ThatJapaneseDramaGuy

More than a love story this whole tale is a commentary on Tokyo's state during different period of time, the Manga which is written during the bubble era, the 1991 drama before it pops, and the modern version when the economy is more stabilized. Each represents wild energy, uncertainty and resolve which would resonate in the character of Rika. The story described her as the living image of Tokyo, and in these 3 versions there is a dialogue where kanji says Rika is Tokyo itself. Having said that Tokyo Love story is not remake but a reimagine, reimagining the same characters and story bits in modern times. It reminds me a lot of what they've done with Final Fantasy 7 who also got a lot of hate from boomer mindset alike, and just like how gameplay in modern final fantasy changes over time and so for Japanese dramas, the mundanity of the old was replaced by more fast paced approach, and elements such as female empowerment was added to fit the theme different from its predece...

Dance with Me I usually not good with musicals as it feels it break the immersion once they started singing but "Dance with Me" is different as musical is huge part of its whole narrative and not just randomly inserted songs out of nowhere. The female lead grew up hating musicals as she had bad experience with it, then one day a magician hypnotize her and the result is she will sing and dance once she hear any music like a star in a musical movie. In short it ruined her life, she messed up one company presentation and wrecked a restaurant during her date as she swings a chandelier like a crazy person. The fun begins once she started her quest of gaining her sanity back, then follows are random but fun events which seems to be Shinobu Yaguchi's trademark, the director of Waterboys, Swing girls, Wood job, Survival family and more, so if you are familiar with those works then you should know this film has heart and not just simple musical comedy. Miyoshi Ayaka owns this...

Native Title: 東京ラブストーリー Also Known As: Tokyo Rabusutori Directors: Nagata Koto, Miki Koichiro, Yamamoto Toru Screenwriters: Kitagawa Ayako Original Network: Fuji TV, Amazon Prime Actors: Ito Kentaro, Ishibashi Shizuka, Kiyohara Sho, Ishii Anna Tokyo Love story is a remake of the classic Japanese drama in the 90's, I haven't watched the original but all I know is it is a classic and the ending is divisive. This remake made me want to check the original since the story and the characters are just excellent, and I only watched one episode. It also made me crave for grounded to reality romance stories with realistic characters because in these past years most romance Japanese dramas are just filled with over the top characters, like how many grounded romance dramas we get these past years, Koinaka? Love Story? Love that makes you cry? Chugakusei Nikki? Hirugao? What else I can't think of any. It's also interesting to see how this story is different from the or...

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...

Suda Masaki is one of the best young Japanese actors right now. He is young but it doesn't mean he lack experience, his filmography if you check is as long as Nile River. He is known for his versatility as he plays different roles with ease. Most people regard him as an intense actor, the type who would pour all his heart to a role, but his acting is not all shouting and animated gestures, he can act subtly when needed, and most of those roles you can find in his art house movie projects. Also if you want to know why critics considered him one of the best it's not because of his popularity but for the respect he gained from festival judges around the world. 1. 3 Nen A Gumi: Ima kara Mina-san wa, Hitojichi Desu School drama with insane premise, the Teacher kidnaps his students 10 days before their graduation. As you watch the drama you would ask yourself why he did that, is he insane or is this his method to discipline this group problematic students, but as the story pr...