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  • Location: Turns out, there's really no place like home
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  • Birthday: August 14
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  • Join Date: August 19, 2011
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BrightestStar

Turns out, there's really no place like home

BrightestStar

Turns out, there's really no place like home
Completed
You're All Surrounded
20 people found this review helpful
Aug 12, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
I'm sure my view of this drama will not be a popular one, but I thought I might still share ;)

You're all surrounded had ingredients to make it a entertaining and memorable kdrama. It was marketed as a comedy, had the right actors casted in the right place, and most characters were endearing and fun. However we start the story with a tragedy, which away from the comedy and it takes much of the drama time to get solved. I didn't like that at first, but accepted it as long as we get an interesting mystery and enjoy the character growth and romances. There was a lot of potential in the beginning. A lot of story threads were opened up in the beginning but left hanging and did not get much of a conclusion, so the conclusion we got was not satisfying. Many characters were set aside while the hero was put in the center, taking in one tragic revelation after another. Also a lot of things happening in the police station you just have to suspend your disbelief. Also, in the end, I'm just not convinced that any of the rookies learned anything, and that they are anywhere NEAR ready to take on the job.

The acting for most of the cast was superd. It was stunning at best (Cha Seung-Won) and serviceable at worst (Ahn Jae-Hyeon) with the exception of 1 actor (Jeong Dong-Hwan) who really was taking the drama down. He practically has 2 face expression, and both are too over the top to suit any of his scenes. One actress I don't remember seeing much before is Seo Yi-Sook, and I think her character was the most interesting, and her acting elevated it. My complaint here is just that we see so much potential for growth in the 1st half of the drama, but most characters were pushed to the background, and their character and relationship wasn't explored further. Mainly Seo Pan-Seok and Kim Sa-Kyung, and even Park Tae-Il's backstory was given like 10 minutes of revelations and thats it. All Eo Soo-Sun did on the second half is be a support to Eun Dae Gu, and that couldn't be helped since they put him from one horrible situation to another. Their romance was growing at a slow but sweet pace and I liked that, but one seen forced it to accelarate. I got nothing against how it went after but that scene itself was too forced in my opinion.

The final reveal of the mystery was well thought out in my opinion, even if most thought to be a little too far fetched, I don't because I know humans do worst for their greed. but by then all were left with is the boring annoying 2 dimensional villains.

Generally the music wasn't too outstanding, except for that one sweet guitar soundtrack, usually on when scenes involve Seo Pan-Seok and Cho Young Chul that I really loved. It added bittersweetness to the scene and made it beautiful.

All in all, I was disappointed in the beginning for the lack of comedy and overdose tragedy, but started liking the story and the growing potential set in the first half. Like most kdramas, the second half lost track of most story threads, and didn't know how to handle it. But still, I don't regret watching it, I enjoyed the acting and the characters were very likeable.

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Completed
Assassination Classroom
14 people found this review helpful
Sep 23, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
On the surface, it is ridiculous premise, one we only see coming from Japan and love it for it. However, deep down, it is a typical troubled class high school drama. I'd say it's like mixing Gokusen with Dragon Zakura. As a manga adaptation, I can see how the drama looks and sounds so ridiculous because it's live action. Some events may still appear ridiculous in the manga, but when it's live action, it shows 110%. I think the movie did a great job of taking this point to his consideration, making it a fun watch,

The acting is pretty decent overall, where needs to be. Having Shiina Kippei keeping a straight face within such a ridicule event is hilarious. That guy is hilarious overall, but he can manage cool roles as well. Our protagonist Yamada Ryosuke managed to keep us interested in his character while keepincg himself out of the spotlight. It is weird that sometimes it feels he doesn't have much presence and I think that was the intention with the character to begin with. Conversely Masaki Suda was the one overshadowed everyone just by being on screen. He played a badass character and he played it coolly.

Like most school shows, there was a lot about working together to achieve a certain goal, getting motivated to look for different path and whatnot. It does give important lessons in an interesting way. There are also politics, like school unfairness they have to deal with and having a back plan in life to fall back to so there is always hope to succeed.

Overall enjoyable, not too preachy, decent performance and well casted. If anything I think it'll be entertaining and and fun to watch. I can't wait for the sequel ;)

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Completed
ON Ijou Hanzai Sousakan Todo Hinako
10 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2016
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
Drama might not appeal to all but definitely did to me. The synopsis is pretty accurate in the description. Our Heroine Todo became a detective because she wants to discovery the boundary that turns some people into criminals. This whole exploration of the dark side of humanity is the main appeal for me, and the continuing conversations about this subject throughout the drama is what made me enjoy the drama.
Granted it didn't go as deep as I'd wanted to, and one of the best villains here felt like a copy of the villain in Siren, it was interesting nonetheless. As far as storytelling goes though, don't expect all to make sense, but just works out in the universe of the drama.

Todo is a pretty intriguing characters. I liked following her trail of thoughts as she makes the (obvious) connection between cases and follow her investigations on her own. What I enjoyed most is her personality. She's definitely one enjoyable to have around since she's agreeable for the most part, but there definitely is this invisible wall around her. Once through that wall, you may find something completely different than the impression she gives at first. Another intriguing character would be Nakajima. I enjoyed most the conversations people have with him. I thought it was only his conversations with Todo that interest me, but even around others like Shoji, he never ceases to be interesting.
Honestly though other than Todo, Nakajima, and sometimes the Queen of death, none of the other characters were remotely interesting, and were there to fill space and add on the usual tropes.

If more depth and screentime was given to all the characters, and whole police were not made so dumb, it would've been one of the greatest dramas. I mean how could you call yourself a detective when you're incapable of making such simple connection. Also the way Shoji does his investigation is just such a sloppy way to portray! Everyone else was useless. Well the forensic department also had its moment.

As for the cast, casting Hayashi Kento was the BEST thing they did. He really carried the drama for me. I didn't like Haru much but I warmed up to her here. I always enjoy Watabe Atsuro on my screen but felt underused. Still he had quirky personality traits. Harada Mieko was a welcome addition to the team and her scenes her fun. First time watching Yokoyama Yu and OH MAN HE WAS ANNOYING! A total grumpy ojisan! And it doesn't help that he looks SO MUCH younger than his age. The rest of the cast aren't worth mentioning. Except the guest role actors, like Mamiya Shotaro, left an impression as well.

Quality wise, I'd give it 6-6.5 rating. However when factoring in my enjoyment I had of it I had to boost it up.

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Completed
Shinya Shokudo
8 people found this review helpful
May 25, 2016
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
Shinya Shokudo sure is a special place. It's a place where you can find gangsters, strippers, gay bar owners, aspiring artists, famous artists, office ladies, manual labour workers, wanderers, students, and even sometimes children, all hanging out in harmony, and all treated the same way, with care, by our Mastà (Master).

I love that most characters are recurring characters in the drama, and don't just disappear after their episode-centric ends. Well some of them do, but most return.

Kobayashi Kaoru is effortless in this role. There's something about him that imposes all to behave in his restaurant. He's pretty much fearless. While he does get entangled with people's lives, it's always from a certain, comforting distance, which makes it easy for people to open up to him.

Odagiri Joe's role is the most intriguing addition. He feels like he comes from another time yet fits perfectly in this midnight restaurant with the rest of the loyal customers. His presence adds some sort of mysticism to the whole drama.

Oh and that opening sequence with the lullaby-like song, and its music shapes the drama to make it the most special and endearing to watch.

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Completed
Black President
8 people found this review helpful
Oct 26, 2014
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This dorama was fun from beginning to end. What made it fun is non other than Sawamura Ikki. He is a genuis and hilarious here and I could literarily listen to him for days non-stop and still enjoy it. It's his extreme expressions and not hiding behind pretty words. That is also the difference between overacting and acting a characters that is overly expressive. Overacting is silly and predictable, at worst annoying but here it's it's amusing and unpredictable, constantly bring a smile to my face and makes me laugh at times.

The idea is pretty hilarious. Our black prez, an eccentric CEO of a company decides to go attend university to take out his stress on stupid students. As someone who studied business and found something completely different in the real world, I can't help join him in his amusement in making fun of the system. Of course the story does get preachy at times, we didn't see much business concept and those we saw were pretty basic. Even so all this didn't bother because, again, thanks to the character and how he's being performed.

Other characters did bring things to the table and added more fun. One which is his teacher befriending his secretary, women putting their heads together trying to predict him. The students and his interactions are the most interesting and entertaining. The need of guidance and the generation gap are nicely portrayed. It is also nice to see a dorama about university, it's activities and student worries at that stage in life. Another amusing factor is his family that didn't add much to the story but did bring warmth which was cute.

The acting department doesn't disappoint but I have to admit Sawamura Ikki kinda overshadows most. That is except Kadowaki Mugi who's unusual but endearing character is charming.

To summarize it's a entertainint light drama that I think many will find something they'd enjoy.

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Completed
Kill Me, Heal Me
29 people found this review helpful
Mar 14, 2015
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
I actually needed to think for a while until I decided on the rating. There are things that brought me so much enjoyment in this drama, so many screencaps spamming my mdl friends with (I apologize couldn't help myself:D) but there are some things that annoyed me as well, or that I didn't enjoy, or found useless, or even wished it was written out of the story, even if that would shorten it to a 12 episodes drama.

There is two sides to the story. There is your typical chaebol family with their problems and struggle to inherit the company, then there is also the side of the character dealing with a multiple personality disorder meeting a cheerful normal girl, who belongs to a cheerful normal family. The way that lovely family is so perfectly portrayed, and how fun it was to have them on screen, makes me wonder why koreans are so obsessed with chaebol stories. In any case when I look at it in that sense, the story isn't original at all, and I find the disorder was used as a trope rather than being the central key to the story. The reason is, we don't see any real treatment to it, though we do deal with the past, but realism wasn't what the drama was going for. That did not bother me because it made the characters of this drama original, changing the dynamic this drama would've taken otherwise.

The acting is what elevated this drama, made it not only watchable, but one of the most anticipated dramas for me this season. I am ashamed to admit it is my first time watching a Ji Sung drama, and oh boy, saying I'm impressed is an understatement. His distinct portrayal of each personality striking. He had full control of the look in his eyes, his voice, and every nerve forming his facial expression. Then there is Park Seo Joon who is also my first time seeing. He is one of the best his generation, and I'm pretty sure his future is already set. As a loser son, as an amazing brother, as a mysterious writer, and a haunted individual with a bit of darkness, he depicted so many sides of his character you'd this he's the one with the disorder lol. Hwang Jung Eum might've understandably annoyed many viewers but she didn't bother me. I think it's because her character is so frank that I can forgive anything. I liked her in the serious scenes more though. The actors playing Ri Jin and Ri On's parents were also fun, and very natural in their role. Specially the mom always expressing her love, fear, expectations and pride through her facial expression. Choi Won Young as secretary Ahn was also fun. his role was straightforward that I don't think he was required anything more, but he did manage his comedic moments throughout and that I appreciate. Last but not least, the children were also really good in their role. As for the rest of the cast, they might've been good but I didn't notice, because I didn't care and mostly was skipping their scenes. Thankfully the actors/characters mentioned above were onscreen mostly.

I really appreciate the direction here, many things were handle impressively, but some things started annoying me later on in the series. I like the effects used, when blurring the line between reality and illusion. I also really love the effective use to light here. I think it helped Ji Sung in portraying his characters. Basically each of the personalities had a specific light and colours used, emphasizing on their character but sublte enough to not disturb the whole scene. The choice of music was also great and effective, especially that theme song ?? (Auditory Hallucination). I do have a complaint though with this department. The amount of flashbacks used in the last 6 episodes could fill two complete episodes. The same goes with the dragged out scene of a brooding character for the sake of finishing the song. It felt really inefficient and draggy. I am happy that they used this way to drag out the episodes instead of using writing unnecessary events to drag out the story. Still I would prefer that a drama cuts out everything that makes it boring and draggy.

As for the ending, it's hard for me to say if I was overall satisfied or not. The part that I fully enjoyed in the story had a well written and extremely satisfying ending, the side that I didn't enjoy had an even worse ending.

I put a high rewatch value only because I think it'll be fun to go back and watch the personalities of Ji Sung and watch Ri On and Ro Jin bicker, although I wouldn't attempt the whole drama a second time.

To summarize my thoughts, the story itself is actually is actually generic, while the themes and tropes used are original. The main characters are different, written with depth and insight and the acting was through the roof. It was highly entertaining and did not let the melo side drag it down.

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Completed
Ikiru
9 people found this review helpful
Jan 19, 2017
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
A bit long, but very attention grabbing. This reflective movie is full of excellent dialog and symbolism you can't miss. The movie has two themes being explored hand-in-hand, the meaning of life, and criticism of bureaucracy and bureaucrats.

It's starts with the description of the protagonist's life - He's killing time, he's never actually lived - and a joke - Someone never taking a day off from work so no one realizes how unimportant his job really it - where themes get beautifully tied at the end of the movie. Then we have the journey of those women through all those bureaucrats trying to find a solution to their complaint, only to be sent to go in circles. I thought it was great but came to appreciate it even more by the end of the movie.

The first half of the movie follows the journey of a typical bureaucrat discovers he doesn't have long to live, only to realize he hasn't been alive much these past 20 years. He hasn't formed any warm relationship to go back to and get support, he hasn't done anything enjoyable and fun, and finally he hasn't done anything that'll make him appreciated and remembered. He was in daze trying to figure out the meaning of life and how to live properly.

The second half is a study of bureaucrats, and of humanity. It's about how human become desensitized to life when they can't see the bigger picture. Work in the government is like a war zone, and each wants to protect their turf, without caring about the functions and duties of the government as a whole. This causes a lot of senseless paperwork and no work actually being done. What was interesting here is how all bureaucrats reacted to our protagonist as he becomes this anomaly in the organization.

The story moves smoothly, the themes intact, and no scene was there to kill time. Also this type of movie one should pay attention to everything going on, on the screen. Like the reaction of the protagonist of losing his old had, or the people in the background preparing for a birthday, only to sing happy birthday once our hero found a meaning to his life. Definitely one can be reborn at any time, and it deserves a celebration.

The cast and director are of the most popular so there's no need to just repeat how awesome they are, but I just want to say I include myself now with those amazed with them.

2h23 minutes well spent. I will leave with my favourite quotes:

"You were a slave of your own life. Now you will become its master"

"It's our duty to enjoy life. Wasting it is desecrating God's gift"

"We have to be greedy for life"

"Greed is a virtue, especially the greed for enjoying life"

"People strangle themselves in their daily life"

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Jan 22, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I don't have much to say about it since I've already written a review for the first season. I don't want to repeat myself so I'll keep it short. This continues along the same lines as its predecessor, a low budget parody drama set in a video game. Acting is as excellent as ever, dialog couldn't get any more hilarious, and guest stars great as always.

The reason I decided to write a review here is to encourage everyone to watch this season, even if you haven't tried the previous seasons. Generally each season (three in total) can more or less stand on its own, but enjoyment for me differed with each. This one by far was the most enjoyable for me (season 2 is the most skippable).

While season 1 was enjoyable, I had a hard time appreciating it due to my lack of knowledge in video games. Season 2 was alright but too repetitive of the previous season that it felt tiring pretty quickly. Therefore I had my reservations when I heard of a third season, but once it started airing I got in the mood of watching some good Japanese comedy. And to my surprise the series was completely revamped while its core was left intact.

We start with the usual, Yoshihiko and his companions or on their way to defeat the evil demon, however I felt the missions given to them to achieve their goal was more solid. It was unoriginal but the perfect setup for all kinds to parodies. And this brings me to the reason why I loved this season so much. It makes fun of everything and everyone. It's a parody of Japanese television itself. There are parodies of video games, anime, musicals, boy bands, TV channels, high school movies, Japanese talk show, and so on and so forth. With comedy approaching so many sides of the entertainment industry in Japan, it was easier for me to understand the reference and truly appreciate everything this drama is about.

And we can't for get about Hotoke (Sato Jiro). If you think you've seen everything up his sleeves concerning this character then think again, even he managed to up his game (when you think that's impossible.

And the ending... pretty twisty, shocking and... I'll leave it for you guys to discover ;)

Great comedy drama! If you love Japanese comedies and parodies, I'd tell you to start from the first season and enjoy all three seasons. If you had to choose one of them, then I'd tell you to just watch this one!

-Also just a side note but I always feel it's odd that this drama utilizes an arabic song as one of its soundtracks (this applies to all three seasons), and sometimes when a magical event happens there are arabic letters used in the effect :S

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Completed
Sennyuu Sousa Idol Deka Dance
7 people found this review helpful
Jan 12, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This drama is a parody with a heart + all the cheesiness that comes with it.

I gotta say it took me a while to get invested in it and care about the characters, the band members. I enjoyed it on an episodic basis. Something light and funny, to watch after a long hard day without much to think about. However, as I started to see more of the main and recurring characters, I did grew fond of them. And by episode 7-8 I realized there was a solid storyline being built up, and everything becomes clear by episode 10.

The plot is about Tatsuya a rookie detective who gets wrapped up into becoming an idol in a boy band, in order to infiltrate the entertainment industry, and catch a powerful figure there. The band members are all colourful individuals, we've got the creepy, the loser, the dumb one, the cool one, and the hopeless romantic. Honestly the one I had the hardest time with is the creepy stalker, but his character grew best of all, along Tatsuya. It was great seeing each member get influence or swayed by the show-biz and how they learn to deal with it.

First and foremost, this drama is a parody of talk-shows and idol programs, and how ridiculous they can be. It's also about the people in the show-biz industry and how far they're willing to go for popularity. The music used in the show perfectly matched the world they're portraying.

I think what I enjoyed the most is the acting. It's over the top fitting perfectly with the premise. Nakamura Aoi was hilarious and perfect for the role. He says every single cheesy line there, and was the most fun to have on screen. Matching Tatsuya's cheesiness is Aoyama Misato's craziness for the sake of popularity. Morinaga Yuki was also noteworthy as desperate Teru. Kataoka Tsurutaro as the ex-drama star and current public figure was great at mirroring both sides of his contradicting characters. The rest of the cast were on point with their characters. I think it tool a while for the chemistry to get built up between the cast, but once it's there, everything in the show started to feel much more endearing.

One weakness here is that the show takes a long while to get us hooked up. I guess if things had happened a bit faster with the overarching plot, it would engage viewers faster. Another that could be considered a weakness, depending on preferences, but they did go a bit too seriously in the last 2-3 episodes. Episode 10 was especially serious with a whole different tone. It would've been nicer to keep the tone light.

In the end if you're a person who enjoys parody shows, talk shows and game shows, you might find this interesting, and even fun.

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Completed
Jikou Keisatsu
7 people found this review helpful
Oct 20, 2015
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
That show was a pleasant surprise. Since I'm an Odagiri Joe fan, I admit I should've watched this long ago. The reason I didn't is, I just can't bring it into myself to watch criminals get away with what they done. This is pretty much what this show is about, but there are so many elements that make it so endearing plain fun!

This dorama is about Kiriyama Shuichiro, who works at a Statute of Limitation Management Department. He was searching for a hobby and found that he's interested in solving the cases that have passed the statute of limitation. Assisted by Shizuka Mikazuki, a traffic ticket officer that does NOT have a crush on Kiriyama and dreams of marrying him, they solve one mystery at a time. The gang at Kiriyama's department is always there to "support" him, and his colleagues seem too busy to see what Kiriyama is up to, to actually be doing their job, you know, going out there catching criminals before the time limit is up.

This drama is about criminals who got away with it. We meet all kinds of culprit through all kinds of cases. The drama isn't trying to find an excuse for what they have done. The fact most of the cases are crimes where the culprit gained from it, in some ways, is unnerving. However it didn't take out from my enjoyment of watching this show, at least not as much as I thought it would. All characters, including those appearing in one episode only, and those that turn out criminal, have a quirky side to them that makes them entertaining to watch. That doesn't mean I find it in any way forgivable. I really hate the idea of statute of limitation, and 15 years is way too short! Thankfully the law in Japan has changed since 2010. In a way the drama is reflective to how indifferent the police are to their work, even when they are being paid by the government to make sure the city is safe. They have no problem handing the case over to Kiriyama once the time has passed.

Kiriyama never judges anyone for their crime. He's just there to figure out the truth out of curiosity. Catching criminals simply isn't his job. However if he could assist anyone in catching a criminal before it's too late, he'll do his best to help out. The show follows a format, but sometimes the type of mystery gets twisted. The result is never the surprise, the main mystery is the know-how.

The main attraction of this drama, which makes it so much fun to watch, is the characters and comedy, and that is thanks to the acting. All the characters are well in sync, and have chemistry. They each have their distinct way of being hilarious. Seeing them together is like seeing a crazy family having one of their usual evenings, suddenly dancing, then fighting, then laughing but something together while the target of their laugh (usually Mikazuki but sometimes Jumonji ) has no clue what is going on. None of the actors are above making weird and crazy faces, which is what I love about Japanese actors and Japanese comedy in general. The drama didn't stop though Odagiri Joe from looking as handsome as ever! I have always loved him, but this drama made him love even more. I have seen Aso Kumiko before, but she is absolutely adorable here! The whole cast is endearing in general!

So if you love Japanese Comedy, a fan of mystery, or a fan of any of the actors in this drama, it's worth every moment of your time!

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Completed
Petero no Souretsu
7 people found this review helpful
Nov 12, 2014
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
I just want to start by saying this is an excellent dorama. ! We have an intriguing mystery blended in the drama with a great showcase of human emotions, mainly the human weakness. The theme of this season is as mentioned in the title about Saint-Peter being the symbol of repentance. Sugimura would say we all are Peter, as in we can mend our ways and start anew. As a sequel, this season is superior on many levels. The first season covers two separate mysteries while this one covers only one mystery extensively. The case affects many of the characters' lives more than the previous ones ever did.

Acting is another aspect that is superior season as well. They all not all exceptional actors, but each did their character justice at the most needed moments. This season is more dramatic that's for sure. We actually have a vast cast here and the show manages to give us just enough to look into most of the characters. Many characters subtly proceeds in some unexpected way.

The aspect that is constant and exceptionally brilliant is music. That piano soundtrack carries your emotions swiftly from one scene to the next.

I've got so much to say but I don't want to say more because it is the type of drama that is better to dive in like I did, without even reading any synopsis. The only thing I knew about it was that it is Namonaki Doku's second season. One thing I have to disclose is that this drama can be very slow paced. Each episode has many actions happening, but in a more laid-back way which many may it find to slow.

That is all for now so I just want to end it using my favourite quote from the whole drama.

- Everything that ends is a genesis for the next event. -

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Completed
Yakou Kanransha
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2014
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I don't know where to start with this review. This drama is a crime drama, but done from the point of view of the people involved in the crime. The theme of this drama is "this can happen in any family". It's a normal family, with all that comes with it, the good and the bad, the warmth and the pressure, happiness and sadness. Watching each episode can be overwhelming and sometimes I'm not too sure if I'm ready to watch the next episode. But once I started watching it a totally get absorbed.

Drama effectively portrays the complicated relationship between family members. A person trying to show their love to one party can be taken as additional and unwelcomed pressure from the other party, who would feel not good enough for attaining what is expected of them. It's never black and white between family members. Its always love and resentment, co-existing. Sometimes they over do-it, a particular character I felt like beating up half the time, while the other half I felt bad for her.

Even so the drama did manage to keep us in suspense. Half way through the drama, the suspects get narrowed down but another mystery gets revealed, and keeps you wondering what the truth is.

No complaint in the acting department. Actually there are some young talent to look out for. Some actors we usually see in secondary roles are put under the spot light which was nice.

As for the music, I loved the ending theme song, it was upbeat soundtrack added to the last scene of each episode, encouraging you to watch more.

I didn't start watchign this drama for a particular actor so what kept me going and enjoying this is the story, executiong and talent. It has a nice balance in many themes like family, love, friendship, mystery, crime.

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Ongoing 12/12
Ex-Girlfriend Club
19 people found this review helpful
Jun 16, 2015
12 of 12 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This was an enjoyable watch. The story was simple really, and the best thing about this drama is that they kept it simple. I really enjoyed different interactions between characters, how each character eventually became and individual, and more than the romance, I mostly enjoyed the friendship here.

Of course the main attraction of this drama were the characters. For me it was more how they were easy to relate to more than anything.

-Soo Jin is a hardworking girl who wants to produce meaningful movies. To do that she has to accept working on movies she's less enthusiastic about.
-Myung Soo is a webtoon artist who's getting by (though I don't know how he would afford a Burberry blancket :P). He's a positive person, chill and fun to be around.
-Hwa Yeong is a career woman with a crazy side to her that needs to be kept in check.
-Ji Ah is a woman stuck in the image of a classy madame, but yearns for freedom from it.
-Rara gives off the impression of a loose girl who'd anything to reach her dream when in reality she's a sweet person who needed someone to remind her of her value.
-Jo Geon is an artist at heart, with all the negative and positive that comes with it. He's moody, he's unpredictable, he's got a temper, but he's warm, doesn't judge others and reflective.
-Finally, though we didn't see much of Yeong Jae, I found him much more refreshing now that he got rid of that perfectness when it comes to relationships.

I find those are all traits we can relate to, to some degree and I really enjoyed the focus on it. Any fight, breakup or argument came from within, and not from any flimsy external factor, or stupid misunderstanding. The development in the relationships felt natural, and the characters had chemistry. The friendship between the ladies was a delight it reminded me of one of my favourite high school romcom movies "John Tucker Must Die".

I'm not sure if the episode cut was a positive or a negative occurrence. On one hand there was no time to waste on any extra angst, so even annoying characters had to wrap up their act fast, actually making them more likeable. On the other hand, there were some events that felt got wrapped conveniently fast an could benefit some a deeper exploration.

Overall light watch with relatable characters and unique comedic moment,

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Completed
Akumu-Chan Special
6 people found this review helpful
Jun 11, 2014
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
Before writing anything I have to clear something up. I have a bias towards Akumu-chan. It won me over when I watched the dorama and the same elements are what brought me back here, and didn't let me down.

The special concept itself was a great idea, all about discovering oneself and having a dream, specially the age we're dealing with. I find the grade schooler story having much more effect on me, and much deeper meaning. I gotta say wasn't too crazy about the teenage sob story, and didn't like the whole "all is forgiven" attitude (that I've seen in so many j-doramas). There was also a certain surprise wasn't much of a surprise, and I didn't like how it came to be revealed.

What I love the most is the relationship between Ayami & Yuiko, Ayami's evil tendencies, the school nurse brings a welcomed comedy and the whole dream interpretation. I love Keike's interpretation of Ayami's character, specially now that her character doesn't hide her feelings. I like the confidence she exude as a teacher as well. I also like the actrice playing the nurse although I hated her in her previous dorama (her acting was actually really good but I just hated the character she played :P) but she shows a whole different personality that wou can never mistake the 2 ;)

Overall an enjoyable watch, so I sure can't wait for the movie!!

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Completed
Totto TV
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 12, 2016
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
Fun short watch!

What made this drama great and different is the directing. It's a great combination of behind-the-scene documentary, stage-play and an inspirational story. The last two minutes always include some great hit from the past and some stage-dancing. We got introduced to many stars of the past and hits that made them famous. It also teaches you about the history of television in Japan and how that affected the lives of the people.

And WOW dramas were LIVE!!! Everything was live. I think in those times, more than talent, it was nerves and endurance was required to succeed. When the industry was still small, it was always the same people working together, which created life-long bonds and that was very heartwarming. It was all about the group effort to make it work. Even as the industry grew, the bonds stayed as they were.

I don't know where to start with the acting. Mutsushima Hikari is fascinating as the young aspiring
Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, trying to find her place in this world. Even as she grew older, she was great at portraying her maturity as she keeps her playfulness. Mimura as the quiet and attentive Mukoda was effortless. Nakamura Shido as Atsumi Kiyoshi was awesome as someone who kept his country way of thinking and protectiveness as he grows into the industry. Yoshida Kotaro as Morishige with that special character and charm, Matsushige Yutaka as their long time viewer as he follows their careers throughout their lives, Hamada Gaku as everyone's director, all did a great job. Also great guest roles and from famous actors. If you don't look attentively enough, you might miss them.

My only complaint is something I'm been complaining often in many dramas, seeing totto into her 60s-70s still looking like a 30 year old. The way she dresses changed. In a way I understand why they didn't bother in here, felt somehow appropriate in the surrealness of the show, but I have issues XD

Other than that, I wish we had seen Totto's relationship with different people simultaneously, but it could be the way it was portrayed more appropriate.

And of course having the actual Tetsuko in the drama was a delight. She really was an Omoshiroi Obasan!

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