So many detective dramas this season, it feels like they're going against each other neck by neck...

but I've only followed these so far:
Senyuu Tantei
Galileo 2
Doubles~ Futari
TAKE FIVE

And out of these, I'm enjoying Galileo 2 (there's a balance of comedy/science and just the nerdiness of Prof). But ep3 and ep4 were bit disappointing, in terms of the cases and how they solved them. Since I'm not a physicist, I wouldn't know how logical they are, but there are times when you'll be amazed by certain cases, and these were just below expectation. Not even AKB48's Oshima Yuko can save ep3 for example. Not that I'd expect anything much from that But ep3 had a scene which was super hilarious, literally made me LOL so hard.




Can't say much about TAKE FIVE yet coz I've watched the 1st epi only. Doubles and Senyuu are probably at the same level. They're entertaining in its own way. But nothing spectacular. And last night, I started watching Kakushou, it's okay so far. No high-tech stuffs or anything to solve mysteries, it's all based on intuition and old style investigation skills.
But the combi between veteran actor Takahashi Katsumi and Eikura Nana is refreshing. Well, I don't see chemistry btw them but kinda funny and cute to watch.

Will come back with more opinions on the other dramas later tonight. Off to watch Galileo 2 ep5 now, hope this case will be better.

After catching up with Senyuu till ep4, I'm loving it more and more lolz...I love the chemistry between him and the supporting actress. Such sweet moment in ep4!!! And the cases are different from each other, I think I just like how he's undercover for various kinds of situations, taking different roles. It makes it more refreshing rather than sticking to one role.

oh and I finally watched ep1 of Soratobu Kouhoushitsu, starring Aragaki Yui and Ayano Go , looking good. Teared up a bit during this scene



This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 18 2013, 12:52 AM

For this season?

If so, here's my list:

Galileo 2
Last Cinderella
Senyuu Tantei Tokage
TAKE FIVE
Soratobu Kouhoushitsu

Most of them are investigative though, this season seems to be full of it.

yup, and it was very classic funny as usual. Glad it got picked up for 2nd season, enjoyable drama.

Galileo 2 is bit disappointing lately, the mysteries are just not up to par with 1st season. Some conclusions are rushed and badly explained, then again, we're not supposed to take the scientific approach too seriously.

If you like this type, then I'll recommend another drama by Yutaka for you, Mou Ichido Kimi ni, Propose. Another stellar acting by Yutaka (my fav J-actor actually) hehe... Me myself am not so into romance, more of investigative/suspense type but once in a while, I do miss this type of genre. Back in the 90s, there were tonnes of great awesome nostalgic feel of romance J-dramas, but recently, they seem to shift attention to others. Especially this season, lots and lots of mystery/detective dramas.

By the way, I'm beginning to love Soratobu Kouhoushitsu, like a LOT! The past 2 episodes really teared me up. Touching like hell. Looking forward to final episode now. Another good drama by both Aragaki Yui and Ayano Go (I'm expecting lots of potential from this actor in the future).

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jun 21 2013, 10:28 AM

I just watched ATARU Special part 2 last night...it was okay, was hoping for more but looks like it's a cliffhanger again. And I thought Horikita Maki appeared for most of the part here, but I was wrong. She only appeared at the end *SIGH* but the next movie will be her case.



Waiting for final subs for dramas like Soratobu and Senyuu Tantei Tokage. Galileo just released a spin-off called Galileo XX few days ago featuring Ustumi Kaoru. So for those who miss Kou Shibasaki from Season1 probably should give it a look. The series will release a movie Manatsu no Houteishiki soon. Hope the movie will make up for the lack of genius cases in season2.

oh and great news for fans of Soredemo Ikite Yuku or rather...the actress Hikari Mitsushima. She's starring as wife of Shun Oguri who died early and left herself to care for her two children.

Director Nobuo Mizuta and screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto previously collaborated in NTV's 2010 drama series "Mother" and not to mention both Soredemo Ikite Yuku and Saikou no Rikon. So I'm putting quite high expectation on this drama because Mother and Soredemo were such amazing dramas.

Woman - showing next season!


Me myself am anticipating this show a lot. Time for some family drama after an overdose of detective series this season.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jun 27 2013, 12:17 AM

I just watched first episode of Woman, mentioned earlier in my post. Starring Mitsushima Hikari. If you've watched dramas like Mother, Soredemo Ikite Yuku and Saikou no Rikon etc...impressively moving human dramas, then you'll most likely to love this one too, as this was produced/directed by same directors/writers.

The writer/director seems to love using similar actors/actresses in their dramas (Eita and Mistushima both in their second dramas by the same writer already now). So yeah, it was a cry-fest. I expected it to be anyway, but I love the way they film it. The close-ups and moving cameras. It's really good. So far, this is my most anticipated drama for now, since the news ones are not all out yet.

Give it a try!

New season is here and as usual...I'll post some dramas and short synopsis to make it easier for us to choose which to to try. This season doesn't seem to focus on detective series anymore, well, we have a lot of them last season, so I guess they wanna mix it up this time.


Kyuumei Byoto 24-ji Season 5
Seriously, this show is still going on? Amazing. I hope this gets subbed though.




Doctors Season 2 ~ Saikyou no Meiji
The successor issue for Donoue General Hospital rapidly rises, while the conflict between Kosuke Sagara (Ikki Sawamura) and Suguru Moriyama (Masanobu Takashima) worsens.



Saito-san Season 2
Set five years after "Saito San," Masako Saitou (Arisa Mizuki) now has a son in the 4th grade of elementary school. She moves to a new town and meets new people. Masako Saitou faces many problems at the elementary school and has to deal with the parents of her son's classmates and also the teachers.



LIMIT
Konno (Nanami Sakuraba) is a high school student. She belongs to the the most powerful group in the class, which is led by Sakura Himezawa, so she can have a peaceful school life. One day, on the way to a school exchange event, a school bus driver dies due to overwork. The bus goes off a cliff.
Including Sakura Himezawa, a majority of Konno's classmates die in the accident. Only 5 girls including Konno survive. The other four survivors are Kamiya (Tao Tsuchiya), Haru (Ayano Kudo), Arisa (Rio Yamashita) and Chikage Usui. These five girls have to survive and during their struggles they express their feelings which they have held inside.




Shomuni aka. Power Office Girls 4
10 years ago an employee at Manpan Corporation, thought to be useless, was demoted to the shomuni (general affairs section 2). That division was considered as "the graveyard for female office ladies," as the ladies were tasked with menial work. Six female employees there including Chinatsu Tsuboi (Makiko Esumi) acted according to what they felt was right and didn't follow the company's outdated views of their roles. The women their eventually saved the company and left. 10 years later, Japan finds itself in a long-term economic depression. Companies like Manpan Corporation are restructuring due to the economic climate.

Continue next post.

Namonaki Doku ~ Dareka Somebody

Looks like a detective show!
Sugimura (Koizumi) works as an editor at the public relations department in the Imada Konzern. One day, the chairman, and his father-in-law, Yoshichika (Mikijiro Hira), asks him to support the daughters of his personal driver who died in an accident. The driver was killed in a hit-and-run accident by a bicycle, but the criminal hasn't been caught yet. The younger daughter Riko (Nao Minamisawa) is eager to find the suspect by writing a book about her father's life. But the older daughter Satomi (Kyoko Fukada) opposes the idea, and explains why by telling Sugimura about her father's dark past... - TBS


Machi Isha Jumbo
Masayoshi Tsuruda (Daisuke Maki), known as Jumbo, returns to a small port city due to a loan given to the late director of the Baba Clinic. Soon, Masayoshi Tsuruda becomes the director at Baba Clinic.
Nurse Asuka Baba (Shiori Kutsuna) works at the clinic. She is also the only child of the ex-director. Asuka is inexperienced with her job, but passionate and tender. Doctor Masayoshi Tsuruda and Nurse Asuka have arguments, while struggling to save patients.




SUMMER NUDE
Asahi Mikuri‎ya (Tomohisa Yamashita) works at a photography studio, located near the sea. In the past, Asahi Mikuri‎ya dreamed of becoming a famous photographer, but now he as a cameraman for weddings and school events. Asahi Mikuri‎ya was also in love with a woman, but she suddenly left him.
Natsuki Chiyohara‎ (Karina) then appears in Asahi's life. Natsuki works as a manager at a well known Italian restaurant in Tokyo. During the worst moment in her life, when her boyfriend dumps her, Asahi appears and even takes a picture of that moment.
Natsuki begins work as a chef at the "House of Sea," located in the same seaside town where Asahi lives. Asahi's former senior classmate runs the restaurant. Natsuki and Asahi have their past in common and they begin to get closer.
Meanwhile, Taniyama (Erika Toda) is Asahi's former junior classmates. She holds feelings for Asahi.



Hanzawa Naoki
Naoki Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) works as a loan manager at the Osaka Nishi branch of Tokyo Central Bank. One day, Naoki makes a loan contract for 500 million yen with Nishi Osaka Steel Company. Naoki didn't want to approve the loan, but he had to due to the branch manager's order. Nishi Osaka Steel Company seems financially stable, but the company actually hides massive amounts of debt through fraudulent accounts. The company is caught. Three months later, Nishi Osaka Steel Company goes bankrupt.




Woman
Koharu (Hikari Mitsushima) lost her husband Shin (Shun Oguri) in an unexpected accident. Koharu must go on for her two children Nozomi (Rio Suzuki) and Riku (Rai Takahashi).Koharu works hard to make a living, but her financial situation does not improve. She goes to the social welfare office to apply for assistance, but is refused due to not meeting certain requirements.


Gekiryuu~Watashi o Oboete Masuka
Five former middle school classmates receive an email from a girl who was their classmate, but disappeared on a school trip 20 years ago. The email causes the five former classmates to meet once again.
35-year-old Keiko Misumi (Rena Tanaka) used to work at a publishing company, but suddenly was fired from her job. Takako Kawano (Ryoko Kuninaka) was very popular with the boys in middle school. She is now a housewife, but works as a prostitute on the side. Miya Akiyoshi (Rie Tomosaka) hoped to become a musician, but failed. Koji Higashihagi (Kenta Kiritani) now works as a detective. Yutaka Sabashima (Koji Yamamoto) works at a bank and is divorced.
These five former classmates now become involved in a strange case.



Starman
Sawako (Ryoko Hirosue) was dumped by her husband and since then she has raised her three sons alone. One day, she happens to meet a young man (Sota Fukushi) who is dying. She falls in love with him at first sight. The young man also suffers from memory loss. Sawako names him Hoshio. Taking advantage of his memory loss, she decides to make him live with her and as the father of her three sons.

I may miss some btw. So these are my watch list for now:

WOMAN - I've watched first episode, gonna see the 2nd tonight. But I have high expectation for this human drama, I mean, it's Mitsushima Hikari we're talking about here and she has never failed to impress viewers. The director and writer have worked on Soredemo Ikite Yuku, Mother and Saikou no Rikon. But if you're not into tear-jerking dramas, you may want to avoid this. However, how bout trying 1st episode first? It's good, more than good actually.

Hanzawa Naoki - I haven't watched it but Masato Nakai is a great actor and none of his shows (for the past few years) have disappointed me. Just waiting for the subs now.

SUMMER NUDE - I'm not a fan of Tomohisa Yamashita and I still think his acting is bad but this is probably the only drama this season with a hint of romance, plus they have Karina and Erika Toda, so it's quite hard to pass. Will be watching first episode tonight and if I have time, I'll post a brief review here.

Gekiryuu - Not planning to watch this actually, but because this was one of the earliest to be shown, I gave it a try. It's sort of a suspense/mystery story about 4 classmates who had a reunion due to a missing friend. It's okay for now, but who knows, I might drop it if I have no time to catch up.

Starman - The plot sounds bit unbelievable, I mean, taking advantage of a guy who lost his memory? But the first episode is quite alright. And I've always liked Ryoko Hirosue so I'll continue this. The kids are cute too.

Doctors 2 - I didn't watch the first season but I'm curious because of the high ratings. So if this gets subbed, I'll give it a try. I need some medical fix this season.

Same goes with Emergency 24 Hours, hope it gets subbed. Umm...that's all for now.
Hope you guys find some enjoyable dramas this season!

EDIT:
SUMMER NUDE brief review


It's more entertaining than I thought, at least, I didn't feel turned off by Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi), his acting is mediocre and okay for this character. Guy should smile more lol...but anyways, pretty good. And I love the setting, by the sea, and summer! It's always nice to see them wearing summery clothes and be very casual. Romance rivalry is evident, right from the start. Love the combo or rather, triple? between Erika Toda, Karina and Masami Nagasawa (whose character disappeared mysteriously).

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jul 14 2013, 01:54 PM

Don Quixote was hilarious for me though, I remembered laughing non-stop at some scenes.

it's kind of perverted but if you don't mind looking at girls flashing their underpants in (I think), every episode and a guy grabbing some woman's breast, u can always give it a try. I don't know coz I only browsed through the first epi, didn't continue.

@edosama - Missed it hehe...I currently have 7 dramas that I'm following this season That's not counting anime yet. So what's Kamen Teacher about?

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jul 21 2013, 12:59 AM

This season:

Woman - ep5 so far and it's going at a great pace, albeit a bit cliche with a certain illness plot. Sorry if this spoils it for some of you who haven't watched. Anyways, it's highly recommended for those who like heavy human drama. Great casts and acting too. I'd say if Mitsushima Hikari doesn't win the Best Actress this season, then something is really wrong with the judges. The child actors are awesome too. Prepare tissues, you'll need them.

Hanzawa Naoki - Another worth watching drama this season. Masato Sakai as always never disappoints. I'm not sure if what they portray in the show truly depicts how the system in a bank works in Japan, but the tension and suspense are quite nicely delivered.

Summer Nude and Shomuni are okay atm, I like SN more in this case. Shomuni kind of lacks the ommmph from its previous seasons, Idk. Starman is mediocre as well, Namonaki Doku is alright. I kind of like the suspense in it.

Anyone gave Limit a try? I watched 2 episodes so far, I think I'll continue, just curious who will survive in the end.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Aug 3 2013, 09:41 PM

d-addicts fansub has updated till ep3. But if you're looking for streaming, sorry I can't help you coz I don't watch using streaming.

Sorry I don't know where to find that. I've never watched it either.

^ I'll look it up when I'm free

So Horikita Maki's making a return to drama this October!

tokyohive

It was announced that actress Horikita Maki will star in a new Fuji TV drama titled 'Miss Pilot' (tentative) this fall.

Unlike other dramas that revolve around planes with a female protagonist, Horikita won't be playing a cabin attendant but a young aspiring female pilot named Tezuka Haru. Haru has been desperately hunting for a job for a while now, but nothing seems to come about. Without thinking about the consequences, she takes and barely passes the necessary exam to enter the world of aviation.

From then on, she begins to walk the path towards becoming a female pilot. Of course she struggles a lot, especially since the training is more severe than she expected before taking the exam. She bonds with her fellow cadets, has to deal with some very strict teachers, and meets various people while going through the pilot training.The whole filming of the drama is being done with the full cooperation of All Nippon Airways (ANA), which means plenty of opportunities to film in locations where cameras usually are not allowed. All the outfits and uniforms seen in the drama will also be the real ones as used by the ANA staff and their pilot cadets. It's the producer's goal to make Horikita's character of a female pilot look and feel as realistic as possible.

'Miss Pilot' is scheduled to air every Tuesday at 9:00 pm starting in October.



It's been a while since her last one, and I'm craving for more from her.

On a separate news, Hanzawa Naoki is getting higher ratings from one episode to another. The latest episode got 29.0%~ Definitely recommended for the season. Too bad my favorite drama Woman is still around 14% only. Then again, ratings don't really show the quality of a drama. The same case as Soredemo Ikite Yuku.

Apart from Woman (my fav drama this season), there's Hanzawa Naoki too for those who are looking for more intense/suspense bank politics.

Woman ep7 finally broke from the usual cycle and explored more about Shin's childhood and I think it's nicely written, although maybe a bit cheesy at some parts, but it still feels real. I understand Woman may not be everybody's cup of tea due to its nature. It's a human drama and tend to try and move viewers. Most might find it boring, slow-paced as it consists a lot of talking and not much action going on. But if you're a fan of Soredemo Ikite Yuku or Mother, you'll like this show. Or maybe coz I personally love and prefer dark/serious themed dramas more than humor ones. I find the talking, the awkward conversations, and their facial expressions very surreal. I figured that watching dramas like these make me realize there have been a lot of crappy ones out there. For example, Last Cinderella (while I love the first 2 episodes, it just went downhill after that for me, still stuck halfway, wondering whether or not should I even continue because i have the full drama already in my HD).


As for where i get my fix, I usually go Jdramacity for most recent/ongoing dramas. If I'm looking for older dramas, doramax264. Then, d-addicts for subtitles.

Anyone watching this year's NHK taiga drama?
Yae no Sakura featuring Ayase Haruka.



The last one that I watched was Gou: Himetachi no Sengoku because I'm a fan of Ueno Juri. Then I watched several episodes of Ryomaden (Fukuyama Masaharu) but though it was a great hit, I didn't continue. But now Ayase's character, Nijima Yae caught my attention because it's very rare to see a woman going to war during those period. So I'm curious how this figure got herself into such a situation.

I recently caught up to episode 23 because subtitles are only available till ep25 at the moment. I kinda skipped a few scenes here and there but overall, I like the flow. At some point, I do think they didn't focus much on Yae's story enough to make her the central of this taiga, or maybe they needed to focus more on the brewing war/tension between Sastuma and Choshu just to give us why Aizu got entangled in this mess that led to the attack on Aizu where Yae will ultimately join the battle and defend her hometown.

But so far, I'd say Ayase Haruka's giving a convincing act, and although I haven't seen her much in strong/bold characters before, I think she's doing a great job for Yae. And I like the actor who's his brother, Nishijima Hidetoshi. And Ayano Go (Soratobu) plays the Lord Aizu and I think he totally fits that role. Lord Aizu was practically pushed and forced into certain roles he didn't want to and always have to make tough decisions. His look (I mean, Ayano Go himself) already has that sad look, so he's even more convincing in Lord Aizu's role.

This is slated to be 50 episodes and I'm just halfway through. But I'm definitely continuing. I think it's rather compelling. Not for those who can't stand slow-pace though. But if you're a fan of Ayase Haruka or any actors, you should give it a try. I find men especially, they're just so awesome/handsome when they wear the warrior armor suit or even hakama with two swords tugged on their waist.

Finally finished Woman, what a great show. Trumps the other 70% that are showing atm. Well, my own personal opinion anyway and I'm already looking forward to Sakamoto Yuji's next project. It's such a gooood drama. I still can't really believe it's over.

Off to continue Hanzawa Naoki

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Sep 15 2013, 11:30 AM

Woman's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, it's got slow buildup with long winding conversation, people might get bored. But personally, I love the way they film certain things, the camerawork, the focus. Not to mention, the twists in a lot of things afterwards. My personal ranking would be Soredemo Ikite Yuku, Woman, Mother. Idk, maybe I prefer Mitsushima Hikari's character, Koharu over Mother's lead character. Plus, Ashida Mana has found her rival - Suzuki Rio. While Ashida Mana is great, she's got this very self-conscious attitude and tend to act beyond her years but Suzuki Rio's more natural, in some ways, hence more believable. Woman is definitely in the Top 3 this year for me. Preferences I guess. Another drama I could think of that has similar plot (the disease plot), is Beautiful Rain. I didn't finish that one, the story got bland midway and doesn't feel like going anywhere. Too bad even though Ashida Mana and Toyokawa Etsushi are really good actors/actress.

The ending seems cliche, but it's definitely the best ending I can think of because I don't want her to die after all those sufferings. Koharu deserves to at least watch over her children till they're able to take care of themselves. I'm still in denial phase that it's over and I can't bring myself to watch the rest of the other ongoing dramas this season. It makes them look so lousy and crappy in comparison, script, acting and camerawork.

I still have these to finish:

Hanzawa Naoki (2nd best this season after Woman, imo)
Kyuumei Byoto 24-ji 5
Shomuni (somehow lacks the charm of the older season)
Doctors 2
Namonaki Doku
Starman (I like Ryoko Hirosue but the plot with alien thing is turning me off a bit)
Summer Nude

^ I agree I have high hopes for Summer Nude, talented actresses and even Yamapi is tolerable in this. BUT I think the major problem is the plot. Sriptwriter needs to improve. I will continue till the end just coz I wanna know the ending. I foresee myself skipping through the episodes though.

I dropped Last Cinderella around ep6 or so, deleted the whole thing last night despite having the complete show. I skipped till the last ep and when I saw who she ended up with, I just deleted it. Ending sucks. What a crappy storyline.