Starring:
Hayami Mokomichi as Tenjo Night
Aibu Saki as Izawa Riiko
Mizushima Hiro as Asamoto Soushi
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Namikiri Gaku
Maya Miki as Wakabayashi Fujiko
Nakamura Shunsuke as Asamoto Masashi
Ueno Natsuhi as Ito Mika
Sasai Eisuke as Shirasagi Yuki
Satoi Kenta as Hirata Hajime
Nekoze Tsubaki as Adachi Kyoko
Lomoto Maki as Sato Nozomi
Kaji Masaki as Tanaka Yoichiro

Zettai Kareshi is the story of Izawa Riiko, a temp working at Asamoto, a pastry company. One day, she meets Namikiri Gaku from a company called Kronos Heaven who asks her what her ideal boyfriend would be like. She visits their company and answers a questionnaire and doesn’t think much of it. That is until the next day a giant package from Kronos Heaven arrives with a guy inside. He’s a lover robot customized to fit Riiko’s ideals, as listed in her questionnaire.

I’ll be really honest. I only started watching this drama because they cast Mizushima Hiro as a main character and I’m semi-obsessed with him lately. I read a lot of the manga this drama was based on and when it was announced there was going to be a drama adaption, I thought to myself that it wasn’t going to be worth watching. I guess I had to take back my words. (although I’m still not sure if the drama itself is worth watching, it is if you’re just watching for Hiro.)

Usually I complain about the changes writers made to the story, but here I have to commend them. They changed it from a weird and annoying high romance with a lover robot (how wrong is that?) with no good (or any, I can’t remember) side plots to still a weird romance with a lover robot with side plots of business and pastry-making.

The romance was the least interesting thing for me. I don’t know if this was intentional on the producers’ part to make Night less like a human and more like a robot, like how he’s very stilted. It’s kind of nice, because you really get the feeling that he’s a robot. The worst thing about Night is that he is so annoying! I don’t understand how Riiko even puts up with him, and then they suddenly become all close. If it was me, I probably would have returned him about the first day. Actually, if it was me, I wouldn’t have been as naive as Riiko was to just go to some random company, which I’ve never heard of, to complete some weird survey on my ideal boyfriend. But whatever. Anyway, I was annoyed by Night for the better half of the series.

As for Aibu Saki as Riiko, it was also annoying to see how naive and indecisive she was. Later on in the series, it became a little less annoying and a little more endearing, but still, not would I call a favorite character. Anyway, onto Mizushima Hiro as Soushi. It’s a little bit similar to Nanba Minami in Hana Kimi, except maybe slightly more matured. I did like the change from childhood friend to superior at the office and making him more charismatic was also nice. I think my favorite character in this series would have to be Sasaki Kuranosuke as Namikiri Gaku. He was quite funny and as a CS student myself, I enjoyed the little bits of programming talk (though I can’t wrap my head around something running on a program and then suddenly have a mind of its own). Maya Miki was also a nice addition; anything I watch her in, I always like her character.

I also enjoyed the patisserie side story (maybe that’s just because I love food), which was rather charming, although it was pretty much your average underdog story. At times, I would think, “enough of this crappy romance story! Give me more pastries!” Also, the character of Mika is just your typical backstabbing ‘best friend’ who gets semi-redeemed at the end.

Generally, if I’m not really into the main storyline but there are side plots worth watching, I’ll still keep watching. That’s the case with Zettai Kareshi. The main storyline is your average over-the-top backdrop for some weird romance story with average characters. The side stories are better and worth watching, but side stories shouldn’t be carrying the entire drama. The idea of robots being integrated in regular society is very interesting and definitely worth pursuing, but not in this shoujo-manga romance way (though there was no getting around that because of the manga tie-in). It would be interesting to see a drama or movie about robots in everyday life without the whole “perfect lover robot” theme in it.

New season, new dramas! Here are my first and pre-impressions for some of the dramas this season.

Last Friends
It’s the story of people who have been hurt and how they are coping with it. It deals with many issues such as domestic violence and sexuality, so needless to say, this series is rather mature and serious. Not only does it have an amazing cast with Nagasawa Manami, Ueno Juri, and Eita, the story is interesting and compelling. Add to that a GREAT OP sequence and I think I’ve already decided that Last Friends is going to be my favorite of the season. And isn’t that promo images so beautiful?

Zettai Kareshi
I was pretty hesitant to pick this up mainly because I have read enough of the manga to know that I don’t really like it. But then they cast Mizushima Hiro and I really like him, so now I’m watching it. And Maya Miki also plays a role in it, which is definitely a nice addition because I have always enjoyed watching her. The writers have changed the setting from high school to a cake company, which was probably smart, considering the nature of the show. Don’t know how long I’m going to keep watching it because it’s kind of bothering me right now.

Around 40
As the title implies, it’s the story of people who around 40. And as series a series with older actors and actress just means that it’s the veterans of the business who are again taking leading roles (as opposed to mother/father to leading roles). Basically the story of three women, one who wants to get married, but has high standards, so she has a lot trouble (also because she is very intelligent). Another is a housewife who is tired of just staying at home and wants to get back into society again. The last is a fashionable magazine editor who vowed never to get married, but did anyway. Stars Fujiki Naohito as the love interest of the main character

Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne?
Every mystery series is pretty similar, but they each have different gimmicks. In Kimi Hannin Janai yo ne? (You’re not a criminal, right?), the leading girl, Morita Sakura, has an amazing memory and can remember the tiniest details. She happens to get caught up with Usagawa Kyosei, an detective who is pretty crappy and falls in love with female suspects. The male lead is played by Kaname Jun, who was the villain in last season’s Ashita no Kita Yoshio. His character here is very comedic, so it’s strange for me to watch him here. Also because, he was also in the Taiyou no Uta drama where he played another very series character. And as I’ve said before, I can never resist a good mystery!

Ryokiteki na Kanojo
Based on the South Korean movie, this drama pretty much follows the same formula of the movie (or at least as far as I’ve watched to far). I’m not really a big fan of the movie…I could never understand why the guy just took all of her abuse. I am interested to see how the writers are going to stretch a movie into an entire drama, though. And how they integrate the change in setting from college students to working people. But actually, I never finished the first episode, so…

Hokaben
A lawyer drama with Ueto Aya starring as a rookie lawyer who wants to help the weak and works for the pro bono section. Her law firm is the largest in the nation, but the pro bono section only has one other lawyer - her boss. So far, it seems like this drama is going to focus on some heavy subjects and the first case is separated into two episodes (which she’ll probably win). Also stars Kato Shigeaki for Johnny’s fans.

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Puzzle
This one is like a mystery, but not exactly. It starts Ishihara Satomi (who I’ve always thought is really beautiful) as an English teacher who isn’t really very proficient at English. She’s selfish and arrogant in front her students, but acts meek and kind in front of her coworkers and the rest of the work. But she’s really smart and can solve puzzles and ends up solving various mysterious things with three of her students. And speaking of her students, is this a HanaKimi reunion or something? Because 2/3 of her students are from the main student cast… So far, though, it’s really fun and Ishihara Satomi is great.

Starring:
Fukuyama Masaharu as Yukawa Manabu
Shibasaki Kou as Utsumi Kaoru
Watanabe Ikkei as Kuribayashi Hiromi
Maya Miki as Jonouchi Sakurako
Shinagawa Hiroshi as Yuge Shiro
Kitamura Kazuki as Kusanagi Shunpei
Hayashi Tsuyoshi as Murase Kensuke
Aoi as Taniguchi Saeko
Fukui Hiroaki as Kobuchizawa Takashi
Takayama Miyako as Watanabe Miyuki
Ito Takahiro as Mori Eita

Galileo is a Japanese drama that aired in the fall of 2007. It was broadcasted by Fuji TV on Monday nights and ran 10 episodes long. Galileo was the most anticipated drama for the fall season and secured averages ratings of 22%. The drama was based on the novels Tantei Galileo and Yochimu. The theme song was KISS Shite by KOH+, a collaboration consisting of the two leads, Fukuyama Masaharu and Shibasaki Kou.

Yukawa Manabu is a physic professor at a Teito University. He is very logical and relies on science to solve any problems he may have. Opposite of him is Utsumi Kaoru, a rookie detective who is quick to believe in the impossible. A seasoned detective, Kusanagi Shunpei, is being transferred to the central police station; he is known for being the ‘mystery hunter’ and solving all sorts of strange cases. He tells Utsumi a secret: he has always had help on these cases from an old college buddy of his, Yukawa. Because of this, she starts going to Yukawa for help. Though he may initially resist, the interesting, and often seeming impossible, circumstances interest him and he lends a helping hand. And maybe his assistant and students are sometimes annoyed by his lack of attention to school things, but once his becomes interesting in a subject, he must see it out until the end.

Unlike most mystery dramas, there is no overarching plot, so you can watch individual episodes and not miss anything (except for the last two episodes, a two-parter). If you’re a science geek, there’s no way you can miss this drama because it is pure physics fun (and out of all the sciences, physics is my personal favorite). Galileo can really appeal to almost anyone. People who enjoy mysterious will find all the cases interesting and different, even though every mystery involves a murder of some sort. People who like science and particularly physics will enjoy Yukawa-sensei’s experiments and his way of investigating. And for the rest who just want a good drama, the interaction between Yukawa-sensei and Utsumi is hilarious, as well as the possible…romance?? No one really knows…

Even though Galileo is pretty much stand-alone stories, you can see changes in the leads, and the way that Yukawa talks has such a dry sense of humor to it. Plus, Shibasaki Kou was really excellent in this role….don’t know who could have been better.

Oh, and another interesting thing about the show is all the guest stars. There were a bunch of big names including Horikita Maki, Fukada Kyoko, Honjou Manami, and Katori Shingo (from SMAP).

Basically Galileo is your usual cop show with some extra science twists. I personally really liked it, and it’s definitely an interesting watch. There’s a reason that the ratings were so high, you know.

Buy the boxset: Japan Version

Starring
Kitano Kii as Shiiba Ayumu
Fukuda Saki as Anzai Manami
Seki Megumi as Hatori Miki
Hosoda Yoshihiko as Sako Katsumi
Sakai Miki as Hiraoka Masako
Hojo Takahiro as Sonoda Yuuki
Seto Asaka as Toda Wakae
Maya Miki as Shiiba Fumiko
Hoshii Nanase as Hirose Nodoka (Hiro)
Osawa Akane as Shinozuka Yuko
Katsumura Masanobu as Sako Toshikatsu
Nakamura Tomoya as Kano Akira
Suenaga Haruka as Iwamoto Midori
Ono Takehiko as Anzai Daijiro

LIFE is a Japanese drama that aired during the summer of 2007. It was broadcasted by Fuji TV and is 11 episodes long. The average ratings were 12.2%. It was adapted from Suenobu Keiko’s manga of the same name. Its theme song is LIFE by Nakashima Mika. Fukuda Saki won Best Supporting Actress and Tanimura Masaki won Best Director for their work at the 54th Television Drama Academy Awards.

LIFE focuses on bullying in a prestigious high school, Nishidate. In particular, it chronicles the story of Shiiba Ayumu’s bullying and her subsequent fall and rise. It starts when Ayumu is in junior high. Her best friend, Shinozuka Yuko (whom she calls Shii-chan), is a much better student than she is and is aiming towards Nishidate. Ayumu, on the other hand, isn’t very smart; she tries, but her test scores are always quite low. But Ayumu doesn’t want to be separated from her best friend, so she begs Yuko to help her study to get into Nishidate together.

They take the exam together, both hoping to pass and get in together. However, there’s a surprise in their plan. Ayumu’s score gets her into Nishidate, but Yuko doesn’t. Yuko is crushed and blames her failure on Ayumu. She breaks off her friendship with Ayumu and refuses to see her.

Ayumu starts her high school life listless and with little to no self-confidence. She is approached by Anzai Manami and they become friends. Manami has everything: the #1 student as her boyfriend (and handsome, too!), Sato Katsumi; money, her father is ridiculously powerful and has serious connections; beautiful and popular.

However, through a series of misunderstanding and manipulations, Manami comes to believe that Ayumu betrayed their “pinky promise.” Manami and her little gang lead the class in bullying Ayumu and her self-esteem falls lower and lower. Not only that, but she is struggling at school as well, ranking close to last place. One of Ayumu’s classmates, Hatori Miki, reaches out to her. Hatori is different from everyone else, she is not afraid to be by herself and is content being alone. She is very strong-willed and from her Ayumu gains the confidence to begin fighting back against her classmates.

LIFE was definitely one of the best dramas this past season. The acting was excellent; everything felt so real. Most of the cast are not well known, so it really surprised me how good the acting was. But I think it was better to have a relatively unknown cast, so it’s not your favorite actress being bullied or your favorite actress leading the bullying. Isn’t it scary how sweet some people can appear to be, only to suddenly turn into something so horrible?

It’s really a little horrifying to watch sometimes because of just how bad the bullying was. Like you hear that bullying is bad in Japan, but I don’t think people who grew up in the West can really understand. I mean, yeah, bullying is mentioned in some popular stories, most notably being Hana Yori Dango, but you don’t really see the effects of the bullying. Especially because the main character, Tsukushi is so strong-willed that she immediately fights back and continues to fight back. In LIFE, you really see how it can drive people to suicide. Plus, people who are bullied don’t have many friends around them and have little self-confidence, so they won’t fight back. It scares me to think how real this situation could be.

Another point that LIFE brings up is how everyone has their problems (well, pretty much). They can seem one way at school, but in reality they have a lot of things going on in their lives. And just because you know how they are at school doesn’t mean you really know how they are.

I really like the portrayal of people who have power. Take Manami, daughter of one of the most powerful men in town. A complete daddy’s girl and spoiled brat, her father completely fawns over her. I don’t want to say that it’s all her father’s fault, because it was Manami’s decision to do all this. But why does she think she can do this to begin with? Because even though she is the daughter, she has her father completely wrapped around her finger. Her father is super rich and super powerful, but he can’t raise a modest girl and he can’t see how dense he is.

A lot the problem also lies in the mindset of the people. The bullies in LIFE actually think they are right. That Ayumu deserves to be punished and they’re serving justice. But it’s so hard for me to believe that almost all the other classmates that participate think they are doing what’s right. Or that when it comes out into the open, they will say that it’s not their fault and that they were just innocent bystanders. I think one thing the drama wanted to point out is that everyone who witnesses the bullying is participating in it.

And then there’s the school administration. It sickens me that teachers either can’t see the bullying, don’t want to see the bullying, or see it and don’t do anything about it. And that if there is a teacher for attempts to solve it, they’ll be ostracized by the other teachers. It’s just so hard to wrap my head around it; how can they just turn a blind eye?

The series also briefly touches on the cycle of bullying. That point is especially interesting to me; I’d think that all the students who were bullied would eventually team up against it. But perhaps, they are too afraid of being bullied again that they wouldn’t do anything.

Now, if there’s a show that spurs me to write (much less think!) this much about the subject, it has to be a good drama. It is hard to watch at times, seeing Ayumu’s pain and wishing you could do something about it. But it’s so amazing to watch her growth and in that same way, maybe you can gain more confidence in yourself as well. Plus, the drama points out all the different aspects in bullying; it’s super thorough. I don’t know what more I can say to recommend this drama. It deals with a tough subject in an amazing way; I loved it.

Buy the boxset: Japan Version