Uta no Onii-san 歌のおにいさん

Genre : Comedy
Episodes : 11 (currently airing on TV Asahi)
Official Website

During at the end of their performance, Yano Kenta was shocked by his band members announcement to disband. Akane, one of the band member and also his former girlfriend decided to leave him without giving any reason. As if cursed with bad luck, he then received a termination letter from his current job. Upon hearing that his son are now jobless, his father demanded that Yano Kenta to pay back all the money his father spent sending him to college. Desperate, Yano went everywhere looking for a job. He went to the wrong interview and was hired as a backup singer for a children show called "Minna de Utao!" (Let's Sing Together) as uta no onii-san (singing brother). At first he was doing his job half-heartedly, thinking the whole show as a stupid wierd act. However, together with everyone on the show he began to work hard and more importantly rediscover himself.

When I first heard about this drama, I have to admit I was not interested at all despite the fact that Ohno Satoshi was the main cast. I was thinking, what's the big deal about this drama?! They are probably fussing over it because Ohno aka Reeda, as his fans fondly calls him. Oh wait a minute, I'm one of them... his fans. LOL. The show seems to get good feedback from international JDrama fans, so I decided to watch just one episode. Now I am one of the happy fans waiting anxiously to watch the next episodes of this series. This drama is not bad at all and although it's doesnt have the great suspense gripping plot, it's very enjoyable to watch. I think it's funny but at the same time teach you to look at life differently. I actually learn a valuable lesson from this drama. :)

Give this drama a chance and you'll be happy that you did. Have a great time.

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Triangle トライアングル

Genre : Mystery, Suspense
Episode : 11 (currently airing on Fuji TV, KTV - expected to air final episode on March)
Theme Song : Sayonara wa Iwanai by Oda Kazumasa
Official Website

In 1984, a ten year old girl was murdered and her body was found at the riverside by one of her classmates, Horigome Takuya. The girl was Katsuragi Sachie. 15 years later, exactly after the case time limit has ended, Goda Ryoji resigned his post as a doctor and went to Paris. Later in January 2009, he came back to Japan as a trainee for the Interpol. He began contacting old friends and tried to get the copy of the murder case manuscript written by Tomioka Yasushi. As if fated, the manuscript was in possesion of the first witness, Horigome Takuya. Unfortunately Horigome was attacked, his company money was taken and the murder case manuscript disappeared along with it.

At the same day of Goda Ryoji reporting duty, Kuroki Shun received an anonymous phone call claiming that the murder case of Katsuragi Sachie is not yet over. Kuroki Shun began to investigate and later suspecting Goda Ryoji as the murderer, however the case was closed and he couldn't find evidence to link Goda Ryoji with the murder case. He was determined to find out the truth and went to the Katsuragi family. To his great suprise the dead girl's mother told him that the daughter, Katsuragi Sachie is still alive.

Who is Goda Ryoji? Is he the real killer of Katsuragi Sachie? If so, why did he did he killed her? Why did he return to Japan as a police? Why is the manuscript so important? Does it really exists? What about the letter written by Katsuragi Sachie on the day before she was killed? Is Sachie really alive? If so, why would Goda Ryoji tried to protect her? And protect her from whom?

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Liar Game ライアーゲーム

Genre : Psychological thriller
Episodes : 11 (final episodes - 3 hour special)
Original Manga by Shinobu Kaitani
Official Website

Kanzaki Nao was an honest girl with a pure heart. One day she accidentally participates into the 'Liar Game'. The goal was to steal the other opponent 100 million yen. The winner will get to keep 100 million while the loser will be indebted to the organization. Nao thought luck was on her side when the other opponent turn out to be her former high school teacher, thinking she could trust him, she gave her 100 million for safe keeping only to found out the bitter harsh of reality.

Her own teacher cheated her. Desperate to get herself out of trouble, she turns to Akiyama Shinichi. A genius swindler that helps her won the first game. However, thinking that everything is over, she received another invitation to participate in the second round of Liar Game.

I know this is not the most recent drama but I found my copy when I was rummaging my DVD collection. This drama was released in 2007, and one of my favorites. I thought I would do review on previous drama as well. One of the best, truly mind-boggling. Deceiver deceived?! I think the cover doesn't do justice to Matsuda Shota... that hair look freaking fake to me >.< .. Glad it's only on the cover!

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Mop Girl モップガール

Genre : Comedy, Mystery, Fantasy
Episodes : 10
Theme Song : Destination Nowhere by Erika

Momoko was a slow and clumsy hard working girl at a funeral agency called Little Angel. On her first day at work, she realized her amazing gifts to return in the past after touching a dead person's belonging. With the help of her superior, Ohtomo, they do a little investigation on people surrounding the future victims in order to change his or her fate.

Kitagawa won a special award for this drama. I think she did a great as Momoko. It's a bit similar to the american tv show... forgot the title... aaaa... nvm.. the only similarity is the ability to return a day before the crime. The storyline are different, and funny!

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Maou 魔王

Genre : Mystery, Suspense, Drama
English Title : The Devil
Episodes : 11
Theme song : Truth by Arashi
A remake of a Korean drama The Devil.
Official Website

Serizawa Naoto was one of the top detective, one day he received a package containing a tarot card inside a red envelope from a mysterious person. One by one the people around him were murdered by a brilliant plot. He asked help from Shiori, a girl with a power to read leftover memories from an item. The more he dig into the mystery, the more often he encounter with the brilliant angelic lawyer, Naruse Ryo. It's like an inevitable unvisible red thread that link them together, from the murder case 11 years ago.

This award winning drama won not just the best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress awards but also the heart of it's viewer. It tells of a story of a brilliant lawyer, Naruse Ryo who live a double life. An angelic lawyer who fight for justice yet at the same time he hold grudge to the person that caused the death of his family. He is turning into a devil.

Now I am officially a fan of Ohno Satoshi, his great performance as Naruse Ryo/Amano Tomoo blew my mind. Watching the drama, I can feel and understand Tomoo hatred and grudge... Sad story, brilliant plot, great performance... what more do you want?

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33pun Tantei **33分探偵

Genre : Comedy, Mystery
Episodes : 9
Theme Song : Secret Code by Kinki Kids

I dunno what else to say... bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!! ROFL LMAOUTCOR.... A geek who believes in ghost and UFOs, scared the sight of blood and dead bodies, Kurama Rokuro starred by Tsuyoshi Domoto (Kinki Kids member) is well known for his brilliant ambigous deduction.

Although it's obvious who is the real culprit from the very beginning, Detective Rokuro will not let a case end easily and will prolong the mystery exactly 33 minutes by making wild guesses and illogical reasoning. In the end, he did solve the case and the story behind it.

Very funny drama, as Kindaichi he was funny too but at the same time took all the cases seriously and unravel great mystery with such awsome deduction. In 33pun Tantei, it's the total opposite. Great laugh tho... bwahahaha...

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Dragon Zakura ドラゴン桜

Genre: High School, Drama, Comedy Episodes: 11 Official Website

Sakuraji Kenji was sent to Ryuuzan High School to declare its bankruptcy. However for his personal reasons he decided to set up a special class, his goal... to send five students into the most extablished university in Tokyo - Todai University. Things are not working out smoothly in the beginning as the average score of this school are 36/100 and most of the students hate studying and have no future goal.

A must watch to both students and teachers alike. It's not the typical great teacher saving students from choosing the wrong path in life kind of dorama. Instead it's a really refreshing high school dorama that actually teaches you not just the reality of life, but actually giving you great tips on studying methods. I actually did some of it during my high school years and it really does works. I'm really enjoying this dorama and I believe so will you. Watching this dorama make me wish I can go back to school and study... I wish I had Sakuraji Kenji as my teacher and Yamapi or Teppei in my class!!!! I must be in Todai if I did... lol.. the most important rules in modern life "the first one to raise his fist are the loser!" Watch this dorama and you'll understand. =)

Cast:
Abe Hiroshi as Sakuragi Kenji
Yamashita Tomohisa as Yajima Yusuke
Nagasawa Masami as Mizuno Naomi
Koike Teppei as Ogata Hideki
Aragaki Yui as Kosaka Yoshino
Nakao Akiyoshias Okuno Ichiro
Saeko >as Kobayashi Maki

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Innocent Love イノセント・ラヴ

Genre : Romance, Drama
Episodes : 10
Ending Song : Eternally by Utada Hikaru

Seven years ago, an arson took everything form Akiyama Kanon's life. Her older brother admit to the crime and was arrested, only to denied being responsible to the murder afterward. Trying to start over, Kanon decided to move into a new town and work as a cleaner. Luck seems to finally side with her as she met Junya and fall in love with his kindness and his innocence smile. Her brother have finally been given pardon and released from the juvenile for good behavior. However things are not as simple as it seems, Junya are emotionally attached to his girlfriend who has been unconscious for over three years. As the truth about her family background began to unravel, Kanon became emotionally unstable and started wishing that her brother never existed.

A really interesting drama that not only offers touching drama and romance but a good mysterious background as well. Who is the reporter that insisted to prove Kanon's brother innocence? Who was the real murderer behind the arson case? Written by the creator of Last Friends, this Jdorama get great reviews as expected. Enjoy the preview =)

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Hanazakari no Kimitachi e 花ざかりの君たちへ

English Title : For You In Full Bloom
AKA : Ikemen Paradise イケメン♂パラダイス
Based on the original manga by : Nakajo Hisaya
Episodes : 12
Genre : Comedy, High School Drama, Romance
Opening Song : Ikenai Taiyou by Orange Range

Ashiya Mizuki disguised herself as a boy and transfer to an all boys school Osaka High to befriend Sano Izumi to persuade him to do high jump again. At the same time, Nakatsu Suichi is beginning to have a feelings towards her.

This is a very funny JDorama, you'll laugh from beginning to end and will remind you of fun happy high school life =) Sorry I didn't include Sano in the clip, it's not that I don't like him, I just happen to like Ikuta Toma (the guy who acted as Nakatsu) sooo much! ;P Hahaha...

This dorama was so well received that Fuji TV put together a "Hana Kimi Ouji" contest in 2007, to search for "ikemen" (good looking person) all across Japan. Even girls are welcome as long as they meet the requirement - looking like a high school student. The winner will be a get a chance to appear as an extra in the drama.

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Bloody Monday ブラッディ・マンデイ

Genre : Action, Suspense
Episodes : 11
Broadcast : TBS
Theme Song : Hikari no Hashi by Flumpool
Official Website : ブラッディ・マンデイ - Save the Earth

It all begins when a woman name Maya smuggle a biological weapon from Russia.Vladivostok was the first town that has fallen under the virus, everyone died at once and the town have been sealed by the military. A few months later in Japan, a Russian secret agent was found dead, the Third-i (National Security Special Force) that was investigating the incident found a chip on his body that explains the tragedy in Vladivostok which involves a group of Japanese assassin. Trying to prevent the abominable crime from happening, they asked help from a high school genius. A hacker that goes by the name Falcon. At the same time the assassin are trying to have Falcon side with them by hurting his family and friends. Which one will he serve? Will he put his family and friends first or would he choose to save the world?

A really good drama, I recommend it to everyone =) two thumbs up. It is based on a manga by the same title originally authored by Ryuman Ryo. Before watching this drama I 'm not a big fan of Miura Haruma, but I think he acted well as Fujimaru. Don't miss out or you'll regret it =)

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Yukan Club 有閑倶楽部

• Title: 有閑倶楽部 - Yukan Club aka Leisure Club
• Genre: School comedy
• Episodes: 10
• Broadcast network: NTV
• Theme song: Keep The Faith by KAT-TUN
• Official Website http://www.ntv.co.jp/yukan/
  

Summary:

The story is a comedy revolving around six wealthy and popular high school students who also happens to be the student body council member. They are Shochikubai Miroku (Akanishi Jin), Kikumasamune Seishiro (Yokoyama Yu), Bido Granmarie (Taguchi Junnosuke), Kenbishi Yuri (Minami), Hakushika Noriko (Kashii Yu, spouse of Joe Odagiri), and Kizakura Karen (Suzuki Emi). They spend their times solving mysteries that's happening around them in school and their life.

This story is a school life comedy drama, yet somehow it fails to give the big impact I was hoping for like other JDorama titles that I have, but still it's a good watch. Feast your eyes with good looking casts =) and if you are a fan of KAT-TUN you'll love this!

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Puzzle 2008 パズル

Title : パズル (Puzzle)

Aired : TV Asahi (2008)

Genre : Mystery, Comedy

The story begins when Matsuo Yuuko went to visit her dying grandfather Aoyagi Ryuzaemon. On his death bed he left them a riddle, whoever managed to solve it will inherit the family heirloom, a pure gold pot that was passed down by their ancestors. Yuuko then went to Imamura Shinichi for help, he was one of the best student in the well known Tokumen High. With his two best friends he tried to solve the riddle that doesn't seems to make any sense in the beginning..

It was then their new replacement English teacher, Misako Ayukawa came and solved the riddle in one glance. Inviting herself along with the three boys, they went to the Aoyagi Mansion to find more clues of the riddle.

Misako Ayukawa war very poor in English yet she possesses a brilliant mind for solving puzzles. She ends up tackling various cases with the help of Imamura, Tsukamoto and Kanzaki.

The original title of this JDorama is Puzzle but I added 2008 because there are two titles of the same name, first released in 2006 and now this one, in 2008. Although the story revolves around the three boys, the storyline are totally different.

This drama are very entertaining, it's been a long time since I found interesting mystery drama that can actually compete with Trick series and Galileo, but this one is quite entertaining. Enjoy the trailer =)

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Sexy Voice Robo

This is a light drama, a comedy with a touch on humanity. This drama is based on a manga by the same title that won the Excellence prize in 2001 at Japan Media Arts Festival. The casts are Matsuyama Kenichi as Sudo Ichiro a.k.a. Robo, and Ohgo Suzuka as Niko a.k.a. Sexy Voice. In case you still haven't noticed, Matsuyama was L in Death Note. It's amazing how his character evolved from someone that so cool and smart as L , into an immature idiotic otaku who are crazy on robot toys; hence his nickname Robo. He is hilarious in this series, I just love his idiotic expression!! "Max Bomber!!! Max Attack! Max Punch!!!"

They met each other on an intersection, Niki running in fear after seeing a blood fight; while Robo running away (more to being chased away) from a mob of martial artist and a policeman, he was accused as hentai (pervert) by accidentally blew air on a girl's neck (he was letting out a heavy sigh!!! LOL). I just love the scene it was hilarious!! Just thinking about it will make me laugh!

Probably the only fight scene in this series, i don't remember have to watch it again lol

The girl is hitting him with her handbag "Hentai!!!" she screamed at him!

Where they meet for the first time ^^ and no this is not a love scene lol


Kan Sung Hon : Winter Sonata Parody

They meet again when Niki decided to investigate the place she saw the crime. Not having anyone she can confide, she call an adult service line and trick the guy on the other end to accompany her to the scene. The man turns out to be Robo. Not only they manage to find the guy, they learn that his true identity; an assassin and his next assignment is to kill the owner of an antique store, Myakon Maki. Together they manage to stop him. Grateful, Maki approached them to work with her as spies. Using her talent to alter voice, Niko and Robo started their journey, solving weird and funny cases. Each episode promises a good laugh!!

Sexy Voice and Robo

Video (picture slides) credit to reirean, domo!! Love it!!

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Jikou Keisatsu

Kiriyama Shuuichiro is a policeman who loves to investigate unresolved cases that have reached the time limit (closed). With the help of Mikazuki Shizuka; a police from the traffic department; they have managed to solved several murder cases. I especially like 'Kill with a Kiss' Case File. Like any other mystery drama, the pace is a little slow but you will not get bored because the story itself is not heavy. Make sure you look at the background scene, you might see something bizarre.

Case 2 : The Olympic Murder Affair

Moreover, this drama feeds you information without force, it was given gradually so you won't feel like you head is about to burst with too much information. You obtain clues from scenes without having to crack you head to figure it out. Unlike most mystery drama, you already know who were the criminals from the beginning; the gist is about finding clues to prove them guilty. Often, Kiriyama will explain his hypothesis to Mikazuki casually, usually followed by a skit at the background scene. You'll get more scenes like this when you least expected (the comical part). The exaggerations are funny so I had a good laugh at it. Please take note, if you are looking for a thick mystery plots, this is not what you want so keep your distance.

Can You Solve This Problem?

There's not a moment you don't enjoy. Another interesting character is Jumonji Hayate. He filled up the story with his silly undercover feats; most often it attracts more attention so it never work out for him ROFL. Jumonji always turns to Kiriyama for hints, though later on he pretends that he solved the problem by himself. Others are Kumamoto, Matarai and Saneie who works with him and help him to come out with a deduction, however most times you’ll see them in pointless conversation as seen on the cutscene above. Not that I mind *heh*.

So grab a copy of the vcd or dvd at the nearby video store, it is also available in Popular Bookstore and is a lot cheaper. Mind you this drama is not recent so I wouldn’t be surprised if you couldn’t find it on sale. I only manage to get hold of my copy two years ago (those days it's hard to get anything recent and even if they do the volume are limited >.<""" plus the subtitle are really bad so learn a little Japanese would be a good idea), the second season (Jikou Keisatsu II) is available as well. I believe the video store in Jusco do sell old titles at cheaper price. So good luck and enjoy ^^

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Mirai Koshi Meguru

How would you react if you have the ability to see 20 years ahead into the future? What will you do? For Yoshida Meguru who works as an English teacher in an elementary cram school, she found the ability is pretty useless in the beginning. Her ability awoken on her birthday, she and her boyfriend were having dinner at a Korean restaurant, where she ended up eating all the food the waitress sent to their table by mistake. She went to the washroom only to come out and found a strange middle age, chubby bald man sat on their table and acted friendly towards her. It wasn't until the next day that she found out of her ability to see the future. According to her grandfather who has the same ability, her family has inherited this ability and once in the past, their family was a great and famous fortuneteller. The Yoshida's ability are triggered each time they are full. However, the ability appears to be useless in modern world and doesn’t contribute to anything heroic to the society. However, Meguru ended using her ability to help her students and change their future which later affects her future as well!

In this drama Kyoko Fukada play as Yoshida Meguru, a girl who have to choose between a middle age chubby balding boyfriend, or the rich and good looking childhood friend who managed to keep fit and handsome 20 years later. This drama is funny and entertaining, not to mention Kyoko Fukada who manage to lost her weight and look great, to me at least. Always a big fan of her despite all the stereotype roles she’s playing. I just love all her silly comedic roles!

Yoshida Meguru Introduction

"Katsura" Case



Meguru no Papa Intro

Others are Eguchi Hideo whom teaches math and loves adult videos, Takaozan Noboru a Japanese language teacher and Monden Masaru, the ever eccentric school principal whom never seem to grow old in Megumi vision but smell like one. ROFL. Not forgetting her father who is always at the background trying his best to solve her problem using money, I just love their crazy antics! A must watch to those who enjoy silly comedies and no serious plot. A little warning, to those who are not used to watching anime or Japanese Drama, you might find this drama a little confusing at first, but don’t get disheartened. You’ll get used to it, and when you do you’ll enjoy this drama and laugh your heart out ^^. Enjoy!

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