Yesterday night, after finishing the drama, I couldn't sleep because my mind refused to calm down. I wrote an entire essay -mentally- about this drama. I'll try to calm down before ranting. But all I am going to say for now is...



SPOILERS



SPOILERS



SPOILERS


Up till the first 35minutes or so of ep06 it was so good... funny and a bit angsty. The last 3 minutes of ep06 and almost all ep07 was SO FRUSTRATING. I even disliked Haruta :(

I mean, THIS Haruta, and THIS Chief, and maybe Maki. But Movie Haruta was gold, Movie Chief was more funny and Movie Hase was perfect.

My rant: https://sunakoyue.livejournal.com/48906.html

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Abridged review

Like a Sentai show, only fancier. A group of young students who form a team and learn to be better and fight arm in arm to defeat the bad guys.

- The Good: The Grandmaster, a true guide for Tang San + the other 2 teachers. The costumes. The team. The world-building.

- The Bad: The MC, Tang San and Xiao Wu: together and by themselves. So clingy, both of them, if he was going to the bathroom, she needed to go as well. And he visited her every morning to braid her hair :S She was supposedly strong, but has many "damsel in distress" moments and he was always trying to save her. "I will protect you, Tang San/Xiao Wu" moments x100000. Every time one of them was in real danger, the other was overacting like it was the end of the world.

Individually, Tang San is a Gary Stu and Xiao Wu has the tag of "Childish Female Character" which says everything. I don't know if it was because of their 2D characters only, but to me they were both the worst actors in the series, which pains me so much because I adore Xiao Zhan and he brings tears to my eyes every time he cries, but in this series, when he is listening to his mother talking for 10minutes straight, he just stands there crying like a fool for 10minutes straight. It pains me to say I laughed thinking it was bad acting, and this is XZ we are talking about :(

Also, the bgm: what with that song in the background at the least imaginable moments! The song is nice, kinda like a music box, but it didn't suit ANY of the moments and it made my skin crawl.

It would have been a good fantasy drama if the MC weren't Gary Stu and Childish Female character...

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I think the drama should have been called: "HYD: Meant to be together, but the world was against it".

Cast: (8/10) there was an amazing chemistry between the leads, not only between Makino and Domyouji, but including the other guys in F4. The MVP for this season was MatsuJun, for me. When he was angry, he looked ugly, but when he was looking at Makino with so much love, or when he was smiling, he looked so handsome. I love his hairdo in this season. And I was in awe in that first episode when Domyouji and Makino meet again for the first time after a year in NYC, the way he looked at her. With so much longing. He was telling her it was over, but his eyes were saying the opposite.

Story: (8/10) since this story is about love and all things that can happen to keep the main couple apart, it reminded me so much of Latin Soap Operas, which I used to love when I was younger. Misunderstandings, memory loss, rivals, etc. There is one part where Domyouji's fiancee was telling him, after he tells him he can't marry her because he will always love Makino, that she still keeps an ace up her sleeve, and stands when they are having a dinner with their parents. I seriously was expecting a "I am pregnant" bulls*t. Thank God they didn't go THAT way XD

Even though I wanted Makino and Domyouji to have their happy ending, they both got on my nerves. Makino was weak, letting everyone step on her, specially her 2 rivals. She just stays there, keeping quiet. And Domyouji continues to be a punk. Whenever things don't go the way he wants, he starts punching people. What a jerk.

On the other hand, there are 3 reasons why this was again so different from a Latin Soap Opera: 1) here are no overactings, no zoom in into their faces, no slaps, etc. It is not to dramatic, it is well balanced with comedy. 2) no heavy make-up, no styled hairdoes (except Domyouji), no flashy and tacky clothes (except the men's shoes). Makino has the same plain hairstyle all the time, she barely has any make-up. Same with her friend Yuuki. Same with several other girls. And 3) all these cliche moments last around ONE episode, instead of dragging for several. Always to the point.

Music: (10/10) I LOVE the music in this drama. Both Seasons have amazing music. "Love So Sweet" is catchy and has a "nostalgic" feeling while listening to it. Maybe the boys in Arashi are tired of singing it, but it always surprises me when I see MJ singing it in their concerts, with so much feeling. He loves it, I bet he is still so proud of everything about HYD. "Flavor of Life" is also one of my favorite songs of Utada Hikaru. And the instrumental soundtrack that accompanies certain scenes were also excellent. 100 points to the music area.

Rewatching value: (7/10) I would rewatch this but fast-forwarding all the scenes with the fiancee (gosh, she was annoying!), most scenes with Hanazawa Rui and the last 2 episodes except for the last 10 minutes.

*Original review is longer, so I cut it a little bit to post it here.

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It was nice to see the whole gang again. And to hear the OP song, so cute! It was like a "waa, how nostalgic" feeling, which may be ridiculous because I finished this dorama just  about half year ago. And I also was thinking, throughout the 1 hour and a  half, how lucky those two Johnnys are! Because Ishihara Satomi and Kimura Yoshino are  not only beautiful, but very charismatic and so lady-like! I love  Satomi in this role, her laugh is so contagious. And all her outfit were  excellent (ok, except for that one she wears when she is moving out...  it was kind of ridiculous).

What I loved about the dorama was how  Konno-san worked as proofreader and how she inspired the other people  in her office. Fortunately, since she is now working in Lassy, we still  get to enjoy the fun of proofreading. But on the other hand, it was more  about Konno working for Lassy and being stressed-out about it and how  she is again herself once she proofreads. Like Tako said " your dream  work may not be your vocation". Too bad Tako had so few scenes, because  he was a good character.

Other thing that I didn't like in the  dorama, and still didn't like in this SP, is Yukito. Very bland  character. Konno-san deserved a more lively guy, a guy with stronger  personality. Like Tako :(

While I found the whole SP nice but a bit MEH, I loved the ending. Now I want a 2nd season ^_^ (this time about Konno-sa falling in love with another guy that isn't Yukito)

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If I had to choose my favorite Japanese show I would have to say it is ZSK. I loved it, I love it and I will always love it. Geez, I was loving it before I watch it (due the screen-caps and all I've read about it). My first Sentai. And, at least for a long time, my last Sentai. Because I loved this so much I don't think I will bear to watch another one without my favorite cast.

What is so great about this show?

**Cast/Actors**
I don't think I have ever watched a show with such a colorful characters. Sure they may be the stereotypical ones -the energetic one, the funny, one, the playboy one, etc- but it worked. And most of them had a story going on, so we get to know them. It is funny because I was reading this forum in tokunation after I finished the episodes, and there was some really heavy discussion about Daigo being "too perfect". I wasn't bothered by it in the least. In fact, to me it made perfect sense, and I will say why.

Because to me, the characters of ZSK were based on "One Piece".

Huh? Some will say. And no, I am not a OP hardcore fan. Yes I like it, but not to the point of seeing resemblance to OP in every corner. Only in ZSK I felt that way, and only regarding the personality of characters. For example:

- Daigo/Luffy: both are "Red" and the leader of the team. Both are very energetic and also very excited about everything (battles, their nakamas, etc). Daigo's outfit, especially the red vest, is very similar to Luffy's vest. Most of the battles are won by Daigo/Luffy.

- Ian/Sanji: both are the "playboy" of the team. Ian is Black; Sanji always wears a black suit. Both of them have part of their bang falling above their left eye.

- Souji/Zoro: both are good at sword. Souji is Green, while Zoro has green hair and mostly green outfit. Both are serious and don't talk much. Souji did not get along with Ian at first; Zoro and Sanji are constantly fighting. Souji lives in a dojo; Zoro grew up in one until he decided to go out to become the best at sword.

- Nossan/Ussop: both have curly black hair. Nossan is known for telling old man's jokes; Ussop is known for lying. Both are the comic relief of their respective series. Nossan is the Blue K.; Ussop wears wrist-bands that have blue on them. But most of the times, Nossan wears pants and shoes of the same color as Ussop's outfit.

- Amy/Nami: even their names sound similar. Both are kind of tomboys girls; Amy is a rich girl while Nami loves money the most. Both of them are the only girl in the team for a long time.

- Uchy/Chopper: both of them are "different" from the others (Uchy because he comes from another time; Chopper because he is a talking-animal). Both are cute and very innocent.

- Yayoi/Robin: both are the last girl to join; both are somewhat nerdy. Yayoi is Violet K.; Robin wears violet clothes.

So that's it. These are my thoughts about the resemblances. Not much, but episode after episode I couldn't help but comparing both of them.

I looooove the actors. I was impressed by Daigo's energy. Man, that actor was the most energetic MC or what! Even when he was dancing it was with all his might. All of them were really good at fighting; Amy knew how to cry, and man, that Saito Syusuke (Ian) is the most handsome Japanese guy or what! All in all, I have to admit that, although I love everyone of them (not only the Kyoryugers, but everyone! From Candelira to the weakest monster) my favorites were Uchy, Ian and Nossan. I love that, although Ian and Daigo and Souji are young boys, they do not look girly, nor too boyish, but men. Which is something that bothers me about the next Sentai show (Resshai something... TOQrangers or similar). The red ranger looks like a girl! And I saw in some videos that he even wears lipstick... I can't imagine Daigo or Ian or Souji putting themselves lipstick... which, all in all, make them manly even though they are super young.

**Story**
It wasn't complicated, it did not have many twists but it was enjoyable, all 30 minutes of it. Definitely a show for either kids or adults. Or kids AND adults. It wasn't only about the Kyoryugers defeating the bad guys: it was also about Daigo and his father; about Ian looking for revenge (and that last scene with Aigaron was touching or what!); Souji attempting to be a better swordman; Nossan trying to hide from his sister that he was a Kyoryuger. I love that Candelira and Luckiero weren't bad and have their HEA. I love the little tease between Candelira and Nossan. I love the Spirit Rangers.

**Opening and ending sequence**
May be the first time I watched the entire show (all 48 episodes of it) from beginning to end. I LOVE the songs; they are so energetic! Wait, am I repeating the word "energetic" over and over again? That is because the whole show was full of energy! It doesn't have a single dull moment, and the opening and ending sequence may be the most excited of all. I love the little kids, and newly-married couple, and basically, everyone that dance at the end. I've read that some sentai heroes from other shows also appeared dancing at the end; isn't that just too cool?

**Henshin!**
What at awesome transformation! With a samba dance. It was so funny and so much fun, to watch the 6 Kyoryugers dancing and shout "fire!" to become Kyoryugers. And when it needed to happen, also when Yayoi, and Torin, and the old guys, had to dance as well. I love that the Henshin is included in the little dance at the end.

**Everything that is MECCHA and whatever**
Ok, so I am not really an expert in that area, but it was so much fun the gun + the little pills to transform and fight, and the meccha part (where all parts of a dinosaur join together to become a gigantic robot). Ahh the memories! When I used to watch Power Rangers, the American edition, when I was younger...


I did not want the series to end :( I can't believe 48 episodes went to fast. Luckily I still have 3 more movies, but still :( Super recommended

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Thank you to the subbers, the wait was worth it ^_^

I knew almost nothing to nothing about skateboarding before this show, and I appreciate how it teaches it to the ignorants like me a bit about ollies, flips, etc. Made me want to try a bit while I was watching it, so in that sense, I think the objective of this show was a success.

I love the sense of community these guys, and 3 or 4 girls, have in the show. While there are 3 groups, leaded by 3 celebrities, and there are challenges and competitions, it was never really a competition between the skaters. All of them rejoiced when one succeeded, even if he/she was in the rival team, and all of them suffered when a skater couldn't do a trick. Most of the skaters knew each other before the show anyway, so there is a strong feeling of comradeship that was very nice to watch in the entire show. Even the leaders know each other a bit (Yibo treats Chen Xiao like his schoolmate, it was fun; while Joe Chen, who was leader for a couple of episodes, treated Yibo like she was her older sister, so cute!)

I was rooting for the skater girls just because they were girls, and I loved that the teams with girls on it had an advantage, unlike the "brotherhood" of Yibo XD His team really felt like a frat boy team; as a fan of Yibo I loved to watch him so easy going with his team and how fun and tight they were. My sister and I were half joking that they all probably got a group tattoo, they got along so well XD I give the "music" aspect a high rating because, while Chen Xiao's and Wang Luodan's sections got sweet type of songs, Yibo's and his team got "who let the dogs out" song XD

Thankfully the elimination process was removed by half of the show... it didn't make sense and it dampened the dynamic of the skaters. Unfortunately there is only one winner group at the end which was a shame because all of them deserved the award. But still, the winner group was very good under pressure, and I hope they all have enjoyed their trip to who-knows-where.

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My own comparison to Ashes of Love

Inevitable to compare them...

- Female Lead: both are lacking in senses but XuanJi seemed more naive and innocent while JinMi looked like a psycho. By far XuanJi is the best one, she can actually fight, she is the God Of War for God's sake, she protects SiFeng like 90% of the times, and her "stabbing" wasn't as insulting as JinMi's. While both are manipulated and gaslighted by other people, XuanJi's situation was more understandable because the others wanted to use her and what better than to guilt-tripping her? JinMi's was just unforgivable. Also, while both of them didn't "feel" anything, XuanJi actually "felt" something for SiFeng, an affinity, friendship, etc. JinMi's supposedly curse was not to fall in love, but it seemed like she actually couldn't feel a thing... XuFeng could die before her eyes and she wouldn't even blink. I think Yuan Bing Yan (XuanJi) was better actress than Yang Zi.. YangZi just had to look pretty with tons of make-up, while Yuan Bing Yan was able to portray the innocent and the resentful GOW at the same time (with a very natural make-up)

- Male Lead: both are "Feng" and have beautiful, golden wings <3 tbh, SiFeng got on my nerves most of the times and I could never really liked him. A hero with a victim/martyr complex? Nah. He didn't care even for his life, as long as XuanJi lived. Bad guys could get away because SiFeng was so forgivable. He was never angry, impatient, resentful... his character was to love Xuanji, unconditionally, only. And of course, to vomit blood every episode. In this case, XuFeng wins by far, being a ML with many flaws (spoiled, resentful, fun, naughty); and while he also loves JinMi unconditionally, when she betrays him, he resents her; when she is being a pain, he rolls his eyes; when she was being silly, he teased her... that's what I liked in their romance. I also didn't like most of the times the make-up on SiFeng... 90% of the times his eyebrows were awful, not to mention his lips either full of blood, or totally white.

- Romance: saccharine and dramatically sweet in L&R; playful and dramatically sweet in AOL; the big plus in L&R is that there is no RunYu; the big plus in AoL is that they have a whole arc of being sweet and romantic with no rivals at all (except a bit of SuiHe but she loses very soon :D) I think there was more chemistry between the leads in AoL than in L&R.

- Supporting Characters: both have good supported friends and awful villains. In L&R we have several, like Teng She (who provides the comedic relief), the merman, brother Liu, and Wu ZhiQi was underdeveloped, or he would have been amazing too. And Purple Fox was the voice of reason! Demon Lord was so good I wished he was the main character :( I really disliked LingLong, she was so annoying and I couldn't understand why MinYan would love her, but she loved her sister and her own story was so painful and it made me cry :( It made me crazy to read comments in Viki saying Linglong had all the fault.. the fault of being RAPED? Because that is what that disgusting WuTong did.. he RAPED her. I hated him the most grrr. So the 2nd couple is much better in L&R, the 2nd couple in AoL was boring and I just wanted Muci to die, but the princess was so good :(

- Villains: honestly the villains in L&R were disgusting. WuTong was the most repulsive of all of them; Bailin the most disgusting of all but as manipulative as RunYu was anyway, the sect leaders were all stupid and useless, and worst of all, most of these villains do not get what they deserved. I honestly couldn't believe that that asshole Bailin made a mess of everything for more than 50 episodes, thought he was right (like a Nazi) and in the final episode, realizes he was wrong, has a minor punishment while all his men cry. Whut. The sect leaders were all manipulative and behave awfully with Sifeng, and then you have them in the final episode cheering for SiFeng and XuanJi, all good friends... Whut.

- OST: the good thing about xianxia, as far as I can see, is their OST. L&R has an excellent OP song but the ED is even better. But my favorite of all of their soundtrack is "Love Like Colored Glass" by Zhou Shen. So beautiful and moving. Nevertheless, there would be no song that would beat Sa DingDing in the near future. This song is just THE BEST, period. Besides, AoL has songs performed by YangZi and Deng Lun.

- Plot: there is no winner in this. I love that AoL has 3 arcs, but I also like that L&R is mostly in Human Realm. Both of them have very draggy parts and a better first half than second half, and both of them have very nice CGI. Both of them could have been at least 10 episodes shorter.

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What a soothing and simple story! I could imagine myself in Ichiko's shoes, living in the countryside (beautiful Komori) and planting and harvesting the rice. The scenery is breathtaking, all green and foggy; it is in the Tohoku region, although I am not sure if Komori really exists (it translate to, literally, "Little Forest"). The story is calm and very slice of life, of someone living in the countryside, eating delicious and healthy food and interacting with her neighborhood.

Even her little house is charming and so cozy. I love it. I almost made a screenshot of every scene but unluckily I watched this beautiful film in a LQ video.

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I mentally rated this drama an 8 when I finished Ep01. It was a nice-feeling drama but one I thought wasn't going to be too memorable. Boy, I was wrong. When I finished ep02 I was loving it and by the end of Ep03 I was a crying mess.

The story is a bit idealistic mixed with realistic. Idealistic when it comes to live in a residential complex and being friends after a few disagreements and also the support and acceptance of the ones who were close-minded at first (Komiyama-san; the mother-in-law and Ryota). But highly realistic when it comes to women who have troubles to conceive (Nana) or women who do not want to be a mother (Chihiro), and of course, the ignorance and discrimination of people like Komiyama-san.

All 4 stories were good: the gay couple (the older, closeted guy with his much younger boyfriend); the family (the mother who is more concerned about the "what would people think"); the soon-to-be-married couple (Chihiro does not want to have a baby but eventually learns how to be a mother of the son of her fiancee) and my favorite, Nana and Daiki who are struggling to have a baby.

I liked most actors except for the boy who played Ryota and Nana, played by Fukada Kyoko. She can't act; she thinks that the silly bambi face she makes is acting, but my, every time she cried, I was crying :( Her story was too sad, every day trying to get pregnant till the "reset" day, which was when she had her period and it was starting all over again. Her scenes, along with her mother-in-law (interpreted phenomenally by Takahata Atsuko), made me cry like a baby :( I think Nana and Daiki are my favorite married couple in Doramaland... all her struggles and all his support were outstanding.

The annoying characters have a good redemption at the end, so there is no bad person in the whole drama. So it is one of those uplifting dramas that at the same time, are a bit sad since real life happens and not everything is white or black.

I've read that several people were not satisfied with the ending, but I loved it.

Thanks a million to the subber, Raiho80 ^_^

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I've only read the first volume of the manga and have not watched the anime nor the movie, so I can't compare. This series was really good! I was hooked from the very beginning (I did not even read the plot beforehand, so I didn't know what it was all about and had many surprises here and there). The pace of the story was very well done: the series is just 25min long -or less- and in spite of being too short, it was never rush and I've never felt lost in regards to the plot. I think everything was well explained. I do think that the last 3 episodes were not as good as the first 9... I think that what Fujinuma experiences later, starting ep08 (or was it 9?) made the story less exciting as what he lived in the first 7 episodes.

The acting was excellent, especially from the children. And I liked Furukawa's voice in off, it was calm but not bored. There was even one scene where I was moved by young Satoru's tears... I am amazed this boy, Uchikawa Reo, has not a longer filmography! Apparently he was also Ciel Phantomhive in a couple of musicals that I have yet to see (booo, there are no more subbed musicals since the 3rd one...).

This is a mystery-suspense story where family and friends play a big role. Both were important for our main characters. I am grateful this dorama is on Netflix... while I was watching this, I searched for reviews (with no spoilers) and I am surprised there are so many! And all of them positive reviews. I am not used to read so many reviews of a Japanese dorama... our fandom is mostly quiet and not very vocal.

Recommended. I'll start watching the anime tonight, which I've read is not as good as this live action.

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I felt like I was watching an Asadora, only much much shorter (7 episodes of 25minutes long approx). There were times where it was lively and uplifting, and others where it was sad. As expected, since this is a semi-biography of Tetsuko, who has lived forever and it is one of the most popular TV personality in Japan. Since she has been for many, many years, she has met numerous people and many have died; friends, colleagues... so it was expected to be sad.

This is the kind of role I love to see for Mitsushima Hikari. Of course she is beyond amazing in sad roles like "Mother" and "Soredemo..." but I prefer to watch her in quirky, lively roles, like this one. I don't want to see her cry anymore :(

There are many cameos, of actors who I knew beforehand had a guest role (Ryo, which makes it a mini-reunion from "Gomen Seishun") and others who were a completely surprise (Daichi! and Matsuda, which makes it a mini-reunion from "Quartet").

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To say that I loved Amachan would be an understatement. I think it is one of the cutest, most heartwarming, most charming and most uplifting dramas I've ever watched. The heroine, Amano Aki, is perfectly portrayed by Nounen Rena. I loved her and could understand why she was so much loved by everyone (in the drama and in RL). I am not sure if it was an awesome way to start watching Asadoras, because this one was top-notch, but I also fear that no one will come close to Amachan. The cast, the cute little intro song, the setting.. everything.

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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I just noticed that most of my favorite dramas come from TBS. This one was no exception. It is a very heartwarming story. Good work environment, giving your all, working for your dreams, nice friends and coworkers, a sweet romance and excellent acting. I loved it.

The setting is the Japanese Air-force Public Relations, which may be an odd place but it worked because of the people working there. I love to watch stories in places that make you feel, or part of them, or at least, wanting to be part of them and of course I felt the same with this group of people. Sorai (Ayano Go) is the sweetest Beta hero I've seen in a long time, hardworking, who loves what he does (and what he used to do), and who loves his Boss, who, by the way, was a gem. Who wouldn't want to have a Boss like Sagizaka-san, who was not only kind but a splendid matchmaker? He loved Sorai as his son, so that made him love "Ina-pyon" automatically like his daughter. And his story with his wife brought tears to my eyes, such a sad story.

I love stories where less is more.

Ayano Go looks and acts amazing in this. His gentle face, his dorky smile XD He and Gakky make a beautiful and cute couple. I hope they do a rom-com in a near future.

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WOW, I enjoyed every minute of this drama. I loved it! It is true that it is similar in some ways to "Gone Girl": wife fakes her kidnapping, husband is a cheater who hates his wife. And that's it; there is where similarities end. This wife is crazy but not a psychopath; this cheater husband, besides being a cheater, is quite charming. There are feelings involved, and also money -a big part-, and surprisingly, there is also humor. I laughed many times, mainly because of Kouhei, the husband, played excellently by Ito Hideaki. His expressions of terror whenever he was with this wife were priceless XD I loved how afraid he was of everything; he really was naive and silly. His wife had a great time playing with him XD

Kimura Yukino as the wife was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I don't think I'll be able to see her differently from the crazy, manipulative, lady-like, composed and lovely Maria-san. So beautiful too (her smile!). Actually, this couple was gorgeous.

And yay! Police here is smart and know how to do their jobs. I hate to watch dramas where the police is portrayed as useless and stupid. The detectives/cops connected the dots, suspected of everyone and MOVED in order to get to the truth. Kudos!

The mistress (Aibu Saki) is at least quite smart and not a nasty woman. To be honest, the only character I didn't like was the neighbor Kujirai Yuki, not sure if it was because she was so pathetic or I just didn't like how she was portrayed by the actress.

Every episode was a surprise. I couldn't predict any twist. Maria is the most likeable villain I've seen in a drama. I loved it from beginning to end. Actually, the end was genius XD

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This was a really, really well done version of the famous book. I think  one of the factors is that, in my eyes, Japan and England are similar in many things (their people are considered cold/not showing too many  feelings, they both like tea and gardens, and so on). There are 2 parts,  Part 1 is all about the murder, and the most loyal to the book (I've  read the book years ago, I don't remember it all too well though). Part 2  is about the recruitment of the group who is going to murder the bad  guy and the planning to do it. My personal favorite was Part 2. It was  more dynamic, and we get to know all characters. Part 1 was much slower,  I think it could have been shorter.

The OST was sublime. The girls look all beautiful with their vintage clothes, make-up and hairstyles. The younger men, like Tamaki and  Nino, looked so handsome.

I  love how they changed what it needed to be changed to make it more  Japanese. Like, instead of other languages (English, French), it were dialects. Or all names in Kanji.

I can find only 2 minuses in this version:

1)  Suguro Takeru, a.k.a, Poirot. I think the actor looked incredible as  Poirot, and I think he would be excellent in a version for theater.  Poirot is a very vain and egocentric guy, therefore, he is also a character who can be annoying for some or amusing for others. The actor, Nomura Mansai,  was certainly more eccentric than I imagine Poirot to be, that's why I  think it would have looked better on stage. He certainly is the most handsome (and thinner) Poirot I've seen so far. Unfortunately, where he did very wrong was in trying to look... what? Funny? One of a kind? with that annoying voice. Why did he have to talk like that?

2) Length:  since I am more used to doramas, I would have preferred if, instead of 2 parts of 2 hours and 20 minutes, it were 4 episodes of 45 minutes (part 1 should have been shorter). As it was, I split it in half every episode to watch it.

I recommend it strongly for people who like to watch other version of this super popular book. Besides, the cast was  excellent (except for "Poirot", who could have been great if he talked normally).

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