finished Ouroboros, definitely one of my favorites, first time ever watching a dark themed Jdorama and the casting and acting is superb. I definitely recommend it.

currently watching Nobunaga Concerto

I've been watching some Kitagawa Keiko dramas recently.

I watched Mop Girl last week, and it was pretty good. She played a kind of ditzy girl who worked at a kind of funeral home. When she touched the belongings of certain deceased people (who shouldn't have died), she would be taken back in time a day or so and be given a chance to change the circumstances that led to that person's death. It was mostly comedic with serious overtones, and was worth the watching.

Since I enjoyed her in that semi-supernatural series, I decided to watch Akumu-chan. In this, Kitagawa is a teacher at an elementary school, but she really doesn't like being a teacher. A new student shows up who has prophetic dreams, and the little girl (and her grandfather) believe that Kitagawa's character can help the girl figure out her dreams and save the people the dreams indicate will be hurt. This drama was from just 2012, and Kitagawa's acting skills are much better than from her early stuff like Mop Girl and Buzzer Beat (which I watched last year and enjoyed). After only three episodes, I can see more character development than in her earlier stuff.

I've become a bit of a fan of Kitagawa's. She's pretty funny when she goes for humor, but can pull of a more serious kind of acting, too. I enjoyed her in the romantic comedy (movie) Paradise Kiss, and discovered that she had a bit part in Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift which I watched a few years ago.

saldiven wrote:I've become a bit of a fan of Kitagawa's. She's pretty funny when she goes for humor, but can pull of a more serious kind of acting, too. I enjoyed her in the romantic comedy (movie) Paradise Kiss, and discovered that she had a bit part in Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift which I watched a few years ago.

She was quite good in Judge!, an OTT comedy I saw on the plane to Tokyo last year.



http://asianwiki.com/Judge!_-_Japanese_Movie

And although in a supporting role, do watch the 2014 season of HERO where she plays Kimura Takuya's assistant.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hero#Season_2

And there's a second HERO film too!



http://www.hero-movie.com/

The second season of HERO is definitely on the list, but I really want to watch the first season before I watch the second. I haven't found a site with the first season with English subtitles yet.

saldiven wrote:The second season of HERO is definitely on the list, but I really want to watch the first season before I watch the second. I haven't found a site with the first season with English subtitles yet.

When I watched the 2001 season, it wasn't on an online drama site. *koff* ^^ Soft subs are available for downloads.

You can watch the 2014 as a standalone season as anything regard the story and its characters are repeated but with a few minor changes, unless you're the completist sort and HAVE to had watched the first season. Kitagawa wasn't in the 2001 episodes anyway.

Yeah, I've done some background investigation about the series. One of the reasons I'd like to watch the 2001 series is because Matsu Takako plays the female lead, and I liked Kumura and Matsu's chemistry together in the 1997 drama, Love Generation, and was a supporting role in 1996 Long Vacation.. (Love Generation wasn't really as good as Long Vacation, but was a decent enough drama where I liked the characters.)

Finished Kasuka no Kanjou, among the student - teacher drama that I have seen (Gokusen, GTO 1998 and 2012) for me it is the best simply because it is not over the top in portraying the teachers, here the teachers are like any other rational person that prioritize personal security and convenience at times but do step up (sometimes reluctantly) when the need arises. 

Also I do like Atsuko Maeda and Anne Watanabe's performance in their respective roles.

I'm glad you liked it, Alrick.

I'd have felt bad if you watched it and didn't enjoy it after I had said that I thought it was a good series. I agree that the teachers, for the most part, behaved rather realistically. They were less caricatures of teachers compared to what you see in a lot of school based dramas.

Finished Bitter Blood, there's a certain swag about Takeru Sato, it goes to show that some can be bad ass without having the physical attributes of an action star. I really enjoyed the series overall it's just that like most Jdorama there is always the "possible but not definite romance" after the final episode there is always a craving for more.

I haven't seen that one.

I'm actually watching Amachan right now. It was one I've been interested in watching since I read about the format. It was on nightly, Mon-Fri at 8:00, and each episode is only 15 minutes long. There's like 150+ total episodes, but they're super short. It's very cute so far. It's about a high school girl from Tokyo who's mother takes her back to a very small town to live because of dissatisfaction with the mother's husband. The young girl has always been quiet and kind of boring, but really begins to blossom out in the countryside. The girls grandmother is an Ama, or female diver who collects shellfish (they focus on sea urchin in the show). The young girl, Aki, becomes fascinated with this practice, and decides she wants to be one, too.

Not sure why this one caught my interest, but the actress playing Aki is very engaging and sympathetic. So far, I like it; I'm 29 episodes in.

finished episode 1 to 3 of Amachan, First time seeing a countryside family oriented Jdorama, it is really interesting.

Question, who are the people that is shown every end of an episode? are they the townspeople or fans?

You know, I really have no idea who they are. I've wondered, myself. I haven't seen anything in any research I've done on the series that indicate who they might be. I've been operating under the assumption that they are people that live and work in that part of Iwate prefecture. There was another movie based on something similar (rural part of Japan trying to increase tourism revenue) that was based on a true story, and at the end of the movie, they showed a photograph of the actual people upon whom the story was based.

Interestingly enough, watching Amachan got me to try Hard Nut. The crime/comedy drama, Hard Nut, had been on my radar for a little while, but I hadn't pulled the trigger on watching it.

When I started watching Amachan, I got to like the character Adachi Yui, Aki's close friend. It turns out that the actress playing Adachi, Hashimoto Ai, also plays the female lead in Hard Nut. So, this past weekend, I watched the whole series (it's only 8 episodes of 45 minutes each).

The series is about a mathematical genius (Nanba Kurumi) in college who by chance meets a young police detective (Tomoda Tatsuhiko) during the course of an investigation. Her incredibly powerful techniques of mathematical analysis leads to the eventual solution to that investigation. The detective eventually comes to rely a bit upon the girl's analytical skills, and he keeps returning to her for help throughout the series. Nanba's character is very socially awkward, incredibly smart, and seemingly quite innocent on the surface. Tomoda's character is a little aloof, but also hard working, dedicated, and highly ethical; he can sometimes be completely out of his depth when Nanba starts talking about advanced mathematical concepts, though. Somewhat predictably, Nanba falls for Tomoda and starts plotting ways to win his interest, but she's totally inept where romance is concerned, allowing for some funny scenes.

Now, the best part of the series, to me, is the fact that both Nanba and Tomoda have hidden back stories that become revealed as the plot progresses. They both have a bit of a dark secret in their lives, and neither is quite what they seem to be. The ending, for me, was excellent. The conclusion of the series just aches for a second season, or maybe a longer special episode at some point. While the ending is satisfactory enough as it stands, there is so much potential for a continuation of the story that I really hope there will be some sort of follow up. That's all I'm going to say so that there aren't any spoilers :D

I'm now at episode 65 of Amachan, the characters are all lovable especially Ai Hashimoto (Yui Adachi) really love her acting when she is pissed and raising her voice

Oh, by the way, I got a bit of a clue about who the people at the end of the Amachan episodes might be. Apparently, the Amachan series is kind of done in homage to the 2011 tsunami that hit that region of Japan. In the later parts of the series, the tsunami occurs, and the series talks about the people in the area overcoming the tragedy. Apparently, the people shown in the photographs are people from the region, though I don't know if they're memorial pics of people who were lost in the tsunami, or celebrations of people who survived.

I just watched Fuurin Kazan a japanese historical drama. It was pretty interesting, i learn a lot about the Japan history . The main reason i started to watch it was that Gackt was one of the actors, even if he only appeared from ep 25 till the end. All i can say is samurai, samurai, samurai 

Also i saw a movie....Kano...on wiki it said is a taiwanese movie, even if they talked in japanese .
The actions it happens in 1931 when Taiwan was under Japan rule. The film shows the multiracial Kano baseball team from southern Taiwan overcoming extreme odds to represent the island in the 1931 Japanese High School baseball Championship. Beyond all expectations the team advanced in the final game of the tournament.

will take a break with Amachan I'm currently at the return to Tokyo arc, also I really do developed a deep curiosity with one of the cast namely Kasumi Arimura (young Haruko)




for me she's the most beautiful Japanese actress, can't resist those cheeks so I'll be watching Keizoku (1999) to SPEC (2010) where sheis also part of the cast

She also had a supporting role in Shitsuren Chocolatier in 2014. That drama has an all-star type cast. The lead is played by Matsumoto Jun (Hana Yori Dango and Gokusen), the female lead is Ishihara Satomi (Be-Bop High School and a bunch of others since 2003), and the supporting class includes Mizukawa Asami (Last Friends, Nodame Cantabile, Detective Conan, Stand Up!, etc.), Mizobata Junpei (Hana Kimi and Buzzer Beat), and Sato Ryuta (Pride, Tokyo Friends, Rookies and Legal High 2).

I'm pretty sure I reviewed this one several pages ago. It's decent, though (spoiler alert) the ending isn't as satisfying as I would like....though probably not terribly unrealistic.

I'm a bit hesitant to try Shitsuren Chocolatier I've been reading a lot of complaint about it specially the ending...

I'm looking forward to her first lead role if I'm not mistaken; Umi ni Furu

alrick13 wrote:I'm a bit hesitant to try Shitsuren Chocolatier I've been reading a lot of complaint about it specially the ending...

I'm looking forward to her first lead role if I'm not mistaken; Umi ni Furu

The ending to Heartbroken Chocolatier isn't terrible; it's just unsatisfying. Typically in that type of drama, you want the romantic lead to be with the person he loves. It doesn't happen in this drama. However, I think that's not what the drama is about. It's more about shaking free of old emotional entanglements and moving forward with your life. In that, it's similar to the drama "Why I Can't Find my Love" with Karina and Oshima Yuko playing leading roles. Very similar in that none of the leads end up in the kind of relationship that the viewer might expect, but they all end up in a better place in their lives. To me, there is a degree of value in that type of story, too.

Though, the ending of Shitsuren Chocolatier is such that it is set up really well for a sequel; I hope it happens to have a more thorough resolution to the story.

Um - Amachan actually is an "asadora" - meaning "morning drama". NHK had that type of drama for quite awhile. Amachan was more or less the reason why people started getting interested again in asadoras. What's odd about it is that it's not set in old Japan, but was set some years before the airing of the asadora. But then again, because of the 80s flashback, it's more or less a period drama too. Not to mention it was timely given how big the current Idol Feudal Era is. I laughed out so hard that the producer looked a lot like Akimoto Yasushi hahaha I loved it a lot that it also incorporated a lot of the Idol Golden and Silver Era in the flashbacks too. sorry, I'm an old wota ROFLMAO During its run, it's such a big hit that they had a segment at Kouhaku Utagassen for that asadora.

Same goes to Hanako to Anne last year, though it was set in old Japan, which is more the typical setting for asadoras. It also was a big hit that it also had a segment in Kouhaku Utagassen. A friend of mine who lives in Yokohama said that the asadora before this currently airing series was also a big hit, given it's about the trials of a non-Japanese wife living during the Meiji era. The title of the asadora is Massan.

Speaking of asadoras, I'm faithfully watching the currently airing asadora, Mare. It's foodpr0n asadora. Though specifically, cakes and desserts. I'll probably skip the next asadora after Mare as it's set again in old Japan which I always struggle to watch.

Among other currently airing JDramas I'm watching is, Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san, another foodpr0n JDrama, but it's ramen this time haha Other JDramas I'm watching this season is Death Note (because duh, it's Death Note & was pretty hyped for it and even announced our group will work on it - but it's a good thing it got licensed or I'll be toxic weekly haha) and Dokonjo Gaeru (for nostalgia's sake, as I watched the anime re-airing when I was a kid (sorry, watching it with Japanese subs for now)).

The JDramas I watched faithfully last season while it was airing was I'm Home (since, duh? It's a KimuTaku drama, so most of the staff behind it will most likely be good) and the underrated NHK yorudora (late night drama) Lunch no Akko-chan, another foodpr0n JDrama (finished watching it with only Japanese subs, but it just started being English subbed recently).

As I tend to skip many dramas that's being aired, I tend to check what got awarded in the past season's TV Drama Academy Awards - http://dorama.info/drama/d_award.php - then try watching what won in that current season.

@alrick13, saldiven & everyone: if you want another teacher-student JDrama, might as well pimp our old work - ROOKIES. Though I really want to upgrade that in this lifetime, but I don't have the moolah to buy the BluRay boxset yet =_=;;

@Ais: I actually like the food dramas. I'm a big fan of food shows in the USA like Chopped, Top Chef, Bizarre Foods, Masterchef, etc., so that's probably why I like the food dramas.

I've watched Shitsuren Chocolatier, My Little Chef, Ando Natsu, Oishii Proposal and a few others that I can't remember right now. I'm watching a Korean drama based in a restaurant right now called My Little Ghost that's pretty good, though the site with the subtitles I'm using is only up to episode 4 right now.

I remember watching My Little Chef - but I watched it more than a decade ago haha Because of my hobby of translating stuff, I most of the time tend to put JDramas that finished airing on hold or backburner. Will tend to watch them only when I feel like it or have time. I give much priority to currently airing JDramas so that I can watch them weekly as they come out.

I have a hard time watching other Asian titles besides titles of my native language and Japanese titles. Probably because of culture differences but mostly because of language barrier. I next to don't really need English subtitles and only use them as a guide. Heck, if the English subtitles are just too plain wrong, I tend to turn it off as it serves as a distraction instead of helping me understand the title more. That's why I next to don't watch Korean dramas.

Anyway, since this thread is also about Japanese movies, might as well pimp these movies. The English subitles floating around are translated by yours truly:
> Solanin
> Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
> Video Girl Ai
> Gin no Saji - though the released version is beta (& last time I checked, too much errors, ugh)
> Kamisama no Karute 2 - though the released version is beta, final version currently on QC
> Fatal Frame / Zero - though the released version is beta, but errors are minor
> Hot Road - though the released version is beta, but errors are minor
> Little Forest: Summer & Autumn - though the released version is beta, but errors are minor
> Kuragehime - though the released version is beta, but errors are minor

While continuing NHK's asadora, Mare, listed below are tentative titles I will watch / plan to watch this Summer Season. Might drop halfway whenever I feel like it :v

Looking at this list - https://jdramas.wordpress.com/2015/07/19/upcoming-summer-2015-dramas/

Definitely started watching and will continue watching:
> Death Note (duh?)
> Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san (because foodpr0n) -> Done.
> Dokonjo Gaeru (because anime nostalgia)
> Akagi (duh? And yosshaa! Skipping to Washizu arc!)

Still thinking of picking up:
> Shimeshi (because foodpr0n)
> Tonari no Seki-kun to Rumi-chan no Jishou (Mano Erina + Shimizu Fumika + school manga comedy)
> Tantei no Tantei ( because Kitagawa Keiko having a stoic role again. Last time was since she played Sailor Mars / Rei, if I'm not mistaken )
> Heat (because EXILE AKIRA)
> Age Harassment (because Takei Emi)
> Omotesando Koukou Gasshoubu (because music)

If you like Kitagawa in a more "stoic" type role, check her out in Akumu-chan. Her character is relatively dark in this one (at least compared to her roles in Buzzer Beat, Mop Girl, and Paradise Kiss).