the "setting". I would not comment on each of the cast's acting but the casts as a whole has a very good balance. Despite Shin and Ume are portrayed by idol group members, they bond quite well with the other casts who are mostly comedians (you don't see someone dominating the others).

I love the opening animation and also the main theme (Otori no Yu theme). I can't get that song out of my head since I watched this drama. Recommended if you just want to watch something light after a tiring day at work.

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"Ii ne~~"

My first assumption on this drama is the funky private tutor will help a dysfunctional family by solving case by case every episode. I'm glad I am proven wrong on that lol. This drama really highlighted the reality of 'some' modern family, not just in Japan (with that honne-tatemae concept) but also in other parts of the world too. When the tutor said "this kind of family is just like a room-sharing friends", it felt really deep in the heart. Also, the struggle to keep family together after you realized the mistakes was very relatable, because in this fast-paced modern life many things are taken for granted - including family.

Sho Sakurai as the tutor did an amazing job here. The grin, the gaze, the drastic threatening action and the "ii nee~~" really left a good impression with me. The Numata family members also did well, but my particular highlight is Kamiki Ryunosuke. His face expressions in the role were very natural and not overdoing it. The main theme in this drama is very nice, I love the melody and it really brought the "game" mood to the drama.

I have to say this is the best drama I watched for some months, I did not skip the story since I am so hooked to it, probably my only complaint is that the later episodes used too many flashbacks but it is still quite bearable. I'll definitely recommend this for anyone interested in J-Dramas!

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Find something behind the spiciness - but it wasn't spicy....

The storyline was not what I expected from a supposedly comedy drama, the actual comedy is only in Episode 7 for me. Labelling this as "Slice of Life" or "Motivational Drama" is more suitable than comedy, since the Chief and his Gekikaradou philosophy was meant to motivate workers who were struggling at work to look from another perspective to tackle their own problem. You can enjoy the growth of Sarukawa from a newly transferred guy to a inseparable part of his current department. But other workers except Ryosuke did not really grow. Like Sarukawa who had to dig deeper from extremely spicy food that he's not good at, viewers were asked to look deeper in the story and find the work life tips. The problem is, it really lacks "spice" and the story is flat most of the times.

In term of the acting, there is not much too say. Everyone did a good job but no one really stood out. I usually did not really like a happy-go-lucky character like Ryosuke, but his appearance brightens this drama and I think it helped me to continue this drama. The sound effects are standard, but I really loved the OST - especially when I realized this is a motivational series for office workers.

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Before I begin reviewing, I just want to say that watching Episode 1 in this pandemic era made me smile (I was thinking: "S***, they predicted this").

The cases in the drama are mostly well-thought and well-executed, maybe with exception of the few cases related to the main plot which was a bit draggy. They did not just solve cases related to unnatural deaths but also gave a soft criticism to the certain aspects of Japanese society.

I love all the characters in the UDI, they are all unique and the supporting characters aren't just there to support. Perhaps I liked Mikoto less than the others because the character is an idealistic type who believe that we can talk everything out, but it is forgiven because she is played by Satomi Ishihara. Masataka Kubota did a decent job as usual and I am impressed with Arata Iura's acting in here. The music, well.. maybe we don't have to talk too much about it. The OST is a big hit and you will see why it fits this drama.

So, what are you waiting for? Just watch it if you haven't!

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Soap opera with beautiful food (?)

To be honest the story was not my cup of tea - lost heir, family drama, etc. But you got to watch the beautiful wagashi and a bit of nice scenery in the drama. They managed to keep the main "mystery" until the very end, and I think it's the only thing that made me finish this drama. Acting by Minami Hamabe and Ryusei Yokohama are good for me, they were able to convey the emotion to the viewers. Alisa Mizuki who played Tsubaki's mother was successful in becoming your standard "soap opera antagonist". Yamazaki Ikusaburo also did well as a supporting character.

There's not much I can actually say about the drama, but somehow it is good enough and I can finish it... Watashi wa douka shite iru? ?

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This drama an example of a good balance and I really enjoyed it. You won't see many detective dramas with "just right" amount of romance and comedy out there. Yui Aragaki successfully portrayed Kyoko, the weirdo main character, without overly doing it. Masaki Okada's acting as Yakusuke is also superb, it made you sympathize and want to help him too.

Speaking about the story, at first I felt that the cut-out animations to explain cases were a bit distracting. But as the story progressed, I got used to that. The cases were mostly good, but there were a few of them that lack twists and slightly not as interesting as the others. Regarding the music and OST, I loved the main theme. I did not really notice the other background music, but the sound effects were well-executed and not exaggerated. I would recommend this for those who want to watch a less serious detective drama, but not full blown comedy/romance at the same time.

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The storyline might be somewhat a typical time-travel romance drama will have, but this drama managed to give nice surprises. I think the phrase "life is continuation of choices" in the drama is not just a mere line, but something they take really seriously. The emotion conveyed by Tadayoshi Okura as Motoharu managed to give me the intended thought - "Will I be happy if I can change my past?" instead of "How great it is if we can change the past".

Casts are doing good job overall, Miori Takimoto as Sayaka in particular managed to make me kind of accept her drastic actions due to jealousy without being over the top. The other side characters have an important part and have their own growth too - which I appreciated. I don't have much complain about this series overall, but towards the end it became a slightly boring and draggy. Luckily, the last episode saved the last part of this drama with its "surprises".

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First I have to say that the title and synopsis misled my expectations to the drama, I was thinking it will be about a doctor who perform miracles in the middle of dire situations. The drama is more about slice of life type, where you'll see many people who have their own struggles but every one seems to perceive he/she negatively without completely understanding him/her. The pace is incredibly slow, but as a compensation you can see nice views in the background. The key is to survive Episode 1, as in the next one you will start to know why it has quite a good rating. There are some nice surprises in this seemingly calm drama, but as we go to the end the story somewhat failed to impress me in term of the emotional aspect.

Talking about the casts, Fukushi Sota really managed to impress me in his role as Ichito, I can feel the sincerity he tried to portray. Nana Seino as Haruna also did a solid job as an understanding wife. I also liked Dr. Naito and the director of the hospital (and the running gag with them too). Overall, the drama is a good watch and it managed to give lessons to the viewers without being so idealistic. I'd recommend it if you are a patient watcher and love emotional stories.

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Better than the first

For me, the first season wasn't as good as the rating said. But I still watch this because I'm curious about Miyama's father. They have changed a few aspects and I have to say it worked. The focus of the story switched from the first season, more personal issues and the main enemy tends to be the judicial system itself. The jokes are also upgraded (especially that parody of the main title) and more refreshing. The role of Maiko Ozaki by Fumino Kimura was a good one - I felt that female lead had more chemistry than the first season. I also loved Nakatsuka, the new paralegal, because she brought more to the investigation.

However, the story still ran out of gas towards the end like the first season. Although it did not bore me, the story in the last episode is not as interesting as the other episodes of the drama. I think they have to find a way to keep me always interested until the last part!

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A J-Drama in MDL with rating higher than 8? Now, I am tempted to watch....

First let's talk about the main characters: MatsuJun really fitted the role for Miyama - a grinning troll but actually thoughtful guy. Teruyuki Kagawa and Nana Eikura also played very well as if they were playing their own characters, which created a trinity of skilled lawyers with weird quirks supported by the "exploited" Akashi.

I loved the concept and the story in general - the cases are carefully crafted and the revealing clue often caught me off-guard. With the comedic touch, it helps you to enjoy this drama even if you are not into law/legal themed drama. Puns and the dad jokes were acceptable since I have basic understanding of Japanese, but pro-wrestling characters are unfamiliar to me so personally the whole concept of Bando's restaurant was a bit unnecessary (imagine the difficulty for those who lacks knowledge in both). Other gimmicks such as "Akashi ikimasu!" or the rain of "Eh?" are well executed, and never made me bored. But in the last 3 episodes it seemed that the story became less engaging and a bit stretchy - hence I deducted the score.

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The drama started with interesting cases but as the story progressed the cases became less creative. The parts towards the ending did not really focus on main character, which I found a bit wasteful since we have gone through Shinjuro's perspective of Meiji Restoration and it would be nice if they showed us a final deep thought or reflection. What I found funny is that when Shinjuro said an English phrase, most of the times no one seems really to question. That being said, the characters are presented quite well: Yuki Shinjuro the one who always thinks and hide many mysteries, Toranosuke who progressed from noisy acquaintance to a trusted buddy of Shinjuro, Miss Kano who hates Shinjuro at first but later starts to like him. If you want a Japanese drama with historical context but not solely about the war - this might worth a try.

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Not gonna lie, I watched this because of Hio Miyazawa. Then I got attached to the story, but suddenly I returned again to my original intent. The good prospect of the story was gone in the latter half where the family issues being settled. Also, that super quick skip from Mr. Ogata asking Shun too come then to Ogata's funeral left me thinking "Huh, what the heck?". And the ending is not satisfying - even though it means Nagisa has decided to choose which one he wanted since you can't have it all. I reluctantly admit that Sora brings life to the story, her role is vital to save the latter half and made me keep continuing.

Not much I can say about other aspects, acting and music were acceptable but nothing is particularly special. So in the end, I just enjoy the calm facial expressions from Miyazawa.

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