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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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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Lovely surprise <3 Recommended if you want to have a smile at the end of a 50minute long special.

If it wasn't because of one subber that commented how good the drama was, I wouldn't have picked this SP. And I am so glad I did. This was a fun, and surprisingly, very sweet story. I was giggling the whole time. How uncomfortable for Haruta to have his boss in love with him. How awkward Haruta was to have 2 guys in love with him, while he is straight as an arrow (is he?).

I love that Haruta likes both guys, not romantically, but as individuals. He admires his boss and he considers his roommate as his best friend. I love how different both kind of love are: one loves Haruta because of his good traits; the other loves Haruta IN SPITE of his bad traits. One is respectfully rejected; the other is cruelly rejected.

I am sad that Hase's actor is not the same in the drama, because I found him very cute.

The ending was SO CUTE. I am still smiling remembering it.

EDIT: 24hours later I rewatched it. I laughed at the same parts like it was the 1st time I was watching it, and I had again a smile after I finished it. Very cute!

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I found this drama in some ways similar to "Ashita no Yakusoku" (a drama I wish to finish someday... if the subs are complete). It is a school drama, but with more emphasis in the teachers and teaching, unlike other school dramas like "Gokusen" and Cia. The visual aspect is darker, but while Ashita no Yakusoku has a more complex story, this one is more on the human side.Story: (8/10) I decided to watch it without reading the plot. I guess because of not having the chance to finish the drama mentioned above. So I was pleasantly surprised, since there isn't nothing more gratifying than starting a drama without expectations and without having read spoilers. The story is about a man (Sakurai Sho) who is appointed to be the principal of a high school in need of a good remodeling. Since he is primarily a businessman (a salaryman) he first sees everything as a product, but all his ideas are good and he is a hard working man. I liked his perspective of hiring best teachers for the different clubs; it is true that if the school excels in, let's say basket, more students will want to attend that school. A strong club attracts more students. I like how, as the school gets better in education, both teachers and students are more motivated to be better themselves, on teaching and on learning, respectively. And also how eventually they all are proud of their school.Cast: (8/10) Sakurai improved greatly since "Kazoku Game", but it could be also because his role wasn't cartoonish. There were a couple of times where I was seeing Sakurai the Idol (his round face was a bit distracting), but most of the times he was Narumi. I think almost all actors did a good job, even the students (I like the student who was going to marry Kuroki-kun). I even liked Seto Koji, specially when he was teaching English. As a suitor, he was like a puppy: a bit clingy and a bit annoying, but harmless. I do feel like Tabe Mikako's character was a a bit wasted. Aoi Yuu's character was better developed.The 3 main ladies were the best for me. The two in the love triangle and the counselor (Igawa Haruka). There were a couple of times where I was thinking what a lucky guy Narumi was, to be surrounded by 3 intelligent, hard-working, beautiful ladies... who also happened to be excellent actresses.I didn't like the bad guy since his laughs were just too much... all of him actually. Even when he was eating his lunch it was disgusting. Such a 2-dimensional villain. And I also didn't like the trio of teachers who were against Narumi. Such a shame because I like YosiYosi.Music: (8/10) Arashi's "Doors" is not one of my favorites, but I came to like it more with this drama. And I liked the OST, since it wasn't serious.Rewatch value: (8/10) Actually I almost never rewatch anything since there are so many dramas and so little time, so the rewatch thing for me would be the "recommended?". Yes, I would recommend it but to people who like to see how a entity improves, from being a MEH school to a praised one.I do think that this is one of those dramas that deserved at least one extra episode, but overall, it ended well.

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Girl Power and Strong Female Bond. This is how I would describe this amazing drama. I don't think there are many dramas that revolve around this 2 subjects... mixed (female and male), yes; male, yes. 100% female, no. The plot is about 5 women kidnapping a powerful man. Episode 1 is the kidnapping and till Ep. 9 all happens in the same night. Except that each episode shows flashbacks of these women when they meet in prison, start to bond and finally, to plan the kidnapping and the justice for Hime/Yusuke.

I took half a star because I truly feel like this needed an extra episode... Ep 10 felt a bit rushed.

It is a very fun drama that made me laugh several times and cried a bit over the Yusuke story. The cast is colorful, each girl is amazing, and the villain is super charming. ED song is "Showtime", by Amuro Namie. I loved it, catchy and girly.

I'll definitely rewatch this when my sister decides to watch it. Super recommended.

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Five seconds into the first episode and I was "this is my favorite 2017 drama". Not because of the setting, not because of some cute  actor... no, the first line had already hooked me. Never happened to me before. I wish I was more eloquent in English, to describe how much I love this drama. Every second of it.

For people who want eye-candy, there is the Shoujo Prince and two Tokusatsu heroes... but their pretty faces can't beat the talent of the veteran actor Yakusho Koji.  His gentle smile, his determination to achieve his goals, his  tears of frustration, of happiness. President Miyazawa, who loved his little company, his employees... always wearing his blue hanten. This man impressed me so much I was constantly posting about him.

Short version of my review: this drama reminded a lot of the anime "Haikyuu", in spirit.

Real rating: 100/10... thank you to yamazaki-kento dot com for subbing this amazing drama <3

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I had a fun time watching this drama because the characters were  excellent and the cases were all engaging. I think it is hard to find  mystery drama where both aspects are strong. In many ways, "Keiji Yugami" reminded me of "Legal High":

1. the opening sequence: each episode has a different sequence, but they  are all about the same thing: YUgami and Hanyu kicking/punching each  other. They were all awesome XD and they all left me with a smile on my  face.

2. Yugami as the senior cop, is childish and doesn't  follow rules. In fact, he sometimes breaks the law (for example, he  unlocks doors and safety cases with his pin). He doesn't play "dirty" as  Komikado-sensei, but he is always right.

3. Hanyu, as the rookie cop, is more emotional but also sticks to the rules. He disapproves Yugami's methods to find the truth, but deep down, he admires and respects Yugami (like Gakky).

4. Yugami has his own "hacker" who is a big help in all his cases. Not like Komikado's "ninja", but similar.

Yugami  is less "funny" and less "eccentric" than Komikado-sensei, but he was a  good character, which could be because he was played by the awesome Asano Tadanobu. Actually, the whole cast was good. You could tell that they had a great time working together.

I  love all the guests stars. Most of them A-Stars. This was one of the  highlights of the drama (I was waiting for a certain actor, who acts for  a couple of episodes). And all cases were excellent! Not so much of the  "whodunit" but "why" (like most of Japanese mysteries). And most of the  time, like 90% of them, the murderer/criminal had a sad story and you  can't help but feel sorry for them :( There were cases that made me feel  sad for the criminal.

For mystery lovers that are looking for cases not so gloomy, this one is perfect to watch.

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The poster is totally unrelated to the story, but nevertheless, it was a  very fun movie that has aged quite well. I love American 90's movies, and this one was very similar to them... location, jokes, life of the students, etc. The first 10  minutes or so had me giggling the whole time, it was both impressive and imaginative. It reminded me a little bit of my high school life XD Then it is all about the students trying to save their dorm, but the principal -the villain- makes a pact with them: in order to save the  dorm they all need to grade 100 points. And what's the safest way than cheating in all the exams? XD

The group of students are all colorful, a bit geeky but silly. Pretty Namie Amuro is part of the gang because she has to go and fall for her dimwit classmate XD

All of them look so young! But they didn't change much, like Namie, Yamaguchi and Fujiki Naohito. They all look them same, the men even aged like wine.

A very fun 1 hour and a half movie. Short and to the point. I think anyone who likes classic American comedy would like this.

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God knows how much I loved Season 1, and how much in love I fell for Ayano Go and all the cast. And when it was announced the 2nd season, and that  the whole gang was back... Fans know we waited so long for a kind soul  to sub this wonderful drama, so thank you subber! A million thanks ^_^

Cast (10/10): the whole cast is back! The chemistry between Ayano Go and Hoshino Gen and Yoshida Yo... and Sakaguchi Kento and Omori Nao and Matsuoka Mayu... I am even satisfied with the new faces, Goro-san (Miyazawa Hio) and Kurasaki-sensei (Matsumoto Wakana).  They all complemented each other so well! Ayano Go said that he was  happy they were all back since all of them are now leading actors in  dramas and movies, and I can tell that, even with a supporting role,  they were all happy to work together again.

There are even guests  from S1 who make an appearance, like the mother and father of the  little boy with the Trisomy 16, and Kounodori's "mama" and other  surprises.

My personal favorites, who deserve an award for their acting: Ayano Go (obviously... and I am not the only one mesmerized with his  gentle face and gentle voice.. even GC were commenting every week on his "yasashii" attributes) and Yoshida Yo.

Story:(9/10) Every episode deals with a new problem with the mother and/or baby.  There were many stories that made me cry (more than in S1). All the  supporting cast has his/her own story as well: either professional or personal. While in S1 there is an episode regarding Kounodori's past, in S2 we get to know some of the supporting role's family and ambitions regarding their career. I understand that there has to be changes, in order to be better or to achieve a dream, but regardless of that, I wasn't too happy with the final episode. On the other hand, it makes me hope for a S3... **crossing fingers**

While this season made me cry more than the previous one, S1 remains my favorite. I sensed that the scriptwriter was not the same... in S1 the dialogue was less "pink", less "romantic" than this season's. That's the only fault I can find in S2, that it was more written more "sweet".

Music:(10/10) so good, so good. The  piano complimented the poignant moments like a glove. I wonder if Ayano Go truly plays the piano.. if he does, he is truly a "Kamisama" <3

Rewatch value:(9/10) it  is not precisely an episodic drama, but I could rewatch my favorite  stories without a problem. And I will rewatch when S3 is confirmed  (because there has to be). I could rewatch this for the cast and the cute babies and the human stories and the wonderful OST. So yeah, for the whole package :)

Please, this drama deserves more recognition! I hope it wins some awards, unlike S1... Highly recommended!

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Usually I try to avoid school dramas because I think I've see the best of them. But I wanted to see Mitsushima Hikari (Hachiya-sensei) in a light role for once. And I am so happy I did! Not only she finally gets a happy life, but the story was so much fun. When I was watching  it, I was constantly thinking:

"ah, I want a teacher like Hara-sensei when I was in school" (he loves his students, he gives wonderful and encouraging speeches, and he is so cute <3).

"ah, I want to have students like them" (they were all nice people and honest and not one of them was mean and they were all fighting to have a good time in their first year as co-ed).

"ah, I want classmates like them when I was in school" (they were all fun and supportive).

There are like 12 students that are the main students in the drama, and each one of them contributed to the story. There are silly and fleeting romance stories between them: one day A loves B, next day B loves C, so A falls for D, and so on. Still, their friendship was never fleeting; this was a classroom to remember fondly in the future. I specially teared up when the transsexual student came out of the closet and all her classmates were like "we knew and that's ok". Same when her father, who at first refused to acknowledge his beautiful son loved to dress as a girl, finally embraced the reality and said "thank you for pretending to be a boy all these years till now". What a beautiful quote.

The script was beautiful,  nothing corny about it. I can safely say that this drama is one of the  best school comedy in Jdramaland. This one deserves more love! When I  was in ep. 6 or so I was already a bit sad since it was almost the end.

Nishikido Ryo was lovely as Hara-sensei. No wonder his student fell for him. Not only he is a kind person, his smile is bright and he loves what he does. And I love Hachiya-sensei's love story with him. The kabe-don, and the grip  in the train, and all her craziness. And of course, she looked so  pretty with that short hair. It suits her heart-shaped face. Really, I loved everything about her, from her face to her personality to her weird clothes. And she must be super-tiny because Ryo is short, but he was at least one head taller than her O_O

The principal (Namase Katsuhisa) suits this kind of role perfectly. He wasn't annoying (like his role in Gokusen), and his talk-show was very funny. First time I liked all teachers in a school drama! And all these students too... I loved them all. I have seen most of them is small guest roles in other dramas, so I am happy to know  that they are doing well, being still young.

Music was ok, I didn't pay much attention to K8' song but I know it suited the fun, vibrant life of school-life.

Mini-reunion: Ryusei Ryo (my boy!) with another Kyoryuger member.

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I am not really sure how I feel about this dorama. On one hand, I like that there is a female MC that kick ass, that has morals and wants to help other women in need of help. Nami (Ayase Haruka) does what every woman would want to do to rapists and women-beater and kidnappers... give them a good punch in their damn face. So not only she is strong and doesn't let anyone to intimidate her, but she also lives in a gorgeous neighborhood, has 2 lovely friends and a charming  husband.. (or does she?) I also like the cast, specially Ayase Haruka and Hirosue Ryoko... And of course her husband (Nishijima Hidetoshi) was good, even more when he was serious and in "enemy" mode, but for me it was a bit hard to see them as husband/wife since I was watching "Yae no Sakura" when this dorama started...

On the other hand (and there may be some spoilers)...

As much as I love seeing Ayase Haruka in action scenes, I wish she had a different instructor. Her fights were a bit slow and too synchronized, much like a choreography. The bad guys she fought against were so, um, wimpy? One punch, one kick, and they were out. None of them was a challenge for her. And also, there was one fight scene in every episode (which I wanted), but they were too short, again, because of those wimpy guys. I was too greedy I guess, since I wanted more action.

Her two friends deal with family problems, so all 3 of them have their own secret. Unfortunately, the main problem her friends deal with is 1) one of them is cheating on her husband, and 2) the other one has her own husband having an affair. I can't with cheating in books, and I guess I also dislike cheating in my doramas. I find cheating an unforgivable sin, but since they are married I guess it is not that easy...

And lastly, the pace of the story. First couple of episodes, it was good because it is when we see Nami trying to be a good housewife and befriending her 2 neighbors while being secretly a bad-ass heroine. And last 2 episode were also good since it is when we see that her husband is not who he appeared to be in all the previous episodes. I specially liked the ending, more so because it is obvious there is going to be a  SP/movie. But what I didn't like was that the episodes in-between felt more like fillers... I wish the "Mr & Mrs Smith" happened a lot sooner, like around Ep. 4 and from there, more about them and their secret identities. I feel like they (the scriptwriters and whatever) didn't take full advantage of the plot.

At least I have high hopes that the sequel is going to be awesome XD

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A very heartwarming dorama. I wasn't expect that, since the summary  tells that it is about the difficulties of a young girl to be a cook in a  chauvinistic world. And it is but it is also about the kindness of  people, how they help each other in small but significant ways; it is  also about family and to care about someone else's well being. And of  course, it is also about overcoming the difficulties in life with the  help of people who loves you.

I am adding Kuroki Haru in  my list of favorite actresses. Whenever role she plays, I just want her  to be happy And when she is, her happiness is contagious. And she is so  gentle, so Japanese-lady-like. My other favorite in this dorama was her  mistress (Yasuda Narumi), who loved her as a mother. Her love for her adopted daughter, and for her son was beautiful. Her sad smile was so poignant...

There  is a little reunion of members of "Juhan Shuttai", which made me really  happy (4 of them!). Starting with the MC, who again works hard in what  she loves XD And is spite of working again with Nagayama Kento  (Nagata-sensei), I was rooting for Komatsubara-san since the very  beginning. I loved when there is respect and a little bit of teasing  from the love interest XD

I love the setting, since historical  stories set in Edo period are most of the times my favorites. The food  that are shown look mostly so tasteful (and there is a little culinary  demonstration of the main recipe of the day at the end of each episode,  performed by the amazing Kuroki Haru). The other time, when I was eating  with other people and they were "ohhh my, so delicious" I laughed  internally because that's what happens every time people eats Mio's  food).

The OST is lovely, it helped to keep the tone light.

For  rewatch value, yes, I would watch it again, specially when the SP is  subbed (there HAS to be a SP... when I finished Ep 8 I was like, WHAT?).  Besides, it is very short, with 8 episodes only, of 35 minutes aprox  each ep.).

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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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There are dramas that you just KNOW that you are going to love them, and  this was one of them. Pre-2006 dramas are so heartwarming. This is the  story of an arrogant, chauvinistic man who one day is unemployed, his  wife gets a job and he becomes a "at-home-dad", which is, a  househusband. In episode 1 I was laughing already, I didn't know this  was going to be a comedy.

Abe Hiroshi was, no surprise, amazing as Yamamura-san. He reminded me a little bit of Kusano from "Kekkon Dekinai Otoko" in his expressions, always sarcastic and with replies full of  arrogance. Of course this is the kind of drama I love to watch, when  this kind of guy learns how to depend on others, how to be kinder, and  to value the "demeaning" job of being a househusband. And also when a  man, who used to take women for granted, realizes being one is hard.

He had a wonderful chemistry with his wife (Shinohara Ryoko),  his neighbor who is a dedicated househusband, and her daughter. I think  I was hesitant to watch this because of Shinohara Ryoko. I don't know  why but I don't like this woman ^_^ I have never watched any of her  works, so my dislike is irrational. Nevertheless, she was excellent as  the nice, hardworking wife.

But the chemistry I liked the most was between him and the little girl, Rie (Sakura Ando).  They have many funny scenes, but also many tender ones. The little girl  was excellent, there were many times where she was looking at his  father with so much love. Or so much pride. Sometimes she was also  looking at him a little sad. It was so nice.

The little  neighborhood was cozy and their house looked like a candy-house. More  like a cookie-house. Anyway, their ladies neighbors were too noisy for  my taste, specially the "leader", but well, they all had a good heart.

I  loved how Yamamura-san struggled with being a househusband, a task he  took for granted. All the mess he did were so funny (starting in Ep.  1... Abe Hiroshi is SOOOOO good in comedy). Seems like the clean their  houses every day O_O

Music was ok, there was one I liked the most  because it suited Abe Hiroshi.. laid-back, funny and a bit silly. Kinda  like, again, KDO.

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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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