Once again, I'll resort to an Italian expression in order to sum up a dorama, and in this case it's the old saying "Scherza coi fanti, ma lascia stare i santi" (lit. "Joke with the infantrymen, but leave the saints alone") which is used with the meaning that, whereas temporal things can be taken a little less seriously, sometimes, Faith should *never* be made fun of! (incidentally, as a teacher I've been taught - and wisely so! - that one should always thread lightly when discussing religion, so as not to insult anyone!)
And that's the first problem I had with this "Gomen ne Seishun!": I normally am a fan of Kudo Kankuro's style of hiding some deep messages amidst some silly, sometimes even outrageous, scenes...but this time I think he went too far and crossed too many red lines, constantly mocking both Buddhism and Catholicism as he did here (oh, btw - and before anyone jumps to the wrong conclusions - it's not like I felt offended because I'm Buddhist or Catholic - matter of fact, I'm neither; but then again, even though I'm no Muslim, I still think that Charlie Hebdo's "satire" is utterly *disgusting*!)
But anyway, even without considering all the above, the script was still waaaay below par: the main storyline about the ML's past and his sense of guilt was interesting and well done, but unfortunately, apart from the ML and a coupla more characters, everybody else was a mere caricature - unrealistic, idiotic and bidimensional. And every other storyline was poorly written, with characters constantly doing something in an episode and behaving as if nothing had happened in the next one...there was really no coherence nor consistency!
The cast did well, all things considered (or at least some of them did, namely the actors Nishikido Ryo and Yamoto Yuma, and the actresses Moririn - no surprise there, LOL - and Kuroshima Yuina - she totally *charmed* me! <3), and the OST was kinda catchy, but the script's many faults made it so that this can't get the passing grade, unfortunately.

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Here I am, once again (after "Informa") writing a very negative review to a widely acclaimed drama, which I couldn't help but find really, really terrible.
Believe it or not, I don't get any pleasure doing so, quite the opposite: I'm a lot happier when I can write positive reviews and explain why I deem a drama fabulous, rather than horrible! But I believe in sincerity, so I gotta tell it how I see it. And the way I see it (again, I'll use the same words I wrote about "Informa") is, this is *pure Hollywood*. Which might be totally fine for everyone else, of course. But in my book that's tantamount to saying it's *cr@p*, sorry.

As typical for Hollywoodian series, here too we have a very well done first episode (I honestly loved it and was expecting a wholesome, clean, deep drama, filled with lovely, ethical messages - hence why I hated it more and more with every subsequent episode, alas) followed by a disgracefully shallow, silly and ultimately, obnoxiously boring rest of the series.
What annoyed me the most (heck, "annoyed" ain't even the proper word - "deeply insulted" is more like it!) is the constant, disgusting propaganda of Western "values" - in this case, one of the most incredibly sexist production I've ever had the misfortune to watch: NOT A SINGLE MALE CHARACTER could be described as a decent human being. They're all liars, cheaters, perverts; they're all lame, stupid, and useless; and according to this horrible script it's okay to have fun at their expenses (the scenes where the fat guy appears and they start clapping, with such a mocking, distasteful vibe! Apparently, fat-shaming is okay as long as males are the - big - butt of the joke?! >___<), it's okay to steal from them, to despise them, to stalk and menace them, to hit them and make them bleed, and even to plan to poison them!!! The only (partial) exception - and incidentally, the only love interest of the borderline sociopathic FL in all five of her lives: but of course, a billionaire! Materialistic much?! (BTW, that detail alone is pretty ironic when we consider that the writer is a middle-aged male, definitely not particularly attractive, who's loaded and has married a former idol much younger than him - where are all the "age-gap nazis" always ready to comment with an "Eeeeeeeewwww!!!!" when we actually need them? - now you'll see one more reason this all thing reeks of Hollywood to me - Hollywood, where they could keep a straight face producing ultrafeminist stuff all while having that ***** Weinstein at the helm for decades. URGH)

Another thing that really bothered me was indeed the FL: as I said, a borderline sociopath who doesn't help others 'cause it's the right thing to do and it's good, but only so as to "complete missions" to rake up "points" so that she'll be able to reincarnate as a "human"...such a terrible let down, as far as I'm concerned.

I can't fairly judge the (great) cast, given the terribly poor (again, hollywoodian) script they had to work with. Take for example the second half of the last episode: 20+ minutes of utterly idiotic, idle chat, TWENTY WHOLE MINUTES of BLA-BLA-BLA where nothing even remotely intelligent is said! T_____T
As the good old Zetsubou-sensei would put it: "Zetsuboushita!" >__________<

Very well confectioned, true. But ultimately a waste of bytes.
If this is where J-dramas are headed (I hope not but fear so), I'll have to limit myself to older productions or to C-dramas in the next future.

All this imvho, as always. Feel free to disagree but please respect my opinion. Peace! ^___-

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With a different ending/message, it would have ended up in my top10 of all times...

I had great expectations regarding this "Umi no Hajimari", and the first half (or even 2/3) of it kept those expectations at himalayan heights...but unfortunately the last third of it, the ending and more generally the message it conveyed proved to be such a huge let-down, as far as I'm concerned.

First things first, what I liked:

1) Izutani Rana
As I always put it in such cases, to think that someone can be so good at acting at a such young age is actually kinda scary! This little child could teach many grown up actresses a lesson or two, really. Chapeau, Rana-chan!

2) the OST
Catchy and haunting, it'll stay with you even long after having finished watching the series. It reminded me a lot of "1 lt. no Namida", which is a huge compliment, in my book.

3) the "packaging"
Direction, editing, photography...all top-notch, period.

And now on to what I didn't like (impossible to explain it without SPOILERS so consider yourselves warned and stop reading NOW if you wanna avoid them!):

as briefly mentioned in the opening paragraph, the series went downhill right after episode 8, and the downward spiral just kept going until the end.
In my very humble opinion (and I totally agree with thecheesz_'s review so at least I know I'm not the only one thinking this!), the problem lies with selfishness and making wrong choices that lead to others' suffering being portrayed as a good thing. It's so not-Japanese it hurts!!! >_______<
In a Confucian society, the ethical imperative is that self-sacrifice is *necessary* for harmony. In a nutshell, your freedom ends where the others' begins, and that's something you should always keep in mind. Disregarding this simple truth should be frowned upon, not celebrated. Instead, we have Natsu-kun, Tsuno-san, the grandparents and most of all the poor Umi-chan horribly suffering from the very poor choices of two immature and selfish individuals (Mizuki and Yayoi) who are, on top of that, portrayed as role models for having made others suffer.
And finally their "example" leads Natsu-kun to make another poor choice that in its turn makes Umi-chan suffer even more (when he listens to Yayoi instead of taking Umi's grandpa's advice and makes Umi change school and home). Which is the obvious outcome of making choices based solely on your own volition, not taking others into account. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

This is how I would have written the last third of the series:

a) First of all, I would've had Yayoi-san make no U-turn whatsover and stay instead where she was at - that is, being a caring, selfless person who would've been just all too eager to become Umi-chan's new mom. So no break-up.

b) Secondly, I would have made Mizuki-san explain her choices as follows: going to the pre-abortion ob-gyn, she was informed of her cancer and given two options: either remove it and forever lose the ability to procreate, or else procede with the pregnancy and risk that the cancer become inoperable. She chose to give birth to Umi, and to push Natsu away (and later on, to not let Tsuno get too close) because she didn't want to burden them (which I'm not saying it's actually right either - but at least it would've been a lot more consistent with Japanese culture!!!)

c) Thirdly, I would've had Natsu take the grampa's advice and move in with them, even if it had meant to change jobs (for crying out loud, he's a freaking *salesman*, not Dr. Schweitzer nor Mother Teresa, he could've changed jobs and the world wouldn't have been any worse for it! >____<)

d) Lastly, I would've had Natsu, Yayoi and Umi build a happy family together in the end - oh, and while at it, I would've made sure that Tsuno too found a better half (like, one of Yayoi's colleagues perhaps).

And all would've lived happily ever after...

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A real M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E!!!

Over the last few years, with alas increasingly common recurrence, I end up being in such despair ("à la" Zetsubou-sensei, I mean, LOL) due to the Nth "westernized" J-drama ("made in Hollywood", as I put it), that for a brief moment I find myself entertaining the idea of dropping Japanese dramas altogether.../.____.\
Luckily, though, every now and then good old Japan still manages to come up with the Nth masterpiece, so that I'm happily made to abandon that idea completely and my love for J-dramas is once again maintained and reinforced.
It was precisely the case of this "Tsuma, Shogakusei ni Naru".
A real M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E. There's no other way to correctly describe it.
The script? PERFECT. You cry, you laugh, you think....the whole nine yards, really.
The acting? MARVELOUS. Hard to name only three members of this *great* cast, but traditions must be respected, so I'll go with Tsutsumi-san, Kamiki-kun and most of all the adorable - and amazingly talented - Maida Nono (seriously, to be able to act that well at her age is kinda scary! Can't wait to see her in more dramas!!!)
The "packaging", as I put it (directing, editing, photography, music, etc.)? TOP-NOTCH.
The message? W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!!
'Nuff said, go watch it *now*, you'll thank me later! ^_______-

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I've decided to watch this "Kyouen NG" for the leads, despite the fact that the premise really wasn't my cup of tea. And indeed, the leads were absolutely great! Kudos to Nakai Kiichi and Suzuki Kyoka!!!
The music, particularly the credits song, is kinda catchy and I honestly liked it as well.
Unfortunately, there's little else worth mentioning here; the rest of the cast was okay but nothing to call home about; the premise was as implausible as they come (imagine trying to make a show having, for example, Watanabe Anne and Higashide Masahiro as leads...good luck with that, right? >___<) and the way it was developed (what with the almighty "scriptwriter/showrunner" and all that...) was also pretty unrealistic.
Forgettable. 5/10

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Ever since I started watching J-dramas around 2005, I have known of this "Trick" franchise, which has been such a huge hit in Japan, spawning three seasons, three specials, four movies and even a 3-season spinoff! My not being a great fan of Nakama Yukie made me leave it aside for the time being, though, and it wasn't until this summer that I've finally decided to give it a try (if you'll pardon my lousy pun, seeing Nakama Yukie wearing a qipao in her very first scene - and thusly looking like a real life version of China-san's character from Tsuruta Kenji's "Spirit of Wonder" manga - definitely TRICKed me into watching the series, LOL - yep, I might not be a big fan of her acting, normally, but her beauty is objectively something to behold, I have no problem admitting that! ^____^).
After finishing the first season, though, I'm not sure whether I'm gonna go on with all the following, as I was left really unimpressed by the drama itself. The leads were good (Abe is always as funny as they come, and Nakama too was not bad at all here - LOL her eerie laugh was frankly quite funny), but the supporting cast and guest stars often delivered abysmal performances. The script is, imho, mostly uninspiring....I was expecting a funny mystery the likes of Ishihara Satomi's "Puzzle" from 2008 or "Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko no Uso" from a coupla years later, but here the funny moments were unfortunately way too rare (the constant jokes about the FL being flat-chested and the ML being hung honestly deeply annoyed me in the end - not that they were that funny to begin with!) and the mystery plots often ridiculous (imho the storyline with the twins was the only decent one, all the rest were forgettable).
But the worst detail came with the "packaging"; whereas the music was pretty good, the photography was mostly of quite low quality, and the direction and editing simply *awful* - seriously, I can imagine high school clubs doing better than that!
All things considered, there's no way I could give this a passing grade, sorry.

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Another masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned!

Once again here I am, giving a "perfect 10" to a C-drama...^___^;
As I recently said to an MDL-buddy of mine, either my "Honeymoon Phase" with C-dramas is lasting longer than expected, or else I have to confirm my first impressions and simply admit that they're really, really, really well done.
Then again - as I said to another MDL-buddy! - an explanation could be that I'm either luckier at choosing which C-dramas to watch, or just that I invest more time and energy in the selective process (totally comprehensible, given the much bigger length, compared to J-dramas!).
Whatever the reason, I assure you I'm not exaggerating when I say this drama is just another masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. Beautifully scripted, acted, directed...both the photography and the OST are, once again, top-notch (at first the only thing I didn't like was the opening credits song - this pop/rock whatchamacallit ain't my thing, sorry - but episode after episode even that grew on me).
p.s.
Among the many, many praiseworthy details, I'll underline the beautiful messages that this drama's teacher conveys, in very few but oh-so-deep words! ^___-

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Word to the wise: if you approach this "Furo Girl" with any lewd thoughts (like how you're gonna watch Sakurai Hinako taking bath after bath), you'll be deceived; there's nothing even remotely lewd in this dorama, and believe me, it's probably better like that (besides, the main character being such a monomaniac simpleton with the mind of a small kid, it would be impossible to see her under that guise anyway).
Unfortunately, you'll probably be deceived (at least, so was I!) even if you approach this expecting it to be quirky-but-funny: because, well, quirky it is, all right...but funny...hmmm...not really, sorry; a coupla faint smiles in 6 episodes is all it got out of me...:/
Cast-wise, Sakurai Hinako does ok, all things considered. The kouhai is as annoying as they come (anybody else would have blacklisted her after the 5th "Senpai! Kiite kudasai yo!"), but then again, if that's what the actress was going for, kudos to her as well.
The music is kinda ok, but personally I can't help but associating Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" with that bureaucratic, neo-sovietic nightmare (all imho) which is the European Union (which adopted that as its anthem, in case you don't know) and, well, that's ruined that piece for me, like, forever.
The only reason why I didn't drop this and kept watching it till the end is that here and there it provides the viewers with some interesting and creative info/tip on bathing and, more generally, on "home ec" stuff like how to make inexpensive and environmentally-friendly cleaning products with baking soda and citric acid, and so on.
All in all, not enough to reach the passing grade, as far as I'm concerned. Not even close, alas.../.__.\

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From the same mangaka (Kouno Fumiyo) who gave us that masterpiece which is "Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni" aka "In This Corner of the World", this "Yunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni" aka "Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms" is just as good, though much shorter. They had already adapted it into a movie in 2007 - though not having been able to find and watch that, I can't unfortunately compare that movie with this dorama. I can compare the dorama and the manga, though, and of course (as it happens, like, 99% of the time) the original version wins hands down. That is not to say that the dorama is bad, though, 'cause it isn't - heck, it's pretty damn good if you ask me! But some of it got lost in the adaptation - and seriously, I don't understand why they felt the need to change a coupla details and even add some scenes which weren't there to begin with. Still, the script is solid and the acting very good. The story is heartbreakingly sad, of course, but if you shed some tears watching this, good: those tears might help you remember what happened on that terrible day, August the 6th, 1945. And we'd better remember, because as the famous quote of George Santayana goes, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". p.s. If you haven't read the manga before watching this, my guess is that you might appreciate it more than I did. In any case, I wholeheartedly suggest you read the manga as well, 'cause it's simply a masterpiece.

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I had great expectations for this one, considering that two of my absolute favorite actresses (Wakui Emi & Kanno Miho) are in it. And indeed, the scenes with the two of them are the best part of this dorama, or should I say, the only part worth watching. Unfortunately in fact - given that it's a story which aims to be extremely (even, painfully) realistic - it turns out to be just the opposite! The plot twists are sooooo predictable, the characters bidimensional, the dialogues often idiotic, and the whole thing screams "faaaaaaaake" like the cheesiest of commercials (I won't go in details, so as to avoid spoilers, but let's take as a mere example the family dog, which no one takes for a walk in 10 episodes, and which also never barks, not even once. Just like one of those überfake dogs from a pet-food commercial, ne?). I'd define it "hollywoodian" (as in, fake-fake-fake!). Disappointing...:/

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Whoa, what a powerful story!!! I usually am quite subjective in my reviews, pointing out that whatever I write is simply "imho", but in this case I gotta tell you: if you watch this and it doesn't touch you deeply, than I'd say you should check your pulse, 'cause there's a high chance you're dead and you just don't know it! Jokes aside, such a thought-provoking script, and such a moving performance by Suda Masaki! I normally point to "1 lt. no Namida" whenever someone asks me "I'm curious about J-dramas...where should I start?"...from now on, I think I might give them this as a second choice!

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Total waste of film

When I reviewed "Arimura Kasumi no Satsukyu" I wrote that they had managed to touch some deep issues, all while "giving the superficial impression that nothing's really going on".
Unfortunately, in this "Penshion: Koi wa Momoiro", they don't just *give the impression* that nothing's going on....the problem is indeed that nothing's going on, period! (ok, *almost* nothing...but honestly, the little that actually happens could've barely filled a 5' short - so little it is!)
Adding insult to injury, the dialogues are as unappealing and bland as they come (like a conversation between dumb, shallow people who actually have nothing to say - sorry to be so blunt, but that's the way it felt!) and the characters horribly undeveloped.
Total waste of film and time.

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