Jdorama review: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Special

Title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Also known as: HanaKimi Translation: For You In Full Blossom Broadcast date: 10/12/08 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma Plot: Six months have passed since Mizuki has left Japan. During a Valentine's Day contest, Nakatsu tries to figure out exactly when Sano fell in love with Mizuki. What is good: More HanaKimi! What is bad: This isn't the special episode that should have been filmed. Letter rating: C Overall: I really enjoyed the HanaKimi television series. So why did the producers decide to stick us with this? Instead of a special involving the boys' trip out to California to visit Mizuki, we get a slew of flashbacks. A majority of the special is supposed to take place between episodes 7 and 8. However, someone made a decision to introduce a new character, Julia, to try to get Sano to confess his love to Mizuki. Not only is Julia unnecessary but she is also annoying. I would have preferred a special dedicated to more of the hijinks of the various dorms instead of focusing on something that was already determined in the series - Sano loves Mizuki. There is no need to try to figure out the exact moment that it dawned on him.

Cyrano de Bergerac

Last night, PBS' Great Performances showed Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner's performance of Cyrano de Bergerac from the Broadway run in late 2007/early 2008. I thought Kline was magnificent as Cyrano. However, Garner overacted everything about Roxanne. I wanted to like her and perhaps the problem is that I went in expecting an amazing performance from her. She's lucky that she was paired with Kline. If it was a lesser actor, the show would have been toast.

Jdorama review: Hana Yori Dango Final

Title: Hana Yori Dango Final Release date: June 28, 2008 Genre: romantic comedy Cast: Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi Plot: After Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto) publicly announces his engagement to Tsukushi Makino (Inoue), his mother gives the couple a rare tiara called "The Smile of Venus." Unfortunately, it is stolen from the Tsukushi hotel room that night! Tsukasa and Makino set off on a worldwide trip to retrieve the tiara. With the help of F4, will they be able to save their impending marriage? What is good: The on-screen chemistry between Matsumoto and Inoue is amazing. You'd think they were a real couple! What is bad: There are a couple of things that aren't fully explained, though it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the movie very much. Letter rating: A Overall: Much like the two television seasons before the movie, the Japanese version of Hana Yori Dango has been amazing. All of the actors are immensely talented and, while the plot is a little wacky, it fits the show. It was interesting to see the rich boys actually traveling around the world and acting like adults. (Well, for the most part anyway.) I would have liked to have a little more closure with one of the F4 members but I suppose that mysterious aura is what made him so likeable in the first place. Also, I would have liked to have the head "bad guy" explained a little more explicitly. Though, perhaps if you have an intimate understanding of Japanese relationships, it doesn't need to be said. (It still would have been nice if they did say it.) Overall, this was an amazing series and an awesome ending to it. I even found myself crying toward the end of the movie. I'm not ready for it to end!

Lifetime sucks

Over the holidays, I decided to introduce my daughter to my very favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas. It was playing on the Lifetime channel so I recorded it for us to watch later. We finally got a chance to sit down and watch it. I was so excited to see her reaction to the singing and, especially, the dancing. We get to the part where Wallace & Davis help the sisters escape their grungy landlord when.....I realize that they have cut out the "Snow" song and the arrival at the train station immediately following it. W.T.F. As it turns out, Lifetime decided they needed more commercials and less movie so they cut out almost half of the dance numbers. I was so disappointed because those were the parts I wanted my daughter to see! (She takes dance classes.) So screw you, Lifetime. I will never turn your way again.

TV review: Jekyll

Yes, I am a little late on this one. Jekyll is a 6-episode series that aired on the BBC in June and July 2007. It is a continuation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. A brilliantly cast James Nesbitt stars as Tom Jackman/"Billy" Hyde. Alongside him are Michelle Ryan (who was in the Bionic Woman remake), Gina Bellman, Meera Syal, Paterson Joseph and Denis Lawson.

At first, I didn't know what to make of the show. A friend recommended my husband and I rent it so we did. By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. I had heard it was like the Showtime series Dexter, however, I don't agree with that. (Though, I should note that I've only ever seen one episode of Dexter.) In my opinion, it's more like My Own Worst Enemy but a lot more maniacal. I don't want to say too much without giving away the major plot points but this is definitely something you should watch. And since it's only 6 episodes long, it really is easy to watch in one afternoon.

Mid-season hiatus

A lot of shows are starting their mid-season hiatus this week. That means we won't be seeing any new episodes until after the new year. Last night, I watched Chuck, Heroes and My Own Worst Enemy. Granted, My Own Worst Enemy has been cancelled so it's gone for good. Heroes was uninteresting. I'd like to see more of Hiro, Ando and Daphne and less of Claire and the Petrellis. Meanwhile, Chuck remains my absolute favorite show. Let's hear your side. What did you love or hate this season?