Yup, the hint was definitely there so we're expecting either SP or 2nd season. I think there should be a 2nd season. He has yet to climb up the corporate ladders to the top.

I haven't watched Lost Days although I have the 1st ep and subs in my folder. No time to watch. Also, seems most of the dramas are not getting subbed yet. And I don't feel like watching without subs (not unless I'm super desperate enough for my fav actors/actresses) but since none has my favs I'll just wait for the subs.

Watched first episode of this last night...



Oguri Shun plays the role of a detective who got shot in the head one night at a crime scene. Because of the bullet being lodged in an extremely difficult location, he decided to leave it there. As such, he begins to be able to see dead victims who can talk to him.

First epi was okay, nothing spectacular but quite interesting.

Alice no Toge

Ueno Juri's back in drama! She plays the role of Asumi Mizuno whose father, that worked as a doctor at Seirin University Hospital, died during an operation. 15 years later, she came back to the hospital as a new doctor and seeks revenge. She found out there was malpractice involved in her father's operation.





No subs yet but I just watched the first epi last night because I couldn't wait. It exceeded my expectation. Things move quite fast in the first epi So happy Juri takes on this role because it's different. Her character is so dark!

For those who are curious of the first episode, I wrote a review with screencaps here. But if you don't want to get spoiled, just wait for subs.

Alice no Toge 1st episode



Out of these two so far, I prefer Alice much much more. The suspense is there and it's pretty intense. Things don't go as predicted too. The pace is quite fast and I'm left wondering what will they show in the remaining episodes later. Let's hope they won't lose steam. Also, dark Ueno Juri seeking revenge is great to watch



EDIT: Viewership rating for pilot episode is 14.2%, higher than Mozu (13.3%) and BORDER (9.7%). I think this has to do with Ueno Juri's return to drama after 3 years. The suspense and fast-paced pilot episode was pretty good too, the change of events were unpredictable.

I've yet to watch Mozu...but between BORDER and Alice, Alice wins hands down at the moment for me.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Apr 14 2014, 01:42 PM

My watch list this season:

Alice's Thorn - Initially, it's only for Ueno Juri but the plot and pace seem to be quite fast and always unexpected, so I'm enjoying it so far. Ueno's acting is great too.

BORDER - I don't quite like how he knows who the killer is already as it defeats the purpose of finding the killer, duhhh...but at least ep2 is different. so I'll give this benefit of the doubt for now.

MOZU - Someone subbed this but it's a hassle to get the subtitle (livejournal community) However, I'll still watch.

Smoking Gun - Just browsed through the first epi, seems fine so I'll give it a go.

Shinigami-kun - Giving it a try too.

White Lab - I hope someone kind will pick this up for subbing. I kinda like all these forensic stuffs.

Just finished watching Alice no Toge's ep4. Another brilliant episode. There's just no slowing down for this show. We begin to see internal conflicts within Asumi herself between right and wrong. I just couldn't get enough of this show Her acting is just so good.

Gonna watch BORDER ep4 tonight. Have yet to catch up with MOZU.

Anyone else watching Hanasaki Mai? I thought the pilot episode was quite nice. It's from the same author as Hanzawa Naoki right? It's not exciting and heart-thumping like Hanzawa but still quite entertaining.

Anybody watched this already?

Hidamari no Kanojo starring Matsumoto Jun and Ueno Juri. I just watched it last night and Love it so much! I was skeptical whether Matsujun and Juri will appear great on screen or not at first but wow, they have great chemistry Although the plot is not very original (this is based on a novel) but I find it alright. The cinematography is worthy of praise, the direction, camera angles and pastel colour makes everything looks pretty.

What I like the most is the performance of both matsujun and Juri. Actually, more of Juri's. I felt like she was superior in a lot of ways compared to matsujun. Her character is more complex and harder to portray too. But both were great. Exceeded my expectations.







It's funny because I'm following Alice no Toge and Juri's character is so dark and serious in there then after watching her as Mao in Hidamari...I can't believe they're played by the same person lol. Anyways, I still prefer Tamaki Hiroshi or Eita to pair with her. I haven't finished Shitsuren Chocolatier so I can't say for sure who's the most compatible with him among the actresses who had worked with him.

Just watched pilot episode of Roosevelt Game. Since it has the same director, screenwriter and author as Hanzawa Naoki, it really reeks so much of the mega-hit series that I'm not sure whether I'm a bit turned off by it or like it yet. However, I do like the baseball team's affair more so than the company against the bank. It has the usual over-acting as Hanzawa. Familiar faces too.

I'm not very keen about it yet but I'll continue. I love Hanzawa but it's just weird watching another series having similar faces and the same over-acting

BORDER - While I won't drop this yet, I've yet to be like...amazed by it. So far, all the cases are different but I think it's Oguri Shun's character which makes me wanna snooze. I know his character is supposed to be plain, serious cop who rarely smiles, expressionless but there's something missing in the way he acts the role.

MOZU - I like Nishijima Hidetoshi as an actor. He was great in Double Face. In MOZU though, I find it hard to sympathize with his character. When you don't feel for the lead character (like BORDER), it's like...it defeats the purpose. But ep4 starts to get interesting so I'll still continue

I'm going to start River's Edge tonight (Odagiri Joe).
Have yet to watch Bitter Blood. Smoking Gun is the usual case by case cop show with some comedy. It's mediocre so far.

Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai continues to baffle me with the high ratings:　17.2%, 14.7%, 15.4%, 16.3%.

I watched it till ep3 so far but I don't find anything very appealing or exciting about it. It's nothing like Hanzawa (which is a good thing and a bad thing), with a few comic relief here and there. I like the interactions between Hanasaki and her boss but the cases so far is just kind of mild and nothing very serious. It's mediocre at best. I'm confident it's getting high rating just because it's based on a novel by the same author as Hanzawa. I think any bank-related drama from now on will most probably get high rating because of the trend started by Hanzawa. However, Hanzawa was amazing so these shows that try to follow the success of it are pale in comparison.

As for BORDER, episode 5 was pretty interesting ([/I]the twist how the victim died...I don't know whether to laugh or feel pity) but I wish the other characters were given more screentime as well. They're so one-dimentional and the sole purpose of their existence is just few seconds of comic relief and even the female coroner appears few minutes only per episode. I really don't get the why they're there in the first place. I wish they use more lighting also in this drama, it's so moody and dark, makes me feel sleepy whenever I watch it. The colour is really not appealing.

Mozu ep5 had some chasing/fighting scenes so that was pretty good.

Alice no Toge still remains my favorite for now. I think Roosevelt Game will come in close second but I still need to watch more episodes and subs to make up my mind.

Alice no Toge's plot is beginning to change with a twist and the pace was very fast in the 1-3 episodes, then slowed down a bit but still enough to keep me wondering how will the story fold. There's a lot going on now - complicated 'love triangle' and evil Bandai VS Asumi. I like Joe Odagiri a lot too after ep5. The acting is also good especially the main ones. I especially like the cinematography for this drama. The slow-motion sequences were mostly on-point, great soundtrack to accompany the scenes from suspense to emotional ones. I love the 'bokehlicious' scenes most haha...


This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 12 2014, 03:37 PM

MOZU ep6 blew my mind After a slow paced beginning, they went full on accelerator mode

I'll put spoiler since the pictures will give things away if you haven't watched.



Just wanna share a sth someone made for ep5 Alice no Toge



EDIT: Just watched Alice no Toge ep6 as usual. Climax is coming. This episode again proved that the soundtrack is great and very moving. The flashbacks, the colours they use, the production on the whole are very nice. I'd love to watch Ueno Juri in a proper medical drama in the future, she looks good in scrubs



This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 17 2014, 08:23 PM

I don't watch stream and opt to download because then I can watch at home whenever I'm free. I get them from forum like this:
http://forum.indowebster.com/showthread.php?t=475300

Or jdramacity
http://jdramacity.livejournal.com/

or dailymotion (normally very fast, a day after its broadcast someone will upload but RAW version)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1uvwcj_m...9%B1_shortfilms

The only dramas this season that I watch raw are MOZU and Alice no Toge because I can't wait for subs (MOZU's only up to ep3 but Alice is quite fast and consistant). I think chinese subs usually are faster but since I can't read chinese

These two are definitely my favs this season. I'm still having mixed feelings about Roosevelt Game.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 18 2014, 09:26 PM

It's a good drama

My current ranking for Spring 2014 (since most of these already reached halfway its run):

1. Alice no Toge - First episode blew me away with its fast paced plot, this drama doesn't waste time for unnecessary conversations and actions. It goes straight to the point, which makes it less boring and keeps the momentum going. Every minute, every scene is worth watching and there hasn't been once that I felt like skipping. Cinematography is great too, the slow-motions well captured, the hue for flashbacks are interesting, the soundtrack/BGM is so good. Most importantly, the leads' acting are praise-worthy. Already anticipating climax in the next episode, such a torture to wait a week

2. MOZU - I like Nishijima Hidetoshi and Kagawa Teruyuki - my initial reason to watch aside from it being a police drama. I feel like this is a very dark and different approach, they're ambitious obviously. The first 2-4 episodes though were a bit slow paced but still, I'm intrigued to know answers for the tons of unanswered questions. Episode 5-6 onwards, picked up the pace and things are really interesting. I just want to see more action because it's such a waste of talent to gather those 3 leads if all they're gonna do is puff smoke while the psycho went on a rampage. Still a police drama worth watching. It's not the typical case by case kind of police drama we always get in Japanese detective drama. This is just focused on a case and perhaps, onto bigger things. There'll be 2nd season soon.

3. BORDER - Another police drama trying to deviate from the norm. I like the idea of the lead (Oguri Shun) having some sort of supernatural ability to communicate with the dead murder victims. Every episode is different case and situations. At times, I do feel a bit bored and wanted to fast-forward. I also have problem with the lighting for this drama. The dark tint really makes me snooze Otherwise, I feel this is quite an interesting police drama, at least it tried to give viewers something new.

4. Gokuaku Ganbo - the first 2 episodes may not be much but as it continues, it gets more amusing. I still think the millions yen debt is a bit too much and unrealistic but since this drama's all about money, I'll just take it as it is It's quite funny too.



I also watch Bitter Blood (think it's funny but still mediocre), SMOKING GUN (another usual detective drama, more on forensics). Well, I think I'd prefer White Lab more if I want focus on forensics but still waiting for that to be subbed. Roosevelt Game is still only up to ep4 so I can't really judge yet. Hanasaki Mai is just overrated imo. Or maybe it's just not my type of drama.

Haha a lot of people misunderstood Alice to be medical. It's actually a revenge drama set in a hospital. There's really not much medical stuffs going on. You should give it a try at least 1st episode.

From ur list I think you like police drama if ur more into light hearted type of police drama then mozu might not be ur cup of tea. It's very dark and moody,slight comic relief. But give it a try anyway hehe hope it'll interest u.

I don't know if any of you have watched this movie - Hidamari no Kanojo. I don't usually love romantic movies but this is one of my favs for year 2013, actually, the best romantic J-movie in a while for me. It's got a bit of a fantasy as well.

Loved it so much I ordered the Memorial Edition DVD boxset. Comes with bonus stuffs for example;

The Making of, Deleted Scenes (with director's comments), Promotional/Screening events, interviews (Director, Matsumoto Jun and Ueno Juri), and music video.
There's also a disc for Commentary where both MatsuJun and Ueno Juri sat together with Director as they watched the full movie and comment on the scenes.
5 pieces of postcards
Booklet is nice



Alice not Toge ep7 tonight!

Glad you liked it Oh mannn....I need to wait till tomorrow afternoon to watch ep7. It's showing now in Japan as we speak

______________________________________

OMG I just finished Alice no Toge ep7

My feelings throughout the episode



I think by far, this episode made me feel suffocated the most. I don't know how to describe it but you just feeeeeeel for both Asumi and Yuma. I'm sorry I never really care about you before Yuma but you definitely topped Nishikado, even for a minute or so in this episode. My heart broke so much for both of them, it's such a sad sad case.

Why suffocated? Well, the tension between Asumi and Bandai is no joke, made me nervous like hell. Even though they don't yell at each other but the silent tension is enormous. Gosh...their facial expression, seriously gotta give kudos to both Ueno Juri and Koichi Iwaki. They're friggin amazinggggg in emitting their anger through eyes and facial expression. That's what I call great performance.

Here's the trailer for next episode by the way



oh gawdd....I need to take a breather



This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 24 2014, 01:00 PM

Happy birthday Juri-chan
I'm expecting Alice team staff to tweet a birthday pic soon lol...
And wow you share the same birthday, happy birthday to you!

Don't miss Alice no Toge, definitely one of the best this season

Here it is...just posted on twitter ^^ Only the cake though haha



They also reported that they were shooting the climax scene of episode 9.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 29 2014, 03:25 PM

I just wanna say...if you haven't included Alice no Toge in your watch-list this season,

DO IT NOW

It's like Hanzawa Naoki without all the over-acting.

This post has been edited by avanpiper: May 31 2014, 01:45 PM

^ I suppose it's a darker version of Hanzawa Naoki I get more chills in my spine than when watching Hanzawa. It's also life-threatening and more plot twists involved.

Episode 8 was even crazier than ep7

The actor in Hanzawa is really good

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jun 2 2014, 07:54 PM

Watch BOTH if you have time

Alice no Toge preview ep9

Showdown Asumi VS Arima



This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jun 4 2014, 05:30 PM

Alice no Toge ep9 another cliffhanger...I can't take it anymore. I seriously need to know who's the last enemy Asumi had to deal with. They keep giving us surprise elements
Why do I feel like this drama will either have an open ending or tragic one more than a happy ending?

I just continued River's Edge. Episode 2 was hilarious. That secretary Megumi is too natural in her role and her antics really cracked me up. Odagiri Joe's messy hair and dirty looks...I actually find it quite adorable. First case was boring but 2nd case onwards were quite unique and different.



Also love the BGM and ED theme especially for this show.

Sunnyside Melody by Ego-Wrappin'



This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jun 7 2014, 11:45 PM