JDorama review: Hana Yori Dango

Title (romanji): Hana Yori Dango
Title (english): Boys Over Flowers
Broadcast date: 10/21/05 - 12/16/05
Number of episodes: 9
Genre: romantic comedy
Cast: Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi, Kaga Mariko
Plot: Makino Tsukushi (Inoue Mao) is a poor girl attending Eitoku Gakuen, the elite high school of the rich and famous. The school is ruled by F4 (aka Flower Four), four boys from extremely powerful families. Their leader is Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun), heir to the Domyouji World Finance Group. Hanazawa Rui (Oguri Shun), Nishikado Soujiro (Matsuda Shota) and Mimasaka Akira (Abe Tsuyoshi) round out the group. Makino hoped to pass through school unnoticed. However, one day stands up against Domyouji's bullying of her friend. As a result, she gets a dreaded red notice, which pits the entire school against her. Instead of giving up, Makino declares war on F4. Doing this not only attracts the attention of her crush, Hanazawa Rui, but it also begins to rouse romantic feelings between Makino and Domyouji.
What is good: The tension between Makino, Domyouji and Hanazawa.
What is bad: Poor Nishikado and Mimasaka get relegated to secondary characters so you don't learn very much about them.
Letter rating: A+

Overall: I'm amazed that this season is only 9 episodes long. So much happens from beginning to end that you barely notice that an entire episode has passed. Before you know it, it's all over. Luckily, there's another season to keep you hooked. Both the acting and the writing in this are very good. Throughout the entire series you are rooting for Makino and Domyouji, even though there are huge differences between them. The only bad thing I can say about the series is that it is way too short. I would have loved to have seen some background into Nishikado and Mimasaka's lives. A "filler" episode or even taking some of the scenes into their houses would have been nice. Though I will admit that you get so wrapped up in the main plot that you completely forget they exist until they pop up for one reason or another. This is definitely a series that I would recommend to anyone. I think there's a little something for everyone here.

JDorama review: Gokusen

Title: Gokusen
Broadcast date: 4/1/02 - 7/3/02
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: comedy
Cast: Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Waki Tomohiro, Narimiya Hiroki, Ishigaki Yuma, Namase Katsuhisa, Itoh Misaki, Nakazawa Yuko
Plot: Yamaguchi Kumiko (Nakama Yukie) always wanted to be a teacher, like her late parents. However, she is the granddaughter of the third generation Oedo yakuza boss. Kumiko will try her best to keep her family's business secret when she gets a job at Shirokin high school as the homeroom teacher for the worst class of the school - 3D.
What is good: Both Nakama Yukie and Matsumoto Jun's acting.
What is bad: No matter what the situation, Kumiko insists on doing everything herself and refuses help from anyone.
Letter rating: A

Overall: The casting director managed to get a wonderful group of actors together for this series. While I haven't seen any of her dramatic roles yet, Nakama Yukie absolutely shines as a comedic actress. Pairing her with Matsumoto Jun (of the group Arashi) was brilliant. The two of them have a chemistry that pops on the screen and you can see the friendship bloom through the entire show. Add in Namase Katsuhisa as the vice-principal of the school to keep Nakama-san on her toes. There isn't much more you could want in a comedy. Each of the main students of 3D get a background episode so it isn't left to just the leader of the group. While there is a special that follows the end of the series, I would have loved to see more of 'what became of Yankumi's first class.' I suppose I'l have to leave that to my imagination.

JDorama review: News no Onna

Title (romanji): News no Onna
Title (english): Newswoman
Broadcast date: 1/7/98 - 3/18/98
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: drama
Cast: Suzuki Honami, Takizawa Hideaki, Nagatsuka Kyozo, Fukikoshi Mitsuru
Plot: Aso Tamaki (Suzuki Honami) is the anchor for the evening news on Channel 2. When her husband dies in a car accident, she must stonily report the news herself. After the show, her husband's lawyer, Kubata-san (Nagatsuka Kyozo), arrives at her apartment. He asks her to take care of her step-son, Ryu (Takizawa Hideaki), until he can find the boy's only living relative, his aunt. Can a hardened news professional care for a teenage boy?
What is good: The interaction between the characters in the later episodes is quite heart-warming.
What is bad: The early episodes of the show are just plain boring.
Letter rating: C

Overall: Suzuki Honami and Takizawa Hideaki (the Tackey half of the duo Tackey & Tsubasa) perform beautifully. However, they are given very dull material to work with. The 'behind-the-newroom' scenes don't accomplish much beyond setting up where everyone stands in the politics of the workplace. Aso-san talks big in these scenes but she doesn't seem to actually do very much. Poor Ryu is stuck in the 'emotionally tortured teenager' characterization so he barely speaks through the first half of the series. Once the characters break out of their normal routine, everything changes and the series gets pretty interesting. Unfortunately, by that point, there's only 3 or 4 episodes left. I would have a difficult time recommending this series. Mostly because it takes so long to get to the good episodes that is doesn't feel like it was worthwhile overall.

JDorama review: Densha Otoko

Title (romanji): Densha Otoko
Title (english): Train Man
Broadcast date: 7/7/05 - 9/22/05
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: romantic comedy
Cast: Itoh Masaki, Itoh Atsushi
Plot: A true love story, borne from the BBS 2chan, that became a best-selling novel and a blockbuster movie. Yamada Tsuyoshi (Itoh Atsushi) is the epitome of the word otaku. Socially inept, he knows nothing about interacting with the opposite sex. On the train ride home one night, he saves Aoyama Saori (Itoh Masaki) from an overly affectionate drunkard. In appreciation, she sends him a set of Hermes teacups. Having fallen in love with the woman, Yamada turns to the BBS for help on how to woo 'Hermes.'
What is good: Just about everything. The writing conveys Yamada's feelings well. The acting is superb. I think even those without any knowledge about Japanese otaku can relate to the story. Also, the way they handled the way the different otaku on the BBS converse helps the story along.
What is bad: Aoyama is a one-dimensional character. While she's not the focus of the story (Yamada is), you don't learn a whole lot about her. She almost seems to be there just because she's pretty.
Letter rating: A

Overall: This is one of my favorite series. I loved watching the various otaku help Yamada. They were possibly the best part of the whole series. (NOTE: Keep an eye out for Oguri Shun, who also stars in Hana Yori Dango and Gokusen!) While it would have been nice to know a bit more about Aoyama, the story is not about her. It's about Yamada overcoming his 'otakuness' to become something more. I would recommend this series to anyone, though it may require some knowledge about Japanese culture and relationships.

JDorama review: Long Love Letter ~ Drifting Classroom

Title (romanji): Rongu Rabureta ~ Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu
Title (english): Long Love Letter ~ Drifting Classroom
Broadcast date: 1/9/02 - 3/20/02
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: Science fiction, romance
Cast: Tokiwa Takako, Kubozuka Yosuke
Plot: Misaki Yuka (Tokiwa Takako) is beginning a new relationship with Asami Akio (Kubozuka Yosuke). After accidentally losing his phone, Asami loses contact with Misaki. One year later, the two meet again. Asami is a high school teacher while Misaki is working at her family's flower shop. Misaki visits the high school to collect a debt from one of the teachers when Asami sees her and the two argue. Suddenly, the ground shakes and the entire school is transported somewhere completely different.
What is good: All of the actors do an amazing job. Considering a majority of the cast are high school students, this says a lot about their ability. Their emotions come across loud and clear. What is bad: Since this is science fiction, the audience is asked to make quite a few leaps of faith. As a result, some of the 'science' part gets a bit muddled when Asami tries to explain what has happened to them. Also, the ending brings up more questions than it answers. You're left with a "wtf just happened" feeling.
Letter rating: B

Overall: I really liked this series. Sure, there were times when I thought that the writing was a bit weird. Some of the science stuff seemed very made up but this didn't detract from the show a whole lot. It was more about what these people were going through and how they were feeling. What actually got them into that situation felt like a sub-plot instead of the main plotline. I just wish the ending answered THE question than ran through the entire series. Instead, it opened up a whole new bucket of questions. This is a series I would recommend to someone a bit more familiar with Japanese culture. Especially since a lot of it deals with how people interact with those around them.

JDorama Review: Five

Title: Five (also known as Five Spies)
Broadcast date: 4/19/97 - 6/28/97
Number of episodes: 11
Genre: Spy
Cast: Tomosaka Rie, Suzuki Sarina, Shinohara Tomoe, Endo Kumiko, Chinen Rina, Karato Ryo
Plot: Five teenage female prisoners break out of prison and become spies for the man who helped them escape.
What is good: Some of the acting wasn't terrible.
What is bad: Everything else. The writing was horrible, the sets looked like someone put them together in their free time and the camera work is jerky at best. Even the opening sequence is difficult to sit through.
Letter rating: F

Overall: There was definitely some potential here. I went into this thinking maybe it was like some Japanese A-Team or something. Far from it. There were a few bright spots with some of the actresses. This was Fukada Kyoko's first series and while she has a very small part, her acting is still much better than some of the main actresses. Tomosaka Rie wasn't too bad either. However, Shinohara Tomoe was just unbearable to watch. The rest of them pretty much blended together to form some rather bland group of girls that I had to force myself to try to remember who was who. This is one of the few series I've watched that I tell people to stay far, far away.

Dream Day Honeymoon

I enjoy playing hidden object games. Tonight I gave Dream Day Honeymoon from Big Fish Games a try. This is a sequel to Dream Day Wedding. In the wedding version, you are helping Jenny get ready for her big day. The game mixes the traditional hidden object "find these things in this picture" game with a little bit of Memory and a little bit of Choose Your Own Adventure. The honeymoon version of the game is basically the exact same game, only you are helping Jenny with her honeymoon instead of her wedding. It's still a fun game and I really enjoyed it. The Memory and Choose Your Own Adventure mini-games change the game up a little bit. I've found that a lot of hidden object games tend to get boring after the first few levels. The scenes don't change a whole lot, just the list changes. So after the first few levels, it gets easier to find things instead of harder. Dream Day keeps you on your toes by tossing the mini-games in every couple of levels.

If you enjoy hidden object games, I think you'd really enjoy both Dream Day Wedding and Dream Day Honeymoon.

Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix

On Sunday morning, the family went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I haven't read any of the books but my husband has so we tend to walk away from these movies with two completely different opinions. To me, this movie seemed a bit jumbled. There was a lot going on and it didn't seem like anything really truly got explained. Things seemed to happen suddenly then they ended just like that. There were some very good and very entertaining parts (the Weasley twins just need an entire movie dedicated to them) but I'm hoping that this movie sets up a lot of stuff for the next one. I think I'd like it a lot better if I thought of it as a prequel to the next movie instead of a sequel to an already established world.

Jump Start World

For those geeks out there with small children, there is now a computer game that is a perfect learning tool for the youngsters. Jump Start World is an educational game that starts with Kindergarten and goes up to Second Grade. Since my daughter will be going into kindergarten in the fall, I'll be talking about that particular version of it. The game encompasses 12 "Adventure Packs" with the first two packs included in the purchase of the game. (The additional packs are purchased at $8 each. Your credit card will automatically be charged each time your child finished a pack.) As your child progresses through the game, his/her status is updated via the internet to a parental tool. Now, the child is not actually playing on the internet so there are no worries that something bad will get downloaded.

When you click on the Parental Tool icon, which is separate from the game icon, you'll get a variety of options. From something as mundane as picking which holidays the game characters celebrate to the terrific page that tracks how your child does on each activity. For that part, you'll get to choose which pack you want to check on. Then you will get a list of what activities are contained in that pack, such as counting from 1 to 10 or matching lowercase letters with the uppercase letter, and a percentage on how well the child did in that area. It's a wonderful feeling to see the 100% pop up everywhere. It also lets you know which areas your child needs to work on so you can help them offline if necessary.

My daughter truly loves this game. Almost every night she asks me if she can play it and I have no problems letting her play it for a little while each night. And she knows that she can tell me when she's having a problem with a particular area so I can help her work on it. While this shouldn't replace a formal education of some sort, it is a great addition to help reinforce concepts. I would recommend it to anyone with small children and a computer.