For the longest time, with how much they emphasize the Hoshigahama sea, I've always thought Hoshigahama was real but turns out Hoshigahama doesn't exist in the first place lol. I went on to look up the locations just because I felt betrayed and curious and turns out the many "Hoshigahama locations" that they go to in the drama were shot at many different places.
- The Hoshigahama coast is actually located at Toyooka Beach in Minamiboso city, Chiba Prefecture.
- The Hoshigahama aquarium's exterior and the hall (where Rintaro & Nagisa talked about the Hoshigahama sea to the children in EP5) is the Chiba Prefectural Central Museum located in Chuo Ward in Chiba city while the aquariums were actually from Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, located in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
- The Hoshigahama Shiosai Museum (in EP7) is actually the Muikara Minkaen, an old folk house garden in Komae City, Tokyo. There's a scene where Rintaro runs out from the museum to the Hoshigama coast but Muikara Minkaen is only near the Tama River and the Hoshigahama coast is located at Toyooka Beach in the Chiba Prefecture so basically Rintaro was running off to nowhere lol
There's one thing you can't help but notice lately but it's these scenes that they just don't cut, you can see…
Any time a scene is playing after a CM break or something and there is no audio, I immediately assume they forget to cut it shorter because there's always something off lol, just goes to show it's not the first time and I wonder if it is intentional, like if it's a bonus/extended kind of thing for the viewers?
There's one thing you can't help but notice lately but it's these scenes that they just don't cut, you can see…
Yeah I sound like I'm being harsh on the drama but this has no relation to the story really, it's just something I'm bothered by, more specifically on NTV's productions.
I want to think it's not intentional but this isn't the first time either where they forget to cut the scenes shorter lol.
I’ve been watching dramas for 20+ years & I’ve never been able to tell how good or bad a drama is within 1…
that user somehow always manages to find a way to have the most hottest take with their comments at many drama pages, I noticed. Most of the time, generally negative and offensive too.
EP8 was another good episode, especially with Ayano and Satomi's performances. Great acting as expected from these…
There's one thing you can't help but notice lately but it's these scenes that they just don't cut, you can see the actors wait for the cue and then start act it out in their scene and it's just weird?
This episode starts with a recap of last week's episode and this one is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it but you can literally see the staff in the shot?? https://i.imgur.com/NLeOZ64.png
I know NTV's shows aren't exactly known for amazingly stunning cinematography but every once in a while their shows are shot beautifully. For instance, Takane no Hana from 2018 and Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni which is a drama from *this* year. Other times, dramas like Nemesis, Colorful Love, Konto ga Hajimaru which are the other NTV dramas that are airing from this season, the cinematography in them are solid but here for this drama, for some reason, it's just questionable that you can't overlook; which makes me think it has to be intentional at this point.
edit: turns out those scenes where you can see the actors wait for their cue & the ride shot where we see the staff is actually for WeTV's version so it's more on WeTV and not NTV, my bad.
EP8 was another good episode, especially with Ayano and Satomi's performances. Great acting as expected from these two actors, say what you want about the drama but these two are carrying this drama (though these two being paired together should've been given a storyline that's of their caliber). The episode was going so well until that ending, geez. I hope this gets a happy ending.
Someya doesn't get talked about all that much but I think he's lowkey funny lol. Him saying "you're getting married?" when Nagisa said she had something to say to everyone just reminded me of j-celebs announcing their marriage news out of the blue lately lol.
The TBS drama "Ore no Ie no Hanashi" (My House Story) starring Tomoya Nagase, which was broadcast in January this year, won the Excellence Award in the TV category at the "58th Galaxy Awards" (sponsored by the Broadcast Criticism Roundtable). It was announced at the award ceremony held in Tokyo on the 2nd June.
Producer Aki Isoyama, who received the award, said, "It was very difficult for Nagase-san to train for a long time from body building and to wrestle without any stuntman. I feel that he have managed to do something with the enthusiastic guidance of his teacher. "
That's cruel lol, you can't cast a popular actress like Aragaki and make her a passerby lol but I trust the writer to know what they're doing anyway haha
Really enjoyed episode 4, has to be my favorite so far. These throwbacks are giving me great joy, it was a good…
They brought back the 'baka' headband and Yanagi-sensei!! So glad they didn't forget the tradition of bringing in specialist teachers and Yanagi was the last person I expected to see and he still kinda looks the same considering he's 85!
It's pretty clear Seto's debt problem is a direct reference to Yamapi's character in the first Dragon Zakura, Yajima; Seto basically had more or less the same debt problem that Yajima had. And the way Sakuragi persuaded with Seto and dealt with Seto's debt problem was veeeery reminiscent of how Sakuragi-sensei dealt with Yajima's debt problem especially with the things he was saying to Seto regarding his pride and his current position.
JP audiences were impressed with Kaito's performance in this episode and I can see why. Despite being an idol, the way he let his tears naturally rolled down his face and how he's not afraid to put up an ugly crying face on screen impressed me as well. I've only seen him in Neechan no Koibito but this is my favorite role of him so far.
Really enjoyed episode 4, has to be my favorite so far. These throwbacks are giving me great joy, it was a good idea to rewatch the first season after all lol. Really liking the studying tips in this too of course, as expected of Dragon Zakura, these shows always make me reminisce about school again and want to relive my high school life again lol. Dragon Zakura has always had this charm about it that inspires you to start studying again and that feeling is still the same here in this sequel and I love it. Kudos to the directors and the writer, none of them worked on the original Dragon Zakura but they still succeeded in making it feel like you're still watching it but just in a new, fresh, modern setting.
Also like that the characters already have more depth and character development to them than the characters in season one. Just by episode two alone, featuring Kaede's story, is already more intriguing and realistic. I know it's not canon but I find it funny that they casted Eguchi Noriko, who played as a gang leader in the first Dragon Zakura but here she's the chairman of Tatsuno Academy lol
I honestly think this is already one of the better, promising sequels out there and one of the best dramas in 2021 already.
This drama does seem to have a lot of abrupt cuts which is becoming more & more obvious (& bothersome) the past…
I'm only mentioning the cut I noticed because I know that one was for comedy purposes.
But yeah, NTV's production team has gotten worse recently. The cinematography in Takane no Hana looked beautiful but since then they started to care less or something over the years.
If I watch this season without watching the first will I still understand what's going on?
Yes, you can watch this without watching the first. But you'll miss out on some references that they make every once in a while and cameos from the first one. Like Masami Nagasawa is also reappearing in this sequel as one of the main characters.
Episode 3 was great, they finally started studying! And I loved the throwbacks from season 1 in this episode, Sakuragi planting a sakura tree and naming it "Dragon Zakura" and Sakuragi ending his speech the same way he ended his first speech in the first season, "If you don't want to live a life of exploitation, then study! Even the idiotic and ugly can go to Todai!" even Mizuno went, "there it is."
and there were some funny moments in the episode that made me laugh. This episode really felt like the 2005 Dragon Zakura and I loved every bit of it.
I went on to look up the locations just because I felt betrayed and curious and turns out the many "Hoshigahama locations" that they go to in the drama were shot at many different places.
- The Hoshigahama coast is actually located at Toyooka Beach in Minamiboso city, Chiba Prefecture.
- The Hoshigahama aquarium's exterior and the hall (where Rintaro & Nagisa talked about the Hoshigahama sea to the children in EP5) is the Chiba Prefectural Central Museum located in Chuo Ward in Chiba city while the aquariums were actually from Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, located in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
- The Hoshigahama Shiosai Museum (in EP7) is actually the Muikara Minkaen, an old folk house garden in Komae City, Tokyo. There's a scene where Rintaro runs out from the museum to the Hoshigama coast but Muikara Minkaen is only near the Tama River and the Hoshigahama coast is located at Toyooka Beach in the Chiba Prefecture so basically Rintaro was running off to nowhere lol
I want to think it's not intentional but this isn't the first time either where they forget to cut the scenes shorter lol.
This episode starts with a recap of last week's episode and this one is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it but you can literally see the staff in the shot?? https://i.imgur.com/NLeOZ64.png
I know NTV's shows aren't exactly known for amazingly stunning cinematography but every once in a while their shows are shot beautifully. For instance, Takane no Hana from 2018 and Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni which is a drama from *this* year. Other times, dramas like Nemesis, Colorful Love, Konto ga Hajimaru which are the other NTV dramas that are airing from this season, the cinematography in them are solid but here for this drama, for some reason, it's just questionable that you can't overlook; which makes me think it has to be intentional at this point.
edit: turns out those scenes where you can see the actors wait for their cue & the ride shot where we see the staff is actually for WeTV's version so it's more on WeTV and not NTV, my bad.
Someya doesn't get talked about all that much but I think he's lowkey funny lol. Him saying "you're getting married?" when Nagisa said she had something to say to everyone just reminded me of j-celebs announcing their marriage news out of the blue lately lol.
Producer Aki Isoyama, who received the award, said, "It was very difficult for Nagase-san to train for a long time from body building and to wrestle without any stuntman. I feel that he have managed to do something with the enthusiastic guidance of his teacher. "
It's pretty clear Seto's debt problem is a direct reference to Yamapi's character in the first Dragon Zakura, Yajima; Seto basically had more or less the same debt problem that Yajima had. And the way Sakuragi persuaded with Seto and dealt with Seto's debt problem was veeeery reminiscent of how Sakuragi-sensei dealt with Yajima's debt problem especially with the things he was saying to Seto regarding his pride and his current position.
JP audiences were impressed with Kaito's performance in this episode and I can see why. Despite being an idol, the way he let his tears naturally rolled down his face and how he's not afraid to put up an ugly crying face on screen impressed me as well. I've only seen him in Neechan no Koibito but this is my favorite role of him so far.
Also like that the characters already have more depth and character development to them than the characters in season one. Just by episode two alone, featuring Kaede's story, is already more intriguing and realistic. I know it's not canon but I find it funny that they casted Eguchi Noriko, who played as a gang leader in the first Dragon Zakura but here she's the chairman of Tatsuno Academy lol
I honestly think this is already one of the better, promising sequels out there and one of the best dramas in 2021 already.
But yeah, NTV's production team has gotten worse recently. The cinematography in Takane no Hana looked beautiful but since then they started to care less or something over the years.
edit: submitted an edit
and there were some funny moments in the episode that made me laugh. This episode really felt like the 2005 Dragon Zakura and I loved every bit of it.