Interesting as a thought exercise, weird as a drama
First and foremost, we've really got to stop categorizing things as BL just because two hot men stand next to each other lol....this is NOT even slightly BL so turn back now if that's what you're hoping for.I'm not really sure what to make of this drama because, on one hand, I think it ultimately fails in telling a coherent story. There's basically no background or development for the characters, the game is not really all that exciting, and the ending is pretty random and abrupt. The egregious use of genAI imagery throughout is also reasonable grounds to write off this drama completely.
However, given all that, I was surprised that it actually appeared to have underlying commentary about how dissemination of information and messaging can influence public opinion and shape politics. Maybe I'm giving the drama more credit than it deserves, but it did get me thinking about my own views and values on war and peace and the responsibility of governments by watching the characters debate those very topics. The drama also seemingly acknowledges creative opposition to AI in a way that made me wonder if it's expressing some sneaky anti-AI sentiment. And perhaps it's because the producers expected this drama to have no traction, but I was amused that they risked even potentially evoking a certain real-life geopolitical conflict between Japan and Korea with the hypothetical conflict that is the basis of the propaganda game being played...not sure if it was gutsy or just plain dumb lol.
Overall, I would maybe recommend if you've ever wanted to observe a Model UN meeting that is unusually full of pretty people, but don't come expecting any semblance of a plot.
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Am I crazy or was this actually good?
I am a huge RAMPAGE fan, but I generally don't go into the members' acting projects expecting ~actual cinema~ because the majority of the time they aren't. Similarly, I went into this fully anticipating to turn my brain off and just marvel at the novelty of having Kazuma, Riku, and Hokuto in one project together, so imagine my surprise when I actually got invested in each of the stories, brain on and all!Maybe I was predisposed to like this because I enjoy a good omnibus, but I found the atmosphere of this movie super immersive and I appreciated how there wasn't too much set-up or exposition - we're kind of tossed in the middle of everything and the characters are just able to exist and reveal parts of themselves in natural ways. It was a little grungy and cinematic, but in a way that wasn't overly pretentious. And while I watched this for my boys and their performances were great, it was the actresses who really brought things together. It's honestly hard to choose which of the three segments was my favorite, but I'm a bit partial to the one with Kazuma because of my mother Sakai Maki featuring in it!!
It's not doing anything particularly new or deep, but it still resonated with me and stands as proof that even projects full of idols in their cast can hold their own sometimes. Highly recommend if you're a RAMPAGE fan like me and even if you aren't!
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Feels more like a documentary than a drama with a plot
I was very conflicted after watching this, because on one hand, I really liked the majority of the performances from the actors and the calm, understated vibe with lovely cinematography that is typical of most of the NHK yorudramas I've watched. I thought Fukuchi Momoko did great as the lead, and the Radio Star family had nice chemistry. I didn't know anything about the Noto peninsula or that it had a major earthquake, so I appreciated that the drama highlighted that.However, I think therein also lies the problem with this drama for me - I feel like it focused *too* much on showcasing the region and unpacking the aftermath of the earthquake at the expense of its characters and story. Pretty much all the characters are defined in relation to their experience with the earthquake rather than actual personality traits or background, which made them flat and hard to connect with. Like yes, I have empathy for what they went through, but I have barely any idea who these people are, and the drama doesn't quite seem to know what to do with them either.
And not to try to shoehorn in a romance when that was clearly not the purpose of the drama, but I was reaaaaaalllly hoping they'd do something between Rikuto and Kanade because they had such amazing chemistry from the jump. Episode 11 was definitely my favorite, and the scene where they're at the coast at sunset drinking and talking over the wind was the highlight of the whole drama for me, so I was very disappointed that it didn't go anywhere.
Overall, there are lots of individual things to like about this drama and the vibes are strong, so I enjoyed myself even if it didn't really come together for me in the end as a story. I would recommend if you are looking for something cozy (although a bit melancholic) to watch or like any of the actors, but don't expect a gripping human drama with high emotional stakes.
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Look at all these tall drinks of water (literally)
I really only watched this for Itsuki, so I can say I'm satisfied because I got what I came for. This drama also has a fun premise, and my highest points are for the cast because I think they did a great job embodying the sakes they were supposed to be. I loved the stylish image clips that would play whenever someone drank them (Takato holding a random pineapple 👍), and their interactions with each other and Gin were cute. This is definitely the best styling I've ever seen for Nishiyama Jun lol. So if you want to see a bunch of ikemen being a little silly, this is the one for you!That being said, unlike Red Blue, which had somewhat of an engaging story while also having Makoto and a slew of other good-looking guys in it, Arabashiri is just kinda boring. With the exception of the makgeolli segment in ep 8 which I enjoyed, none of the stories introduced in each ep were particularly interesting, and I especially didn't care for the overarching plot about Gin and his mother. It would've been cool to learn more about Japanese sake or the different breweries and food pairings, but they don't really focus on this as much besides a few tidbits here and there. It runs long at 12 episodes for seemingly no particular reason - it starts to drag, and I feel like doing only eight eps would've done a lot to help with that. I also think Itsuki could use a bit more work on his emotional acting, although he still did a fairly good job for his first lead role (besides Prince of Legend lol).
Overall, a fine watch if you're a completionist Rampage fan like me or just looking for something light and full of hot guys, but don't expect much substance beyond that.
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Turn off your brain and fall into Manabu's strong, tanned arms
This is one of my most (if not my most) deranged opinions and my rating is 1000% purely subjective but I LOVE this drama. The rational part of me definitely knows this isn't that good but when I first watched it I binged it in one sitting because I was completely hooked.I really think this is the epitome of dramas that are so delightfully unserious. The FL saying "My uterus was throbbing" after falling in love with the ML at first sight while he's wielding a jackhammer at his construction job pretty quickly clues you into that fact, and once I got the vibe, I had so much fun. I didn't even care that no one acts like a real human being and Keigo in particular was a little troll, I'm just along for the ride!
And honestly, underneath all the chaos, I thought the romance was well done, no doubt due to the chemistry of the two leads. I still go back to watch the arm wrestling scene every so often just to feel something, and I love the ending. Kasamatsu Sho was a great cast and really sold the character - I don't think it would've hit nearly as much if it was anyone else.
I really do understand why people don't like this and I can't in good faith recommend it to anyone unless you're truly, truly prepared to relinquish yourself to the mess, but I will say with my whole chest that if this drama doesn't have any defenders, I am dead.
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They really had me in the first half
Echoing the comments that said this went rapidly downhill, around episode 8. I was super disappointed because I was enjoying myself so much - it's surprisingly high quality for an MBS drama, I thought the dynamic between the two leads was relatively fresh, the mystery had intrigue, and this is by far the best styling I've seen for Yagi Yusei imo.I didn't watch the Korean version, so I can't say how well it holds up as an adaptation, but I imagine it suffered a lot trying to condense twenty 60min long episodes into twelve 30min eps, because everything was way too rushed in the end. The romance had no real build-up, the mystery was unfulfilling, the motivations for all the characters were poorly fleshed out. I usually appreciate how Japanese adaptations of Korean dramas are able to trim the fat and keep the story concise, but it didn't work in this case. Too many characters, too many things going on. It's a shame since I also liked Kusakawa Takuya and Morita Kokoro here, but they barely matter to the plot. And I know they establish at the beginning that he has a thing for her, but tell me why I thought there might be some kind of twist that Takuya's character liked Yusei's character all along.... Maybe I'm just too influenced by those two actors' previous works, but I swear the vibe was there!! Ijima Ku was another highlight in the cast - a relatively new face for me, and I think he did well with what he was given, all things considered.
Overall, I give this a pass because I cannot overstate how much I was giggling and kicking my feet at Yagi Yusei in the first half (tbh the second half is worth watching for the kiss scene in ep 10 alone) and while it was ultimately disappointing, it had enough going for it to hold my attention to the end.
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