ThatJapaneseDramaGuy

Drama: Kasumi Arimura's Filming Break (literal title) Romaji: Arimura Kasumi no Satsukyu Director: Hirokazu Koreeda, Rikiya Imaizumi, Santa Yamagishi, Satoko Yokohama, Megumi Tsuno Writer: Rikiya Imaizumi, Mami Sunada, Makoto Shinohara, Makiko Mizoguchi, Mitsuhiko Fujiki, Naoyuki Miura, Megumi Tsuno, Sakura Higa Network: WOWOW Actors:  Kasumi Arimura, Yuya Yagira, Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Fubuki Jun, Ito Sairi This is unexpectedly a great feel good slice of life Japanese drama. The plot is also original like a story based on the fictional life of Arimura Kasumi, it has nothing to do with her aside from her name as an actress. The direction of the first two episodes is top notch like who else in Japan can create a great slice of life vibe; it's none other than Palme d'Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda. The plot is simple and easy to follow, its episodic structure compliments the slice of life nature of the show, and it really makes the drama easy to digest. It f

Drama: In the Blunt Box / In The Dark Gray Box Romaji: Nibiiro no Hako no Naka de Japanese: 鈍色の箱の中で Director: Shinji Kuma Writer: Tomohiro Shinohara (manga), Haruka Okita Actors: Sayu Kubota, Riku Hagiwara, Fuju Kamio, Natsumi Okamoto, Ayumu Mochizuki, Miwako Kakei Things to expect in this drama    kisses  kisses more kisses Now for the review: Nibiiro no Hako no Naka de is about childhood friends who lived in the same apartment complex for years and as they grew up thing have changed, some got into a relationship, one person developed a one sided love and one character distanced himself away from the group. There is a mystery element here and the way they present it reminds me a lot of Anata no Ban Desu, there is an eerie atmosphere in the show like people being watched by CCTV etc. It also happen that character live in one building so the comparison to that drama is quite evident. The difference is there is a lot of teen angst in