ThatJapaneseDramaGuy

Drama: Nagi's Long Vacation Romaji: Nagi no Oitoma Japanese: 凪のお暇 Director: Toshio Tsuboi, Takeyoshi Yamamoto, Nobuhiro Doi Writer: Misato Konari (manga), Satomi Oshima Actors: Haru Kuroki, Issey Takahashi, Tomoya Nakamura, Mikako Ichikawa, Erika Karata, Yo Yoshida Here comes another slice of life drama from Japan, a country that is known for producing very good slice of life dramas in the past. Such a comfy drama with playful music and calm pacing added up to the laidback/cozy atmosphere of this drama. I only watched one episode so far, but I can already tell this will be something special, first episode had all the signs of a masterpiece in the making. With strong performance from its cast, this thought provoking drama is a must watch, especially that the theme it tackle is close to heart. When you enter a room full of strangers most people will remain silent for awhile. Judge people's faces, their expressions, their manner of talking etc. Whether it ha...

Drama: The House on the Slope (literal title) Romaji: Saka no Tochu no Ie Japanese: 坂の途中の家 Director: Yukihiro Morigaki Actors: Kou Shibasaki, Seiichi Tanabe, Miki Mizuno, Hidekazu Mashima, Ayumi Ito, Yuki Sakurai Writer: Mitsuyo Kakuta (novel), Eriko Shinozaki The English title "A House On The Slope" reminds me of that part in one of Haruki Murakami's books where it says, Frank Kafka was quite fond of slopes. He loves to gaze at houses built on the middle of the slope. He would sit by the side of the street for hours, staring at houses like that. Of course Murakami just made that up, but anyone who is familiar with Kafka's life knows that it's most likely a fact. House on the slope is a brilliant metaphor for what this drama is about, that awkward angle symbolizes misunderstandings inside that household, that if we stare at a house built like that we need to tilt our head at one side to straighten it up, just like kafka seeks his father's approv...

Drama: What Did You Eat Yesterday? (literal title) Romaji: Kinou Nani Tabeta Japanese: きのう何食べた？ Director: Kazuhito Nakae, Katsumi Nojiri, Kenji Katagiri Writer: Fumi Yoshinaga (manga), Naoko Adachi Actors: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Seiyo Uchino "Accepted means ignored" that's what I always hear when people describe the LGBT scene in Japan, and this drama clearly shows that in the most honest manner. They will ignore it if they are outside their group, like people on the streets, etc, but once they are a member of their family, friends or a co-worker, it's a different story. But you can't also blame them because they are just worried as society is very unforgiving. As a straight guy, this is an eye-opener to me, it shows me the struggles gay couples have in our society, the stereotypes on gay people and the lack of knowledge on gay couples. This is somewhat similar to Ossan's love, I'm not saying this is better than Ossan's love, it is less funny...