Drama Time! Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita onna

Nogami Meiko works in a pet grooming salon in Shirogane she is very skilled at what she does and loves her job greatly.  She works happily and is loved by the salon's owner and her co-worker.  But Meiko has a secret, when she was 19, she was imprisoned for murder wrongfully because of this she suffered greatly and vowed to get revenge on everyone that framed her for the murder of her own family.  When she begins to put her plans into action by chance she meets Mashima Takuro who helped her in a moment of trouble,  Takuro is actually a police detective but he keeps this a secret from her knowing about her past. That chance meeting with the detective could break Meikos plan for revenge or set them into advancing quicker.

This drama was full of plot twist and moment where the watcher will be in some disbelief.  The actor that portrayed Meiko did a great job seeing as you can feel sympathy for her but can still be scared of her at the same time especially when she does the evil smile (so creepy).  At the end of the drama when all of it finally unfolds and nothing else can be done a happy ending is strongly hoped for but at the same time not likely obtained, the ending was truthfully the perfect for the story line as sad as it was.  Still there's a lot of things to love about this drama there's an underlying love story for the main characters, there's death, there action, there's tragedy, there's evil that's more evil than it appear but most importantly there's dogs, cute dogs which are lovable and you get to see throughout the drama.  To see all the cute dogs and to of course find out Meiko's tragic story you will have to watch this drama, so....


Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Seigi no Mikata

A person who stands for all the right things and is not afraid to speak about the things that are wrong making everything around them better as a result this is to everyone an ally of justice this is the definition of Nakata Makiko.  Or at least to everyone that isn't her little sister Nakata Yoko who knows her big sisters is the true nature of evil.  Yoko since young has lived under her sister tyranny having to do all her chores, run to great lengths to do things for her without gratitude or rest, Yoko knows the full extent of her big sisters evil and understands very well that the things Makiko does are for her out gain rather than the worlds. But somehow everything always turns out for the better when her sister is involved.  Yoko lives a troubled life because of her sister and she wonders if it will ever be peaceful. 

I loved this drama it was simply perfection, or at least I think so.  The big sister is evil in all ways a person could be but somehow everyone thinks she is an ally of justice and every time it happens the moment was pure gold, I loved the way she ridiculously got away with the things she did or said.  Somehow it makes me want to be an ally of justice just like her but I am sure that someone would have to suffer like the poor little sister so I will never attempt it.  All in all the drama was probably one of my favorites the characters were realistic yet still a bit eccentric making the drama more interesting.  So lets all be ally's of justice and watch this drama lets go!

Matane!
またね！

Anime Time!! Attack on Titan

Based on a manga Attack on Titan take place in world where, titans, giant human like monsters have

rampaged the earth and terrorize humanity.  These titans have wiped out the human population to a point where only a few thousands are left, these humans live withing three walls that protect them from the titans.  The story follows Eren, a boy who wants to join the Recon Corp the military force that is known for fighting the titans and losing most battles against them.  This sets the scene when the out most wall falls to an armored titan, death and despair begins to rampage through out humanity as the first wall falls.  The survivors of this attack live now within the inner walls but famine and lack of food means sacrifice to everyone that has already lost it all.  Eren having seen the horrors of the titan vows that he will kill them all and enlist in the military with this goal in mind.  The story revolves around Eren as he grows and comes closer to this goal. 

If you've been anywhere on the internet lately you've probably heard about Attack on Titan its one of those things that gained popularity quickly and with very good reason.  Attack on Titan deals with a lot of psychological standpoints on human nature as all the characters are changed by the clear realization of the death and the losing of the war going on around them.  Truthfully the anime is impacting in this way and it absolutely gets it point across while at the same time showing a storyline that will keep you wanting more and basically calling then screaming for what will happen next.  The anime also has its twist and turns that at 25 episodes so far will, if not anything, most likely blow your mind.   Now as the second season ended in September and it quickly catching up to the manga I am not totally sure whether the anime will have a third season but an OVA will be made in April so hopefully it won't move away from the original story line too much.  That being said this anime is on the strongly recommended list and is a must watch, the hype its getting is definitely deserved.  That being said.

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Akuto - Juuhanzai Sousahan

In the world there are rabbits and hyenas, a docile rabbit will live its life peacefully but hyenas are out chasing the rabbits then sucking them dry. Can a rabbit protect other rabbits from a hyena? or is it a fight between the hyenas to see who eats the rabbit first?
 
The detectives from the Fourth Section of Minato-cho Police Precincts Togashi Masayoshi, Iinuma Reiko, Shibata Yasuharu and Yamashita Manabu are detectives with the highest arrest record out of all the divisions. An amazing achievement which is shrouded by the rumor that illegal methods are used to get the job done. After the strange death of their chief officer from falling off the roof of a building during a chase a new chief is to be instated.  Satonaka Keiichiro is appointed for the job by the head of police administration , Maejima Ryuzo, as the Fourth Sections New Chief Officer. Though he believed he was demoted he is in fact sent there to keep tabs on the Fourth Sections activities on behalf of the head of police. Working together Satonaka finds that the rumors are true. Has Satonaka been placed into a hyenas play ground? Or are the hyenas really rabbits in disguise?
 
Unlike detective dramas from the past that I have reviewed this one ccertainly had no fall back on comedy going on but still it captivates you all the same safe to say its a mature detective drama.  The story lines in the beginning makes you absolutely doubt everyone and the first episode is a moment where you trust none of the characters to be the good detective they are suppose to be.  Though as the story line progresses you have to use your own judgment to decide whether or not they are doing good or just using justice as an excuse to do as they please.  Togashi Masayoshi the silent but most obvious leader of the detectives makes for a very exceptional character with an unwavering belief in what he does and Satonaka is his opposite although in the beginning he seems sure he wavers in his beliefs after meeting the four detectives from the fourth section. The four detectives were very well made up each with their own stories or background that correlated with the main storyline. 

The most shocking thing about the drama above all things is the ending, a happy ending seems in order after all the events that have happened but for the tone the drama had kept all through it a happy ending is not what you get, the last ten minutes of the drama leave you stunned and wanting to know what happens next.  To know what happened I'm guessing you would have to watch to know.

Till next time!

またね！
Matane!

Anime Time! Kuroshitsuji/ Black Butler

The month of October isn't over yet! I wracked my brain to try to figure out what Halloween themed thing I could talk about this week and I came up with kuroshitsuji, a demon butler is definitely something that could make you shiver but at the same time not so scary until he decides to eat your soul.  If you don't know what this anime is about well heres a brief explanation.  The anime is places in the Victorian era and is about a boy named Ciel Phantomhive who is known as the Queen's watch dog as he fulfills the wishes that the Queen cannot handle out in the open.   Seems simple enough but that is not all Ciel is only thirteen and has come to be the Queen's Dog through tragedy.  While still a child a fire engulfed his mansion and killed all his family leaving no remains of the Phantomhive family existence, he too was thought to have died in this fire but two years later he returned to his old home with nothing except for a mysterious black butler, Sebastian Michaelis.  This butler is the best of the best completing even the most troubling task in a matter of seconds  and completing all his masters wishes wonderfully, he is of course "One hell of a butler".  This amazing butler and young master have quite the secret being that the butler is actually a demon who only promises to keep helping the young master until he can enact his revenge on the people who killed his parents.  As the Queen's Watch Dogs Ciel goes against many enemies slowly getting closer to the men that killed his parents but at the same time becoming steps closer to losing his soul.

The anime is quite fun throwing within it some dark humor as well as making light of other wise not so bright situations.  The supernatural fighting against an eccentric grim reaper would be the prime example of this but while the anime has its fun moment there are many time where the seriousness of things do get addressed.  All in all its a anime I would recommend for the Halloween times as well as any other time of the year.  Now though I do love the anime the manga ,which is still ongoing last time I checked,  is wickedly wonderful the feeling the drawing style gives off fits the story line perfectly and you get more things explained to you than in the anime, but if you're looking for a quick fix the anime is always there and will get you acquainted with our haunting main characters.   That being said the dark season of Halloween is almost ending so until the clock strikes mid night on the 31st, be safe and watch out for those dreadful ghost and ghouls.  Happy Halloween!


またね！
Matane!

Drama Time! Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo

Kano Haruko is a charismatic girl with amazing if not eccentric fashion sense so amazing is her fashion sense that she has been featured in magazines.  But despite her loud image and success as a model her dream is to become a high school teacher.  With the promise that she would be introduced to a real Japanese high school teaching position she takes a job to be a Japanese teacher to foreigners in a Japanese language school.  There she is in charge of nine very different students with very different reasons for learning Japanese.  The students range from an American businessman to a Swedish girl with a goal of meeting a ninja.  With many different people from around the world this drama has many lessons to teach.  Kano Haruko's path to becoming a teacher starts like this.

The name of this drama itself was what caught my attention before I watched it, the 'Japanese the Japanese don't know' is what the name translates to and the thought  that Japanese didn't know Japanese just baffled me.  But after watching the drama I understood how this could happen, there are everyday words that the common everyday speaker use that aren't correct but eventually because everyone speaks that way you forget that its not the correct way to speak.  The drama illustrates that the modern world sometimes forgets where things begin.  The drama besides teaching both foreigners and natives new Japanese words goes into depth in teaching things about Japanese culture that are not well known, with great illustrations and explanations.  The drama was good and you can learn a lot from it, but at the same time you're learning you are also being fully entertained by the weird and quirky characters that make up the drama.   I really do recommend it especially if you are learning to speak Japanese because it will let you learn something's that might be difficult to learn from books.  It is really a great drama so go watch it!

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Perfect Girl Evolution

Takano Kyohei is a college student blessed with godly good looks because of this he is constantly harassed by crazed girls who want him for themselves. While working at a restaurant he loses his temper at a few of his crazed fans and gets fired from his job. That's when the glamorous and rich Nakahara Mine picks him up and gives him a home with another three good looking guys. Nakahara Mine tells them that they can live for free in the house as long as they can turn her niece, Sunako, into a lady. Everyone is more than enthusiastic thinking the job would be an easy task but once Sunako arrives they are left horror struck thinking she must be a ghost. Sunako is a morbid girl who likes horror movies, the darkness and hates bright things and upon seeing the four gorgeous guys she runs away into her dark room or faints. Because of Sunako's love of the morbid and her absolute hate for bright creatures many troubles arise but Takano Kyohei will not give up on turning Sunako into a lady because it means he gets to eat for free.

Among many mangas that I've read through out my life, the wallflower manga is one of my favorites, so I was a bit reserved at first about watching the drama since usually the drama is never better than the manga but I actually found myself falling in love with the drama as well. The characters where all well portrayed and even the character that weren't in the manga I found myself falling in love with. The relationship between Sunako and Kyohei is the same as in the manga but somehow I felt that the personal connection between them was better established in the drama of course that really doesn't mean anything when they don't know they like each other or at least deny it to the very end. The rest of the cast is really funny but definitely the one that stole the show for me was the added character, Nakahara Takeru. He acted as a narrator at the beginning of each episode and was just absolutely too cute for words. There were added scenes with Mine because of him which made it both heart warming and funny, in the end he was a smart kid that just absolutely steals your heart.   For those who have read the manga, you will enjoy the drama thoroughly and for those who have not read the manga, you will also enjoy the drama thoroughly.  I recommend it.  

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Nobuta wo Produce

Kiritani Shuji is a person that thinks of life as a game, because of this he does his best to be liked by everyone, no matter who they are or whether he thinks they're weird or creepy, he will get along with them. That is, everyone except Kusano Akira, he is a weirdo that does what he wants, talks weirdly and never has a reason for the way he acts to Kiritani, Akira is a pest and his life would be much better if Akira didn't talk to him.   But Akira is the only one that knows that Kiritani isn't the same cool guy that he pretends to be.   One day a new transfer student comes to their class, Kotani Nobuko, she is extremely quite and always keeps her head down making it easy for her to be bullied.  Kiritani Shuji and Kusano Akira seeing that their youths were being wasted in they're everyday school life decide that they would produce Nobuko into the most popular girl in the school, under the condition that no one ever finds out that they are working together to make it possible. Together they go through many trials and find that being with each other is more fun that being alone or pretending to be someone they're not.

Kiritani Shuji is a character who at first I found interesting but then found annoying and then in the end liked.  His character was extremely cruel to others even though to everyone else it appeared that he was a cool and nice guy, this really made me mad at him as a character in the beginning.  Thank god for Akira though, out of all the characters of any drama or anime that I have ever watched EVER Akira became my favorite most loved character, one of the reasons this drama is so memorable to me was because of him.   He is an eccentric character who at first I found funny and liked instantly for making Kiritani's life hellish but as the drama progressed I found that he was kind and thoughtful when it came to the people close to him, so in a sing song voice I can safely say. I love him.   Much like Amemiya in Hotaru no Hikari who gave me the goro goro, Akira gave me the unexplained Kon Kon gesture which every time I remember him I find myself doing in his honor. Unlike Kiritani and Akira there's not much to say about Nobuko except that she was extremely sweet and a good girl and it was funny how she followed Akira's flow at times with the Nobuta Power pose.  There was love interest in this drama but in the end they choose friendship over love.  Really loved this drama and do recommend it, you won't regret watching it.

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Sunao Ni Narenakute

This drama deals with the lives of five people who have meet through twitter, each one has their own life and while meeting each other for the first time they attempt to deal with they're own problems while maintaining their friendship. Nakajima Keisuke 'Nakaji' is an photographic assistant for a porn magazine who dreams of being like a photographer like his father, who was a well known war photographer, but so far cannot reach his dream. Mizuno Tsukiko 'Haru' is a provisional high school teacher on probation questioning whether teaching was what she was meant for when she can't seem to do the right thing by the schools standards. Nishimura Hikaru 'Peach' is Mizuno's best friend who although did not meet everyone else on twitter decides to join the group to deal with loneliness in her life. Ichihara Kaoru 'Linda' is a magazine worker who is being sexually harassed at work by his chief editor and cannot get anything published unless he does as she asks. Park Seon Su, on twitter, says he is a doctor but is actually a medical equipment salesmen who is down on his luck but is trying his best to take care of his younger sister. The story revolves around all five simultaneously and does a splendid job of keeping each characters story down to earth and realistic.

This was literally the first Japanese drama that I ever watched, before I thought that all dramas where like Spanish soap operas about love and this guys loves that girl but she loves some other dude, and the thought of watching dramas made me really nauseous since love stories aren't really my thing. But thanks to one of my friends who is a kpopper and is in absolute love with the actor that plays 'Doctor', Jaejoong who's from one of the biggest Kpop groups in all of Asia named TVXQ but now is in JYJ (long story behind that not getting into it). Anyway since she knew that I liked Japanese and had been slowly introducing me to TVXQ and JYJ because they also make Japanese songs and albums and had been nudging me for some time to watch any form of drama she, with much effort, made me watch Sunao ni Narenakute. This drama opened a whole new world for me because it was nothing like I had expected. It was lovely to watch and the characters where very well portrayed and had a lot of definition to them against the 2D personalities I had been thinking they would have had. The story was beautifully written and it dealt with real life issues such as homosexuality, suicide and social pressures but at the same time it also gave moments of laughter, love and friendship giving a well rounded portrayal of the real life of each character. The character whom I connected to the most was Linda as his problem struck a cord in my heart because he was afraid of what others might think of him while at the same time hiding who he really was, it was extremely saddening and had me completely and utterly depressed.  He was a character that brought all the other characters together he was kind and wise and I absolutely fell in love with him though I loved all the characters he was indeed my favorite.  So this drama I extremely recommend as it is a wonderful drama to watch.


Matane
またね！

Drama Time! Hotaru no Hikari

Amemiya Hotaru at work is a fashionable, pulled together office worker in a famous interior design company.  To everyone at work she is the ideal woman who has no flaws and must have a wonderful love life but once at home she is the complete opposite of what they think. She lives alone in a house she rented off a man in a bar one night and when she isn't working she is lazying around in the house doing nothing but sleeping, eating and making a mess. She's also not interested in love thinking of it as a waste of time that she could be using to sleep. Takano Seiichi is Hotaru's boss a neat man that lives his life with many rules and regulations, after a separation from his wife he ends up moving back to his childhood home only to find it in a complete mess. To his shock his father was the man that rented the home to Hotaru but deeming their deal invalid he decides to live there indefinetly telling Hotaru to move out as soon as possible, but Hotaru has no plans of moving out because the porch of that house is her favorite place. Takano calls Hotaru a himono-onna (dried up woman) seeing it impossible for any man to fall in love with her, but to much surprise love found its way.   Amemiya Hotaru though not interested in love at first, begins to have feeling for Teshima Makoto a new co-worker in her department and so the stage is set, with Takano unwillingly helping her with her romance and keeping her double life a secret, will Hotaru be able to find and keep her first love?

This I believe is the first drama I've ever written about that has some real actual romance in it, blasphemy, I know.  Though it's not the sort of romance drama that is in your face and makes you wonder constantly why you don't have a partner making you binge on ice cream and cry until your eyes start falling out, no, it's not that sort of romance in actuality its a romance comedy, so its light hearted and it'll make you laugh without fail. The characters have nicknames for each other, Hotaru calls Takano, Buchou (manager) which will confuse you at some point into thinking that's his real name and Buchou calls Hotaru, Ahomiya, which is a play on her name, aho meaning stupid. Buchou is so mean! Really and truly merciless. Hotaru on the other hand is a person that you will fall in love with, she's hard working and she means well, she just has bad at home habits that need to be killed, but then again that's what Buchou is there for so I guess she's okay. Buchou you might come to like although at first he's rigid like a wall as time progresses he bends to Hotaru's personality, so he's kinda like bamboo bending to strong wind. (HA!)

Theres one concept in the drama that got me though himono-onna, after watching this drama I've been fully convinced that I am one! Let's make a list shall we? Jersey? Check! Sweat-pants? Check!  Laze around all day when I don't work? Double check! Interest in love? None. According to the answer to all these questions I'll never get married... ah who cares I'm happy and still young I can't be the only one I'm sure theres a buchou out there for me or at least a himono-otoko, that's what this drama taught me, another thing this drama taught me is the joy of rolling around saying 'goro goro' great stress reliever really Hotaru was not wrong on this one. But to know the full joy of the goro goro you must watch the drama! Till then....

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Bloody Monday

When the information that a terrorist group who killed off the population of a Russian town in a day has shown movement in Japan the Special Safety unit known as Third-I believes that the next target could be Tokyo. Without knowing how the terrorist did it and in need for information as quickly as possible they ask for the help of Takagi Fujimaru an expert hacker who could quite possibly help stop the terrorist plot. The terrorist group is very much aware of Fujimarus hacking skills making him a target. Also his father, a member of Third-I becomes a target for the terrorist group and is forced to disappear leaving Fujimaru alone to assist Third-I and protect his sister. To make matters worst a spy within Third-I mean that Fujimaru can trust no one but himself to obtain information on the terrorist and keep them from destroying Tokyo and becoming god.

This drama was so good it had many twist and turns that could have you at the edge of your seat. Many things happened within it that have you questioning the characters motives but whether you find out what they're thinking or not it totally up to which character you put in question. If you put the second terrorist leader into question, J, you will forever be in a loop of questions because his reasons for doing things are beyond the average thinker, this eccentric character quickly became my favorite with his love for melon soda and his unfailing math formulas. The fact that everyone in Fujimaru's life is connected in someway to the terrorist plot makes you become doubtful of the other characters only to trust them again and then be betrayed for trusting them, its frustrating but it makes the remaining characters all the more meaningful. Orihara Maya is my second favorite character in the drama with her self caring personality, like J, you can't really tell what she's thinking but what becomes clear is that she only looks out for herself. Although everything is resolved at the end of this drama you are left with more questions than answers as the last episode shows you that Orihara was in fact hired to stop the terrorist from accomplishing their goals. Matched with J getting away with the Bloody Monday plot still in his head this leaves you in the dark about what might happen but luckily there's a second season to look forward to watching that might just clear up all the questions from last season.

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Liar Game

Liar Game is by far the best drama I have ever watched.  The drama is a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes on all occasions. There are many instances where you think you know what's going on but you are horribly mistaken and once it’s explained to you, you're surprised to find out what's really going on. The drama is a brain buster, while watching you will start trying to think up ways to beat the 'Liar Game' round by round but things are not as they appear when a game is based on lying.

The main character in the Liar Game drama is Kanzaki Nao, an unbelievably honest girl who believes anything anyone tells her as the truth, she gets caught up in the game when she opens a box with a hundred million yen that had appeared in front of her apartment, along with a card saying that she was chosen to take part in the 'Liar Game'.  The aim of the game is to trick the other player out of their hundred million yen.  The winner gets the hundred million the loser is a hundred million yen in debt for getting tricked out of his.   Kanzaki Nao wants no part in the game and is happy to find her opponent to be her former elementary school teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo. She goes to him, seeking help, but because she trust him ends up handing him the hundred million yen thinking that will save them both from being swindled out of their money.   Once she finds out she's been tricked she, after some events, get the help from the mastermind swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, with the condition that half her prize is his.  After Akiyama Shinichi's entrance into the game a psychological war with Fujisawa Kazuo begins, to much surprise Akiyama manages to trick all two hundred million yen from Fujisawa Kazuo only an hour before the game ends, which makes Kanzaki Nao the winner of the hundred million yen, but being honest she returns her half of the winnings to Fujisawa Kazuo.  Once returning home she is horrified to find a new letter that she had to participate in round two of the liar game or pay half the money she won the last game to get out.  Without the money she has no choice but to continue to play the game.  This is only the beginning as the drama progresses you see Kanzaki Nao along with Akiyama Shinichi as they try to win the 'Liar Game' round by round.

I enjoyed this drama immensely, literally did not want to leave my seat from fear I would miss something important and could not wait to watch the next episode from the need to know what was going to happen next.  The drama was beautifully made and gets full stars from this person.  Now I know that to some romance is an important part for a drama and although there is no true romance in the drama there is clear affection between the main characters, so watch it I implore you to I give my word that you will not be bored with it.  With that being said.....

Matane!
 またね！