ThatJapaneseDramaGuy

 Movie: Fortuna's Eye Romaji: Forutuna no Hitomi Japanese: フォルトゥナの瞳 Director: Takahiro Miki Writer: Naoki Hyakuta (novel), Riko Sakaguchi Actors: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Kasumi Arimura, Jun Shison, Airi Matsui Shinichiro Kiyama possesses "Fortuna's Eye," an ability where he sees people who are about to die. People whose death is drawing near appear transparent to him. It is a gift that torments him. He can step in and prevent those deaths but at the expense of his own life. Then he meets a lively girl Aoi Kiryu who he fell in love with, but after a brief period of happiness, Aoi's body suddenly starts turning transparent. If you watched "Tomorrow I Will Date With Yesterday's You," another Miki Takahiro movie, they presented the twist presented similar to that movie. "Fortuna's Eye" was just an okay movie for me. It didn't give me any goosebumps at all because I already saw that twist coming from afar. Why they made it so ob...

  Drama: My Favorite Member (English title) Romaji: Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita Japanese: だから私は推しました Director: Keita Hosaka, Yoshio Watanabe Writer: Yoshiko Morishita Actors: Yuki Sakurai, Sei Shiraishi, Yu Sawabe Most people know Japanese dramas for being formulaic, repetitive, and full of tropes. And that is because of the vast amount of high school and job oriented shows they release each season. Little did they know there is one aspect where Japan excels a lot, and that is when their creativity takes over and start to think outside the box. They are, by far the most innovative when it comes to script and ideas. This risk would sometimes result in some pretentious crap, but when struck gold, it would be a masterpiece that would stand the test of time. Masterpieces that makeup Japan's rich film history, but it's not only in movies as it happens in their dramas as well.   "Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita" is the modern example of that. A ...

Movie: Love At Least (English title) Romaji: Ikiteru Dake de, Ai Japanese: 生きてるだけで、愛 Director: Kosai Sekine Writer: Yukiko Motoya (novel), Kosai Sekine Actors: Shuri, Masaki Suda, Riisa Naka I consider myself a happy person, and I would like to think that I've never been depressed my entire life. This movie though, made me feel what it's like to have clinical depression. It felt like a quicksand was swallowing me, and there is no getting out. The recurring blackout scene didn't help at all. It was like the most honest portrayal of depression and mental illness I've ever seen. The whole atmosphere vibe is extremely dark throughout the movie. Not horror-like vibe though more like melancholic vibe. The cinematography is distinctive, atmospheric rather than entertaining. It's also symbolic like a visual narrative; hence, the plot seems dry and uneventful. Soundtrack resonates with the image, drifting into the life and mind of our main protagonist....

2019 has been great for Japanese drama when I thought the 2018 lineup is strong, 2019 is even better. As you probably know the genres in Jdramas is very diverse and in this year there are many good dramas that cater to people who have different taste. Do you like comfy slice of life? Are you a fan of job oriented dramas? Do thought-provoking plots fascinate you? Are you a fan of the Japanese style of comedy? Do you love romance? Or maybe, is fan service type of romance is what you are looking for? There are probably more I forgot to mention, but all I want to say is 2019 is indeed great for Jdramas, and this article I share what dramas I think highlight aspects that make Japanese dramas great, the best Japanese drama of 2019. Before you continue reading the article, make sure you understand that this is a personal opinion. It is okay to disagree, just don't be disagreeable. You can also comment your own list and if I haven't watched it I look at it as your recommendation....

Drama: Pure! ~ One-day idol director's case book ~ Romanji: ピュア！～一日アイドル署長の事件簿～ Characters: Hamabe Minami, Higashide Masahiro Pure is a police mystery drama where two unlikely pair solves crime scene puzzles that if you've watched too many crime dramas the mystery would look like a child's play to you. It's very predictable and it seems it was written for a kid who would not try to think about it critically. But the Pure is not trying to be another SPEC or Sherlock type of series, it's a comedy where you should not take the plot seriously. Kurobara Junko (Hamabe Minami) is an unpopular idol. She always pretends to be innocent, but the truth is she's an absurd girl and envious of other popular idol. She has a knack for finding other people's dirty little secrets which she uses to put stain on other idol's reputations. Getting rid of other idols means less competition. She then volunteers as one-day police commissioner to increase her popul...

Drama: Your Turn to Kill (English title) / It's Your Turn (literal title) Romaji: Anata no Ban Desu, Anata no Ban Desu - Counterattack Japanese: あなたの番です Director: Noriyoshi Sakuma Writer: Mitsunori Fukuhara Actors: Tomoyo Harada, Kei Tanaka, Nanase Nishino, Ryusei Yokohama, Nao, Tae Kimura, Naoto Takenaka, Miwako Kakei, Karen Otomo, Katsuhisa Namase, Miho Kanazawa  Nana and Shota are a newlywed couple and Nana is 15 years older than Shota. Nana works as a designer and Shota works as a gym trainer. They both enjoy mystery. The newlywed couple then move to an apartment and they attend a resident's meeting there. Nana and Shota become involved in murder cases that take place at the apartment. Residents get murdered one by one. Some residents have a motive, but those suspects have an alibi. Because of this, an arrest has yet to be made. If you are a fan of good mystery with plot twists then Anata no Ban Desu is right up your alley. It's addicting like chocol...

Drama: My Favorite Member (English title) Romaji: Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita Japanese: だから私は推しました Director: Keita Hosaka, Yoshio Watanabe Writer: Yoshiko Morishita Actors: Yuki Sakurai, Sei Shiraishi, Yu Sawabe Most people know Japanese dramas for being formulaic, repetitive and full of tropes, which is due to the huge amount of high school and job oriented Jdramas being released each season. Little did they know there is one aspect where Jdramas excels alot, that is when their creativity takes over and start to think outside the box. They are not afraid to take risk, and when they nail it, they nail it hard. This way of thinking gave birth to masterpieces across different period in Japan's rich film history, which same can be said for their dramas as well. I've only watched four episodes, but from what I've seen, Dakara Watashi wa Oshimashita has the potential to be one of the best Japanese dramas ever. I'm not saying this because I'm...