Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Next Drama: Girlcir

Forgot how I heard about "Girlcir" (AKA: "Gal Circle").  I figured it would probably be good since Fujiki Naohito ("Hotaru no Hikari") was in it and usually the dramas and movies I see him in are fairly decent.

Summary from Dramawiki:

Kitajima Shinnosuke, a cowboy from the USA who goes to Shibuya to find a group of girls to dance Para-Para. Along the way, he becomes a new type of hero, helping to solve problems that afflict Shibuya-Gals.

Ten minutes into the first episode and...it doesn't look good folks.  I'm going to give it a go anyway cuz I'm hoping it will get better.  I saw that Namase Katssuhisa ("Gokusen 1, 2, 3, and SP and "Ashita no Kita Yoshio") is in this along with Toda Erika ("Hana Yori Dango 2").  Maybe there is some hope for this series.

So, I've got my snack and I'm on my way to watch the rest of the first episode.

Final Episode of Inu Wo Kao to Iu Koto

As suspected, final episode was a job for extra strength tissues.  It was a good drama all around.  Since I rushed through to watch this one, I neglected taking screenshots so I have to go back and scan the episodes.

In the meantime, here are two of Ryo:



Inu Wo Kau to Iu Koto

I'll have to post the screenshots from the last episodes of "Shinzanmono" when I have them.  In the meantime, I've already moved onto a new drama with 1 episode left to watch. Screenshots to follow...

Since I'm terrible at summarizing without telling too much,  here is the synopsis from one of my favorite sites.  There is one thing I do not agree with and I'll say what it is after you read it.


Yuji Hongo (Ryo Nishikido) has a wife and two kids. The family lives near the Tokyo Sky Tree tower. He once dreamed of becoming a musician in his college days, but eventually settled into a job as the manager of a human resource department for a mid-sized manufacturing company. His job is to tell other employees that they have been laid off. It is now Yuji Hongo turn to become informed he has been laid off.

Meanwhile, his wife Sachiko (Asami Mizukawa), who had taken the opportunity of her first pregnancy to marry Yuji Hongo, struggles under the load of working several part-time jobs to try to support their family of four. As their family seems to be fraying at the edges, their daughter Mako, one day, brings home a small puppy they name "Sky Tree." The dog helps to brings the family together once again...


Yuji's wife Sachiko, does not work several part time jobs.  She had one but was let go when her medical condition became a bit of a problem.  She looked for other jobs but did not find one.

I chose this drama because I wanted something either currently airing, which is hard to find, or something that just finished airing.  When I saw Nishikido Ryo (from "Last Friends" and "Ichi Ritoru Namida") I knew I had to watch it.  Last time I saw Ryo in a drama, he used to beat his girlfriend up. I loved him in Ichi Ritoru Namida (One Litre of Tears) it was a huge shock to see him in that DV role.  I was so glad to see him back in a nicer role.  It was really nice to see Mizukawa Asami as Ryo's wife.  I hadn't seen her in anything since she and Ryo were in "Last Friends" together.

This is another tear jerker.  I'm up to the last episode which I'm sure I will have to watch with a box of tissues next to me.  I guess tomorrow I'm going to spend some time looking for my next drama.  Come back tomorrow or Wednesday to see which one I choose!

Shinzanmono: Episode 7 and 8 Screenshots

Episode Seven:


 
 
 
 


Episode Eight:





Shinzanmono: Episode 4, 5, and 6 Screenshots

Episode Four:

 

 


Episode Five:

 
 


Episode Six:






Shinzanmono: Episode 2 and 3 Screenshots

Episode Two:

 


Episode Three:

 
 
 
 
 
 

Shinzanmono Screenshots

While I was watching and collecting screenshots, I forgot to post them.  I loved this drama and I couldn't stop watching.  Before I knew it, the murderer was revealed, (no way I would have figured that one out) and the series was over.

Before I reveal the drama I watched after Shinzanmono, I'm posting the screenshots.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Shinzanmono (so far)

So far, I like this drama.  Hiroshi Abe is kind of like a Japanese Colombo.  He's quirky and weird and seems to ask questions that don't have anything to do with the case.

In the first episode, a woman is murdered.  As you watch the scenes where they show you the crime scene, you'll have to pay careful attention to the different crime scene objects they show you that will have to do with each episode.  Each object will bring about new characters that Hiroshi Abe and his partner will investigate and either suspect as the murderer or they will eliminate them as a suspect.

In two of the three episodes I've watched so far, they've got a running gag about the bathroom and toilet paper... That joke never gets old.

There's also another running joke about a taiyaki stand.  Seems the taiyaki is legendary and very popular.  So much so that there is always a line out the door.  Kaga (Hiroshi Abe) stands in line several times to buy a serving but...a few times the hostess taking orders on the long line ends up coming out with a huge sign that says "sold out" and always puts it in front of Kaga.  Will he ever get to taste the taiyaki???

Shinzanmono: Episode 1 Screenshots

Yes, I know that most of these are of Hiroshi Abe.  I couldn't help it.  Next episode, better screenshots...


Sunday, July 17, 2011

Next Drama: Shinzanmono

Tonight I'm starting another drama, "Shinzanmono".  This is another Hiroshi Abe one that looks pretty good.  It's a crime drama.  I've watched ten minutes of it so far and as soon as I post this, I'm going back to watching.

Going to try and post screenshots AFTER I have finished watching the episodes.  If I wait to post any after I'm done watching the whole drama, I'll get lazy and I won't post nicer screenshots.

I'm also going to start watching "Hana Yori Dango 2" because this one I started to watch and I never finished.  I think I watched 3 or 4 episodes only.  I'm sure I got distracted and stopped watching and when I went back to watching dramas, I probably forgot to finish that one and I started another one.

Screenshots of "Hana Yori Dango 2" to follow AFTER each episode I finish.

At some point I am going to make a list of dramas of my favorite actors/actresses so I have them in one place and I don't have to keep looking them up.

Here is the dramawiki summary of "Shinzanmono":

In the Ningyo-cho area of Nihonbashi, Tokyo - a woman was murdered. Detective Kaga Kyoichiro, who just transferred to the Nihonbashi police precinct, is placed in charge of the murder case. With virtually the entire residents of Ningyo-cho's shopping street emerging as suspects, Detective Kaga must use his keen sense of deductive reasoning to uncover the truth ... .

Shiroi Haru - Finished

Finished "Shiroi Haru"!  What a great drama!!!

I cried when I watched "Crying Out Love, in the Centre of the World" and I cried when I watched "Ichi Rittoru no Namida" (One Litre of Tears).  Watching "Shiroi Haru" had me crying worse than both dramas combined!!  Wow.

Usually, when I watch dramas, I try to figure out how they're going to tie up the story nicely.  Most are pretty predictable; but the fun is in watching how they get there...  In a million years, I could never have guessed the ending of "Shiroi Haru".  It's been a whole day but I'm still stunned.  The whole story was heartwarming and sad and touching... If you loved the two previously mentioned stories, you MUST watch "Shiroi Haru". 

I decided to watch this one because of Hiroshi Abe.  I think he's an amazing actor.  I've watched him in many different roles (TV and movies) and he's never disappointed.  One of my goals is to watch as many dramas/movies he's been in.  In general, most of the actors/actresses on the dramas I've watched are pretty good.  Some are because they take the same roles drama after drama so it's not really that they're good actors, they're just good at that role.  For example, there's this one actor whose name I can't remember...who played a gangster in a few dramas.  That's boring.  I know if I'm going to watch a drama and he's in the cast, there will be a gangster or a former gangster trying to go straight. 

Enjoy some of the screenshots below from "Shiroi Haru" below.



I also managed to find someone else I really like. She's pretty young and she's already been in a lot of shows. I'm going to have to start watching more of the ones she was in because she's good. She's also in "Ashita no Kita Yoshio", Yoshitaka Yoriko.