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luna-rainbow · 4 years

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aug 2020 jdorama

It's confusing times for the Jdrama world, as TV stations scramble to cope with the void created by cancelled Olympics while simultaneously trying to cobble shows together while restrictions are occurring. The disconnect between Japanese variety shows - where strict social distancing and handwashing is evident - and the drama world is stark, with all of the dramas I've seen so far this year trying to ignore what's happening in the real world. August 2020 saw some popular works come to an end. BG 2 finished up rating 15.6% while the much awaited Haken no Hinkaku rated a comparatively disappointing 12.7%. New on the block is the sequel to Hanzawa Naoki, which is holding its ratings above 20%. I tried for what must be the 3rd or 4th time to watch this series, but still could not get through the first episode. That is not to say this series is without merits, only that I'm probably too ignorant of economics and business to appreciate it. I've also watched the first episode of Keiji 7-nin 6th season, and I don't have much to say about it except that the quality remains consistently good across the seasons, so a good watch if police procedurals is your thing. Ryuu no Michi Stars: Tamaki Hiroshi and Takahashi Issei Synopsis: the owner of a factory and his wife committed suicide after being driven into debt by a large company. His twin sons attempt to get revenge ~20 years later. I couldn't finish the first episode, even on fast forward. These are 2 amazing actors, but maybe I'm just not in the mindset for revenge dramas. Takahashi portraying Tamaki's role prior to "plastic surgery" was an impressive act. The plot feels like Ouroboros (with Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma), but the stakes feels much higher because neither of the main characters actually have much power or authority. I really miss seeing Tamaki in mainstream stuff, but lately he seems to be committed to dark stories about broken people. Hopefully his October drama Gokushu Fudou would be a nice return to more light-hearted themes. Watashi no Kaseifu Nagisa-san Stars: Tabe Mikako, Oomori Nao Synopsis: Aihara Mei is a high achiever in the pharmaceutical company she works in, but has no time (and no capability) to manage her domestic affairs. A male housekeeper Nagisa shows up on her 28th birthday. A bit of a dark horse this season and possibly reflective of a time where the general audience just wants something sweet and happy, this drama managed to rate ~13% despite its leads not being huge. I've quite liked Oomori in a couple of dramas I've seen previously but it's unusual to see him in a rom-com. He brings an affable sweetness and innocence that not many Ossans can manage at that age. There's quite a lot of cute comical moments, and is well worth the time if you just want something to take your mind off the craziness going on outside. Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho Stars: Muro Tsuyoshi, Nagano Mei Synopsis: Obika Taro single-handedly brought up his daughter after his wife passed away. Very concerned that his daughter will now go to a co-ed college after having had all of her education in a single sex school, he enrols in college to keep an eye on her. This has all the trademarks of Fukuda Yuuichi, so if you enjoyed the Yuusha Yoshihiko series, or Kyou kara ore wa! (or Saiki Kusuo no Saina or Gintama) then this is for you. Otherwise, the humour might be a bit hard to get into. It's full of WTF moments but as often is the case with his movies or shows, the pacing always seems just a tad off-kilter, so that there are moments of slowness, moments of a joke going on for too long, and moments where you haven't had a chance to appreciate the laugh before it spins away into something else. Part of that I suspect is because he relies a lot on his actors to ad-lib for comical effect. To that end, Muro Tsuyoshi is great, but not everyone is able to bounce off him. A bit surprised by Aragaki Yui's appearance (maybe she wanted to pick up an easy job in the lull?) but would love if this was a gateway for her appearing in Gintama 3, if that ever happens.

#jdrama #jdorama #oyabaka seishun hakusho #watashi no kaseifu nagisa-san #ryuu no michi

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