j o s h i . d e k a !

Surprisingly I haven't been watching a lot of dramas lately. What am I doing then? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I could be watching shows to my little heart's content. Especially seeing that I have LOTS of free time being that I don't have a summer job yet. It also doesn't help I am waiting for my sisters' convenience to watch "cream puffs" (Zettai Kareshi), "beater boyfriend" (Last Friends), and Gokusen. Blah.

Joshi Deka!, an unexpectedly good drama considering never thought I would not get too into it. When I read that Ryu Shi Won (wow I recalled his name from memory, I'm getting good. Haha yeah right), a Korean actor, would be in this Japanese drama I just had watch it for that reason alone. I thought he would be the only reason I would watch the whole show for. Not that I am a big fan of his.

Joshi Deka! is a mystery/crime fighting show. The title says it all "Female Cop."

Should I talk about Shi Won first off? Well, his part doesn't seem huge. Oh yeah except that he is the love interest. I do not lie. I have to say his acting is weird. I think he is making his character seem mysterious (the cliffhanger of episode 5 being kept in mind), but it comes off like he is a simpleton. He seems like a stay at home husband type, probably because he seems to be unemployed in the show. He loves cooking and doing laundry, plus he is very kind and nurturing (not that that has anything to do with being a stay at home dad/husband). His characteristics are ones associated with women, makes me wonder (wow that one class of sociology is stretching itself far). And Hatakeyama Kurumi (Nakama Yukie of Gokusen fame) seems to be the perfect compliment, considering she actually has a job. Haha.

Well Shi Won is playing a Korean in the show, so his Japanese is not expected to be perfect. But it is a bit painful to hear his sentences not flowing properly. And his Korean doesn't pop out naturally as it might would. When he said "sugoi (amazing)" in episode 4 I thought it was the perfect opportunity for him to speak some Korean instead, being that he was talking to himself.

Nakama Yukie, what is she doing? Is that called acting? Whatever it is is making my eyes bleed. Okay I am going overboard with that. But my favorite thing to do is critique the acting. Well her character is supposed to be immature and ditzy...not quite getting it at times. But it always seems the supposed (morals? ethics?) lessons are the most important, as long as people react a certain way it is all fine. But no form of entertainment should be taken too seriously.

Sakura (Pinko) is amusing from time to time. Nothing much to say about her.

The extras...oops I mean the extended cast are slightly entertaining, but rarely seen to be that memorable and endearing. I recognized a few of them (like Kinoko from Liar Game)...yeah fascinating.

Why do I like the show you ask? Well it is simple: I am addicted to mysteries. If there is nothing good about a show (or book) I'll watch (or read) it anyway if it is a mystery. Basically Yukie's character is trying to solve a serial murder case. Mmmm tasty serial, murder flavor! I must add that I am not hinting that the show is trash or anything. It doesn't annoy me, everything is pretty bearable about it. Romance isn't the main topic of the show. And it has one of my other favorite themes: adversity.

I like this drama. And if you like mysteries you may like it too, perhaps. Keep in mind I am on episode 6...so I have plenty of time to change my mind about this show. Also I must add I feel like I am being a little too generous towards drams I have been watching lately.


My Rating: ★★★★☆

O_O"

A little part of me just died. After spending HOURS on a post...Blogger went coo coo nutter bar on me. I lost more than half my post (which was pretty long, and my memory is jacked up because it is so late. So I'll have a hard time piecing the fragments...yes they left me with fragments...together). I am taking this pretty hard due to the fact I am EXTREMELY tired. Maybe things will look better in the morning. I HIGHLY doubt it. I learned a lesson though. Write my post in Word before I even THINK of going near Blogger. My beautiful post! I am off to cry now.

Hee hee (---side effects of lack of sleep). I know..."stop being a whiny baby." These things happen.

I'LL GET YOU SATAN!

g o k u s e n . 3

Ah yes the third season of Gokusen. Back in the day when I first started watching dramas I watched the first season of Gokusen. I am not sure I ever finished it now that I think of it. Around that time I was probably more interested in watching Korean dramas than Japanese ones. Still am. Well anyway, my first impression of the show...ah yes. I knew there was a manga and anime version. Not that my knowledge of that is pertinent. Well around that time I probably watched it because of Matsumoto Jun, being that the first Japanese drama I ever watched starred him. I grew fond of Oguri Shun while watching that. I am glad he is playing main leads now. Ah yes the good old days.

I must add that I haven't watched the second season. Which is a shame since my beloved Kame was in that season. As was Moko and Jin. So I should watch it. Notice the word "should" as if it were a chore for me to spend my time watching the show. Painful.

Well, I hate to break it to you but if you are familiar with the first two seasons (and my sister Marz is very familiar. I vaguely described the plot and she guessed immediately what I was watching) the third one will seem EXTREMELY familiar. Recycled story/plot. I understand the idea that Yankumi is a woman that is very good at handling delinquents, but we don't need to see the same situations. I need variation. Please. I swear they changed the names of characters and the school and BAM! told the same story. Keep in mind I haven't seen Gokusen in quite a while so my judgment could be off. But I think not.

So the story goes: There are some delinquents (I'll address these supposed delinquents in a bit) that are in danger of not graduating. So in comes Yankumi (tricked or otherwise) into the situation. She enters the classroom, being pleasant and cheerful while the kids are..being delinquents. She's is ignored. She spots the leader(s). She does some sort of trick to maintain some order (which fails to some extent). The kids are taken aback. But their suspicions are quelled when she acts the fool. However the leader(s) senses something...shall we say...special about her.

One of the students will get in trouble right off. She stands up for them. She trusts them. Trust and her believing in them. That's what it's all about. Now let me rant about why I don't buy that these kids are all that bad. Apparently Japanese men (I am assuming the writer/writers for this show, and previous ones, are men) believe that what all those naughty boys really need is someone to believe in them and help them out. Because deep down these kids don't want to slice your throat to shreds with a broken bottle. No. They are just acting up because no one trusts them. Are all these kids magically going to become good? I am waiting for some students to come along and the only thing that will cure them is a few years, or decades, in jail (not that I think jail "cures" anyone). I mean, really. These tough guys are touched by the smallest display of dedication and trust by anyone. I guess Yankumi only encounters the baddies with the hidden hearts of gold. Blah.

Ah yes, another phenomenon that occurs in the dimension of the Twilight Zone known as Gokusen: pretty boy felons. No, delinquents faces should not make you involuntarily retch. The Gokusen boys' faces apparently reflect the angels they truly are. Not that I mind pretty boys, it's just not realistic. Throw in some cauliflower ears and bent noses. Bah, who wants realism anyway...I'll stick with pretty boys.

Speaking of pretty boys, the main characters. Wow...in a bad way I guess. Ogata (Takaki Yuya) scares me. He reminds me of my cousin...who is a girl (not that she scares me...much). Is he trying to look like a girl? With bad hair mind you. And he actually wears eyeshadow, I am not lying. Oh goodness. I have to say I really laughed at the scene in the first episode were Ogata is getting beat up. I narrated it myself, "You take him. No, you take him. I don't want him, you take him." I've never seen anyone play hot potato with a person before. Hilarious. Beat up! Ha. Yeah right.

Now Kazama (Miura Haruma) on the other hand, I like. Haha. For all the shallow reasons in the world. Then again, who is the target audience for this show? Why do they have pretty boys in Gokusen? For me. Of course.

Haruma I heard was a bad actor, but it is not painfully obvious (not that I buy that he is gangsta). Plus I never saw him in anything else, except a trailer for the movie Naoko (which also stars Ueno Juri). And I have to mention the music on the Naoko website, every time I hear it my ears bleed but I don't turn it off. Masochistic? Or do I secretly like the song? Haha, I better not!

I kind of like the whole Gokusen storyline. So I don't mind terribly much that is recycled to the point it is a little ridiculous. The students couldn't be female? I'd like a little change. Or a little character development in Yankumi.

I have to mention that it always seems like foreigners are always portrayed as angry. "You stupid Japanese person, speak English or I'll shoot you." Something along those lines. And it's always nerds and people with badly damaged hair. And supposed Americans with thick European accents. But then again the majority of Americans can't differentiate a Korean person from a Japanese one.


My Rating: ★★★★☆

l a s t . f r i e n d s

I first stumbled upon this new drama when cruising DramaWiki for Eita's works. I looked at the cast list and was unpleasantly surprised when I spotted my FAVORITE (a blatant lie) actress from Proposal Daisakusen. I saw that Ueno Juri (from Nodame Cantabile) was also in it. I read the brief synopsis on the show...Eita with a sex phobia. Pleasant. Yeah, don't think so. Not exactly something you come across much. Didn't especially appeal to me at the time.

Recently I stumbled upon the DramaWiki page for the drama some time later. The promo picture caught my eye. And when I saw Ueno Juri with her short hair I thought she was a pretty boy, didn't recognize her for a moment. So I broke down and decided to watch the first episode. I loved it! Okay maybe I exaggerate, but I really really really liked the show.

Well the story is about friendship and healing. As far as I can tell. All the characters have problems they are hiding. So I assume Ueno Juri's secret love, Michiru's (Nagasawa) abuse and Takeru's (Eita) phobia are the main issues in the show.

Okay as usual I have my own issues with Japanese dramas, the main one being Nagasawa (aka Rei from ProDai). Well at the very beginning of the show BAM! we see a pregnant Michiru. She is giving a narrative of how she was so ignorant and, "If only she had known." I hate that kind of talk. Plus it is never as bad as they make it out to be, I suppose. Moreover I hate excuses, and "If only I had known" is definitely an excuse.

Ueno Juri's character Ruka is a tomboy. Her sexual orientation is hinted at throughout the first episode. I have to say they gave her a stereotypical lesbian look (as much as they could). I was really happy with Ueno's acting. She portrays her emotions very well, a little overly dramatic at times but satisfactory overall. Ueno is actually a big reason why I love the show, she is just so cool.

Eita is not an especially good actor, I still like him though. I think he is doing a good job with his character (as far as I can tell from one episode). His relationship with Ruka (or his beginning of one) is very cute. My only problem is with his hair, he looks like a homeless man. Is bed head in nowadays? Mizushima Hiro's (aka Soshi from Zettai Kareshi) hair is atrocious, is he trying to make his small head look bigger? Haha.

Michiru has many problems, but I tend to tune out whatever comes out of her mouth. I really can't stand Nagasawa's acting, I really can't. But I am trying to find good moments. My sisters were trying to counter my exaggerations of not understanding her acting. I just desire a little more realism. Basically, I feel like am seeing almost the same character from ProDai.

As I have mentioned many times, I hate all those Japanese philosophies that get shoved in our faces, sometimes contradicting ones. Mostly we hear about the heart, making others comfortable, working hard and trying our best. It gets tiring. I am probably already brainwashed into believing American philosophies, so I probably don't notice them as American shows push them on to me. With Last Friends we get a heap of sugary lines seeping out of the actors mouths. I wonder if to Japanese people they seem sincere?

I have to mention one of the lines I hated, it will probably be slightly rephrased because I don't remember the exact words. Michiru (talking about Ruka): "I didn't know at that time that you looked back. I didn't even notice." Lame. How is Michiru supposed to know Ruka looked back. Was it meant to convey that Michiru should have picked up on Ruka's feelings during their reunion? I think if the dialogue was written better the whole show would be enhanced.

Michiru's boyfriend is just a crazy nutter and I'll leave it at that. Nishikido Ryo used to be a favorite of mine from 1 Litre of Tears, but he never really grew on me. I wish his role didn't feel like he was playing a stock character or a stereotype. But the character brings lots of drama to the show and I am happy for that.

I see a lot of promise...and drama to come in this show. And so far I really love this Jdrama. It's a little slow paced and wordy, but I can overlook it for now. Oh and I love the soundtrack too, very appropriate.


My Rating: ★★★★★