h a n a y o m e . t o . p a p a

I am looking bleary eyed at my computer screen wondering if I'll make through a whole post. I am sick...again. I am planning to catch every one's colds, every single person that comes in contact with me. Please give me your germs!!! Wah, it is annoying to feel cruddy. I should make it a habit to carry hand sanitizer or bleach. I just read that sunlight is a germ killer. No wonder I don't get sick in summer, but wait I am constantly indoors. Maybe it is the heat.

Enough about my woes and let us explore the woes of a fictional Japanese girl.

Hanayome to Papa (Father and the Bride) is about the relationship between a feisty and overprotective father and a equally feisty naive daughter who wants to go out in the world to fulfill her dreams and find love.

1. Papa: At first I did not like Uzaki Ken (Tokito Saburo) at all. Anyone antagonizing the main character is annoying. But gradually I looked forward to the arguments between Uzaki Ken and his daughter Aiko (Ishihara Satomi). I actually think their comic interactions are the highlight of the show. The speaking in unison. The exaggerated expressions. The frustration of the father.

I never watched anything with Tokito-san before. I need to see more.

2. Miura: Well, Miura Seiji is the love interest. How dull. Him and Aiko have as much spark as two dead fishies. Taguchi Junnosuke plays our corpse-like lover. Yup. Not a good choice. Taguchi-kun a lead? I suppose the romance aspect was not the main subject of the drama, but they sure brought it up a lot. So I would have liked to believe that Aiko and Miura actually cared for one another. I mean, damns, they got together pretty quick. The struggle they depict to fight for their love is quite amusing since they basically strangers. I decided to ignore reality and just enjoy the pure ridiculousness of it.

3. Roosters: No lie, a rooster plays a role in this drama. What? That wasn't a rooster? Just Koizumi Kotaro (as Narumi Shinichi: Aiko's boss) with a rooster-esque comb on his head. The man is good looking and the poultry look is not doing anything for him. I am almost relieved when his hair is the slightest bit askew.

Another point is that the writers were throwing Aiko and Narumi at each other, teasing us with the possibility of a romantic connection. But I called their bluff. As if they could make it any more obvious. I would have preferred Narumi and Aiko to be together. I thought they made a cute couple. Blah, whatever.

I am making this short, there isn't much to say about this show. Sure it deals with the advertising industry...barely. But the heart of the show is the kooky and entertaining relationship between Ken and Aiko. Watch it if you want to laugh and have the ability to ignore contrived acting. I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5 (can't do half stars...heh heh).


My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

s h i b a t o r a

Whoever invented school must have been a masochistic nerd. I am proud to say that for once I did not procrastinate. I did not wait until the night before my paper is due to write it. But I am still super stressed about slacker partners that are expecting me to do all the work, and I just happened to lose my textbook of which I need to accomplish that task. So to feebly distract from my stress (sorry I just needed to vent before I got to the juicy bits) I have been drowning my sorrows in a good drama. Okay I admit Shibatora is not that good. But it is a healthy distraction.

Shibatora is about a baby faced copper who becomes a police detective.

Where to start. Oh yes, you should be scared. I feel like drop kicking this drama...just because. It isn't a very funny show. But I got the feeling they weren't being entirely serious. So I mused to myself, "Satire?" Maybe. But just Maya Miki's parts. When her character mentions her sister having died by juvenile violence I had the urge to laugh. Her expressions are so composed for someone overwrought by the death of her little sis. Chiba Sakura is definitly meant to be a kooky character. So maybe the drama isn't satirical. Teppei's character Shibata is certainly earnest enough for everyone.

1. Teppei: Ah yes, Koike Teppei. That bird face shrimp. He so does not have a baby face. His stubly sagging face is barely concealed beneath the usual mounds of makeup. I doubt he could pass for a grade schooler. But I'll let them keep their little fantasy. I am not fond of Teppei if you can't tell. Well, Teppei plays the main character Shibata Taketora. I have many issues with the actor and character. Shibata is a very motivated and earnest young man of 24 (Teppei is 21). Oh and did I mention he can see the hands of the Shinigami? No lie. He had a near death experience and now he as special powers...that seems very out of place and lame. They probably wanted to spice up the show and all they could come up with is some cr@zy powers.

Besides having mystical powers Shibata has the most magical quality that a Japanese person could have, the ability to trust. Awww how...irritating! We get some more Japanese nonsense that all you need to do to save a delinquent is to trust them. I get enough of this from Gokusen. Is there an epidemic of adults not trusting youngsters? I am sure they have good reason not to trust them if they really are as corrupted as their society would like us to believe. I don't think these preachy shows are helping the issue any. I think that Japanese kids need understanding and acceptance more than trust.

2. Fujiki Naohito: This man scares the hell out of me. Him and his freakish hair. Does it ever change? I think he has a special attachment to it. Perhaps it is a wig? His hair rarely changes style from drama to drama. Sure it is styled a bit differently, that is to be expected. But the cut is always the same. So I admit I did not recognize him right off when he showed his stiff face in front of the camera.

Okay, so get this Fujiki-san plays a gansta. Ba Dump Bump. I kid you not. With every character and situation I am swayed into thinking this is a satire. Who would believe that he was a gangsta? No one. Dyed hair and tacky silk shirts don't make you yakuza or even petty gang material Naohito-chan!!!

I have nothing else to say on any matter. I do want to mention that I swear...well I thought when I fist saw the store in episode 2 (25:18) the one that Kojiro (Fujiki) searches is the one I went to in Shinjuku. But my sister says I am wrong. The place we went to was super crowded, but the merchandise and placement were similar. I am sure there are similar stores. But it would be crazy cool if it is the one I went to. I need to bug my sis for copies of the pics she took.

This drama is not unique. Even if it is a satire (which I am still on the fence about), it surely isn't a funny one. The detective-ing is just for show. No real intriguing mysteries going down. It surprisingly isn't that boring. That is one thing in its favor.


My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

g a l i l e o

I just got through watching a good great drama, huddling around my laptop for warmth. It was a drama I had overlooked because basically it seemed dull. But it turns out Galileo is a mystery drama. Mmmm, murder and crime. I was actually digging for dramas with Kitamura Kazuki in them, and he was peppered in this drama. It was a glorified guest role, and was in only four episodes briefly. I thought it was hilarious that he was surrounded by female admirers, getting glomped by them left and right.

Galileo is about a genius physics professor helping the local police solve crimes.

One of the draws for me in the show were the characters. They were entertaining and the chemistry and interaction was great. I loved how many well known and popular Japanese stars had guest roles in the drama. Katori Shingo (I HIGHLY recommend his drama Bara no nai Hanaya), Hirosue Ryoko (I am watching her in a drama right now, I may write something on it because it is funny as all heck) and Ohgo Suzuka (Loved her in Sexy Voice and Robo, and I must tell a little story that I tell to anyone when the drama comes up. I told it a total of one time. Haha. Well I was downloading to dramas and only the first three letters of the dramas showed as I waited, and I suddenly became ultra aware of what other people would see when someone walked by: Hotaru no Hikari & Sexy Voice and Robo). Fukada Kyoko was also in an episode. And that is all I have to say about that.

Utsumi Kaoru (Shibasaki Kou) is the rookie police detective taking over for Kusanagi Shunpei (Kitamura). When Utsumi encounters a troubling case of a young man's head igniting she decides to consult Kusanagi's good friend Yukawa Manabu (Fukuyama Masaharu). Yukawa-sensei is a man who only trusts logical things, and mainly becomes interested in cases of teleportation and fireballs to prove that something else is behind the seemingly supernatural occurrences.

Wah, I have a few issues with Yukawa-sensei. He is so not smoking hot. Haha. He has his cute moments (and expressions). Take notes: Episode 8 when he tries Utsumi's cooking and...okay there may have been other moments, but I can't recall. What else is cute is Utsumi's little crush on Yukawa-sensei. Nothing came of it by the end of the show (oopsie, spoiler), which usually happens with Japanese dramas not focused on love stories.

Yukawa-sensei loves solving mysteries that baffle him, and when he thinks he knows how to solve the problem he goes into a flurry of writing equations on any flat surface available. It is so convenient that wherever he is there is a nice surface and a marker or pointy rock nearby. And is it necessary to write nonsensical math equations? None of the issues really seem to involve math or any known formulas. I think someone is taking liberties.

I had an "Ah-ha!" moment when I recognized Fukuyama (Yukawa-sensei) from a drama I am watching from '93 (fifteen years ago! I was a fetus...okay I lie but I was tiny). I didn't immediately notice it was him. The combo of orange makeup, and wrinkles and some added flesh to his face made it tough. And his features are on the more delicate (or maybe weak) side, so I blame it on...okay okay I am trying to come up with excuses, I'll stop.

Being that the show is a mystery I was all gung-ho about it. But don't expect to be able to solve the crimes. Sure, maybe you'll know the baddies. But no way you'll know how they did it. I was confused how it went down with the two last episodes, not that it really mattered. I must add that the ending of the drama was not brilliant. But since so many Japanese viewers loved the show too a second season is airing this fall/winter (I think it premiered the 4th). But it is set three years earlier, meaning no Utsumi. [Correction correction, no second season for now, just a special...sadly] But there is a movie out now (Yogisha X no Kenshin) that takes place in the time after the first season (I believe). So I am hoping for some progress between Yukawa-sensei and Utsumi. I feel I'll be disappointed if I go in watching it hoping for only that to happen.

I feel as if there was something else I wanted to mock, but I am going senile. Regardless of this drama being cheesy and shamelessly touting the morals of scientists and throwing in some environmental issues I really really liked it. Mystery and crime in my face. Lots of stuff to make me laugh (unintentionally half the time). And that bit of romance. Perfect.

Ah! I wanted to talk about Maya Miki, she is the coroner in the drama. I fell in love with her hilarious character Shabu Shabu-san (forget character's real name) and since then I have loved her in every drama I have seen her in. I just love Maya Miki. She is cute and funny and I wish she was in more of the show. But what she is in is quite enjoyable.

Watch the drama dernit! You'll like it!!!


My Rating: ★★★★☆