New season, new dramas, and a renewed spirit! This’ll be my first drama preview post as just my first impressions on the dramas I’m planning on watching and reviewing.

First Impressions

Shikaotoko Aoiniyoshi

A very unlucky man is forced to move his post at a university lab to a girl’s high school in Nara, where the deer roam around freely. Ogawa Takanobu moves into an apartment/inn of some sorts with a bunch of his co-workers. Life in Nara is quite different from Tokyo and Ogawa has probalem adjusting, including a student who seems to hate him. And not to mention that there seems to be someone tailing him and writing telltale notes on his classroom blackboard. So far, I’ve found Shikaotoko Aoiniyoshi to be quite interesting. Even though, it takes place in Nara that’s depicted as mostly slow-paced and not very exciting, the drama is full of life. I also love that the humor is very dry; there doesn’t seem to be any slapstick to be seen. I also have to mention that Tamaki Hiroshi and Ayase Haruka have pretty unflattering hair compared to their previous hairstyles. Maybe it’s supposed to be reflect on their location.

Hachimitsu to Kuroba (Honey and Clover)

Probably one of the more anticipated drama for overseas watches would be Hachimistsu to Kuroba, more commonly known as Honey and Clover. It’s a story of five college students in art school and the drama and comedy that ensues from college life. The story starts when Hanamoto Hagumi, an amazingly talented painter among other things, starts school. It centers around Takemoto Yuta, though, who is mostly the narrator and falls in love with Hagu. There’s a lot of love triangles, random fun, and all sorts of art. I was really looking forward to this drama, but I was disappointed in the first episode. Some parts were funny, but other parts were just on the boring side and all in all I was not impressed. Fortunately, the second episode redeemed it a bit for me, but it’s still not as good as I had hoped. I have read a few chapters of the manga, and I’ve never watched the anime. I did watch the the movie and thought it was rather boring, though I found the manga to be pretty enjoyable. I just hope the drama will get better soon. But since the third episode’s rating is now below 10%, maybe all there is is hope.

Ashita no Kita Yoshio

I found this story synopsis to be quite intriguing. A man, Kita Yoshio, has always had a strange connection to the number 11. He has lead a life that he regrets and is sad about. He feel that the world hates him and there is nothing left for him to live. He had a wife, but she divorced him 11 years ago. He had one good friend, but he also died. Kita Yoshio decides to end his life 11 days from then, on the anniversary of his one friend’s death. However, fatefully, he meets Yashiro Heita who pulls him into a world he never knew about. This is the start Kita Yoshio’s most eventful 11 days. After being disappointed with Hachimitsu to Kuroba, I watched the first episode of Ashita no Kita Yoshio and was pleasantly surprised. The story is kind of trippy, but is really enjoyable. There’s a morbid side to it, yet it is very funny. Kohinata Fumiyo who plays the titular “hero,” Kita Yoshio is, so far, amazing. His character is really pathetic but at the time can relate to many people. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of this drama.

1 Pound no Fukuin

This is the story of a boxer who absolutely loves to eat. However this always gets into trouble since he needs to keep a close watch on his weight to stay in his weight class. One day, he meets a fledging nun, Sister Angela, and feels a strange pull towards her. I don’t know. The nun thing is really weird, but the juxtaposition of a nun and boxer is quite interesting. It’s weird, though, having Kame as the boxer cause he’s so skinny. Generally, it’s a little cheesy and dramatic (but what sports drama isn’t?). But Kame is nice to look at and Kuroki Meisa is really pretty.

Koshonin

I cannot resist a crime drama. Seriously. Koshonin is about the Special Investigation Team unit of the police. This team goes directly to the front line of a crime to negotiate with the criminals. The story focuses on Usagi Reiko, a new trainee in the SIT. She is the only woman on the team and the leader of the team lets her know straight up that she is not welcome. After watching the first episode, it seems that this drama is not about the crimes, but really mostly about police hierarchies and internal politics. Actually, I don’t find the actual case to be very interesting or engaging; what is interesting is the internal politics, perhaps the drama is a commentary on the rigidness of the system?

Still to start

Binbo Danshi

Two words: Oguri Shun! It’s the story of a poor college student who always lends a helping hand with other people’s debts, even though it always lands him into trouble (and he’s already dirt poor). This drama is either really good or really cheesy. I think I’ll watch it no matter what. That promo image is gold. Plus, it’ll also be an interesting ride to see him in a purely comedic role (a nice departure from Hanazawa Rui and Sano Izumi).

4 Shimai Tantei Dan

Yeah, just can’t resist mystery. It revolves around a team of 4 sisters who solves crimes. I’m interested to see what kind of mysteries the sisters will solve….Yukan Club-esque mysteries? (please, no more of those) or Galileo-esque mysteries? Hopefully this won’t disappoint. Also interesting to note that the abbreviation is 4STD.

Bara no nai Hanaya

I’m still not sure if I want to watch this drama. But it does have rather high ratings, I think the highest of the season so far. I dunno. Maybe. I do want to watch Matsuda Shota in a lighter role, though, since his recent leads have been rather dark characters (though he’s not the leading role in this one). What I gather about the story is that it’s about a single father running a flower shop and the people that he meets.

Starring:
Ayase Haruka as Amemiya Hotaru
Fujiki Naohito as Takano Seiichi
Kato Kazuki as Teshima Makoto
Kuninaka Ryoko as Saegusa Yuka
Takeda Shinji as Jinguuji Kaname
Itaya Yuka as Yamada Sachiko
Yasuda Ken as Futatsugi Shouji
Asami Reina as Sono Minako
Watabe Gota as Sawaki Shun
Shibue Joji as Tadokoro Junpei
Matsumoto Marika as Murota Suzuko

Hotaru no Hikari is a Japanese dorama that was broadcasted in the summer of 2007 on NTV. It aired on Wednesday nights at 10 PM and average ratings were 13.6%. The theme song is Yokogao by aiko. It won a bunch of awards at the 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix, whose voters are mostly women in their 20’s. It won Best Drama, Ayase Haruka won for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor went to Fujiki Naohito and best Supporting Actress went to Kuninaka Ryoko.

At the beginning, there are two types of women introduced. “Himono-onna:” a “dried-fish women” in her 20’s who, during the day is an energetic office lady (OL), but after work runs home, changes into jerseys, ties their hair into a topknot, and drinks canned beer. Basically, a young woman who would rather stay at home than go out and definitely does not date. The opposite is “Suteki-josei:” an admirable woman who is efficient at work, is considerate and sweet, always is graceful - even at home alone, learns new things and hobbies and relaxes by drinking herbal tea. Basically, the perfect woman. Right away, Hotaru (Ayase) is shown to be a himono-onna and Yuka (Kuninaka) as the suteki-josei.

Amemiya Hotaru works for a relatively new interior design company. Her boss is Takano Seiichi (Fujiki). His wife leaves him and he is forced to move back to his parent’s house. Unbeknownst to him, though, is that his parents have rented the house to his employee, Hotaru. She, being a himono-onna and loving her house more than anything, refuses to move out and so the two begin living together. Takano doesn’t see this as betraying his wife, because he doesn’t view Hotaru as a woman (since she is a himono-onna).

Meanwhile at work, a returning employee is re-introduced after working away for some time, Teshima Makoto. He falls for Hotaru and she secretly likes him as well, but the rest of the office (mostly orchestrated by Kaname, who likes Yuka) is working to pair up Teshima, the ‘perfect guy’, with Yuka, the ‘perfect girl’. Even after Hotaru is asked out, the pair manages to misunderstand each other, because it seems that both Hotaru and Makoto are rather awkward and inexperienced in love affairs.

I’ve only ever seen Ayase Haruka is roles where she is graceful, beautiful, and smart (Sekachu, Byakuyakou, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi). It’s no question that she is as well in this part - but only at work. She is quite endearing as Hotaru who is very awkward in her way back into love. Hotaru doesn’t know what she should be doing and takes any advice to the tee, because she just doesn’t know any better. It’s really cute and entertaining to watch her in this new type of role.

Fujiki Naohito was also quite good in his role as Hotaru’s boss. It’s fun to see how he gradually becomes more comfortable with Hotaru and how different their interaction is at work and at home. The two are seriously so fun to watch, like how they argue about silly things at home. It’s one of the best parts in the series.

I liked Kato Kazuki’s character, Teshima Makoto, but sometimes he was almost lifeless. And felt a bit stiff in his role. It’s interesting, though, how Makoto is very much like Hotaru in that they are both rather inexperienced in love according to the show’s definition. As for the character of Saegusa Yuuka, I don’t think there was enough of a back story for me to really come to like her too much. I much preferred Kaname, the guy who liked her; he was more interesting to watch.

I really enjoyed the whole storyline. It’s like a coming-of-age story of someone who should have already come to age. It makes for a fun plot that’s enjoyable without being cheesy. I like how many of the characters are portrayed in and out of work; mostly everyone is pretty much the same outside of work, but Hotaru has the most dramatic change. But by the end of the series, I still didn’t really know who everyone else in the office was even though they were in every single episode.

What really seals the deal for me on this drama is Ayase Haruka, though. I’ve always enjoyed her dramas, but I thought she was just amazing in this role. I don’t know if it would have been as good had another actress been casted. Hotaru no Hikari is a cute, feel-good-comedy about getting back into love that I’d probably watch again in a few months.