2008 Winter Dramas (Part 2)

2008 Winter Dramas (Part 2)

January 23, 2008, 3:32 pm
Filed under: Dorama | Tags: 4 Shima Tantei Dan, Ashita no Kita Yoshio, Binbo Danshi, Daisuki!!, Edison no Haha, Fantastic Deer-Man, Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai

So here’s the continuation to the Part 1 of the drama review! Following the six from last time, here’s the next seven.

Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi (The Fantastic Deer-Man) is about a man (Ogawa, played by Tamaki Hiroshi) plagued with terrible luck all his life, and now that he’s at the end of his line he’s sent to an all girl’s school in Nara to teach. When he gets to Nara, where deer roam around, he catches the eye of… I dunno, deer gods? who can turn into humans. And they’ll get him to become the protector of Japan, under their instructions? This drama is ridiculous (talking deer!) but hilarious, with unbelievable events voiced over by Ogawa’s self-pitying deadpan that somehow creates a great mix. Having Tamaki Hiroshi starring doesn’t hurt at all. I am so completely confused by the drama and yet I love it already.
Watch status: watching!

Binbo Danshi is about a poor guy who believes friendship is the most important and thus still keeps lending money to others to help them. Sound like he’s a dignified hero? Actually, he’s just a complete idiot. It definitely helps that Oguri Shun, one of the hottest actors at the moment, is in the main role, but it’s painful to watch him run around getting himself in serious debt while giggling dumbly. Plotwise, it’s somewhat bland but has some amusing moments, character-wise, Yamada Yu and Yashima Norito are charming as they try to help, but unfortunately I find Oguri’s character completely unbearable. I really can’t enjoy this drama no matter how much Oguri Shun and Miura Haruma soothe my eyes.
Watch status: Not wathching. Maybe search up some screenshots now and then for some eye-candy?

Ashita no Kita Yoshio has an interesting synopsis: a man unlucky with the number 11 decides to commit suicide in 11 days, but then meets a guy who helps give him the 11 most eventful days of his life. Sounds like a thriller, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a human drama. And as for human dramas, it’s rather weird, yet standard at the same time. There’s portions I can’t understand – fantasies, split personalities, what? But despite all the weirdness, the common plot of a meek male pining over a lost love and changing due to the influence of a new, radical friend just seems really… done.
Watch status: Not watching

Daisuki!! is about a mentally disabled woman who fell in love with a mentally disabled man; however, he died in an accident, and she was left pregnant. The drama’s a human drama, so it goes over her and her family’s experience in raising this child. Aside from how these two people with “the mind of an eight-year-old” learned to procreate, there’s a lot of issues: like who in their right mind would leave the newborn alone with this woman? They’re really letting her take the baby girl out alone? Sure, it has sweet and touching moments, but it’s far-fetched and unbelievable, which for me is the kiss of death to a human drama that is supposed to portray reality.
Watch status: not watching

4 Shimai Tantei Dan is about four sleuthing sisters – or rather it’s more like one sleuthing sister in this episode. It starts off with their house getting burned down, and they have to find the perpetrator. I won’t spoil anything if you’d rather watch it yourself, but plotwise, this is a rather standard detective drama. From the first case, it wasn’t too slick, but it wasn’t too bad either – kind of like detective drama watered down a little for more faint-hearted audiences. I don’t know if all four sisters will start to play a big role in the detective work later. Personally, I like my mystery dramas to be a bit more intense (wildly convoluted murders please), so I’ll skip on this one.
Watch status: not watching, but it’s not bad

Edison no Haha sounded kind of boring: an elementary school teacher teaches a kid who has social problems but could actually be a prodigy, like Thomas Edison. I read that and went “…seriously?” Surprisingly, this turned out to be pretty amusing. It’s a human drama, sure, but the comedic moments are timed right, and the kids are cute, and the kid playing Kento is great at playing someone adorable but completely insane – he convinces his friends to play with gas canisters. You’d also probably want to check it out if you’re a fan of Ito Misaki. Personally, it’s not something I’d follow weekly, but it’s amusing enough to maybe watch now and then or for a marathon.
Watch status: maybe watching

Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai is about a man and wife going through divorce and being their own lawyers. It stars Inagaki Goro as the second SMAP drama this season. It’s great; the marriage that they have is so ridiculous I’m surprised they haven’t killed each other yet. I’m not sure if they themselves will actually get divorced or just represent divorcees, because they haven’t actually divorced yet (despite being close to it), but I’m amused by their antics enough to stay along for the ride to find out.
Watch status: watching

That’s all for this season. Another drama I was really looking forward to from the synopsis is Lost Time Life, which doesn’t air until February, and is in episodic, short-story format. Hopefully, it’s carried out to be as great as it sounds.

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