Monday, September 24, 2007

Upcoming Dramas...of Disappointment

Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?

Now that the Summer season of dramas has ended, it is time to look forward to Fall's upcoming dramas...or so I thought. It looks like it's going to be a very disappointing Fall. So, let's take a look at some of the dramas lined up for us, shall we? It looks like everyone and their mammas are solving mysteries this season...so watch out, Kindaichi (松潤バージョン) .

Galileo -ガリレオ
Starring: 福山雅治 - Fukuyama Masaharu & 柴咲コウ Shibasaki Kou
Who? Some dude I've never heard of, in some dramas I've never watched. And Shibasaki Kou, a singer/actress, I enjoy some of her music and have seen some of her dramas and movies - Orange Days, Good Luck!, 世界の中心で愛をさけぶ and Battle Royale.
What's it about: An extremely smart man (Masaharu), who is nicknamed Galileo (clever), who solves mysteries no one else can with the help of his hotheaded rookie cop (Kou).
Rating - Blah.

Joshi Deka! - ジョシデカ!
Starring: 仲間由紀惠 - Nakama Yukie (Yay! Claps!)
Who? Nakama Yukie has been in a bunch of things and I love her! She's hillarious! But also a really talented actress. She's probably most notable for her role in the Trick series. She was also in Shinobi...which was popular.
What's it about: SUPRISE! Solving crime. Nakama plays a rookie cop, whose only talent is being an excellent shot, paired with a veteran cop with a #1 arrest record, the two must work together to fight crime.
Rating - I like Nakama. So, I'd watch it. Despite it being a cop drama.
What I really mean - I'll probably get half way through, find something shiny on my floor and get distracted.

Hataraki Man - 働きマン
Starring: Kanno Miho 菅野美穂 & Hayami Mokomichi 速水もこみち
Who? Kanno, some chick I don't know, who's been in some stuff I don't know. And Hayami who's been in 女帝(jotei)! Which hopefully you all have checked out...hint hint...nudge nudge...wink...and other good dramas like Tokyo Tower, Densha Otoko, Gokusen 2, Tokyo Wankei...
What it's about: It's based off the manga by Anno Moyoko, about Kanno who is an editor of a weekly magazine and is so focused on her career she has no time for her personal life, let alone romance. Her co-workers call her "hataraki-man" (working man).
Rating - Hmmm. Eh. I used to read the manga and got bored and feel the drama would do the same. If they want to make an Anno Moyoko manga based drama, make 花とみつばち. Good stuff. Read it!

Mop Girl - モップガール
Starring: 北川景子 Kitagawa Reiko & 谷原章介 Tanihara Shosuke
Who? Kitagawa was Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon live action series. Tanihara is in Fuurin Kazan 風林火山, which hopefully everyone checked that out as well.
What's it about: Reminds me of Pushing Daisies Super Happy Japanese REMIX 2. I dunno. Kitagawa works for a funeral services company. Oh, she also carries around a mop and mops up around dead people. Whenever she comes across a corpse of someone who leaves strong feelings after their death she travels back in time to try to save them.
Rating: Crazy. I'd watch it. Better than some of the other ones. Actually, it looked like it was the best on the line up, which is sad.
What I want to know - Does her mop have special powers? 'Cause if it does. That's awesome. Also, I think it should talk. A talking magical mop. Cool.

Dramas to BOYCOTT.
Yukan Club - 有閑倶楽部.
Why? 赤西仁 Akanishi Shin.<--(,,#゚Д゚):∴;'・,;`:ゴルァ!!
Trust me on this one, folks.

*These are just some of the dramas. There are plenty more, but none worth mentioning. You can find more here if you're so inclined.

What wonderful treasure do I have for you this week?



Love it. Watch it. Roadshow. 10/27!

(^ _ ^)/~~サヨナラ

6 comments:

Zoe said...

All these shows look so dramatic and intense! I love that you gave your ratings for the upcoming series. For those of us that don't speak Japanese are there YouTube versions of these clips with subtitles? I'd love to be able to watch it if I could understand what was going on...maybe I could just find a translator. Also, does the channel you watch these shows on have that option of subtitles or is it necessary to be fluent in the language?

No-No Spot said...

It's okay if you don't speak Japanese, there are usually subtitles available via torrent download (which you can search)...go to d-addicts or you can watch for free at crunchyroll for free, you just need to sign up. I have links on some of the other posts as well.
The new season of dramas doesn't start until October, but the popular ones come out with subtitles fast, the others take awhile, but you can watch RAW (subtitle free) episodes at d-addicts and probably understand what's happening.
KTSF 26 subtitles their dramas on Saturday nights, like Fuurin Kazan, I know is subtitled, they show Jdramas on Sunday night as well but those are RAW.
Anyway, you should definitely check out some of these dramas the best place to just browse is Crunchyroll, they have plenty of subtitled dramas. Have fun.

Ryannn said...

Now I'm curious about watching some of these shows. Those links are a great help for us language-impaired folks. My only frame of reference is the films of Takashi Miike, though I know he has done some TV. Guess I'll have to check that out now, have you seen any of his TV work? He did something called Part-Time Detective I guess. Oh well. Great post.

Nicole Leigh said...

Your blog is really interesting. I like your rating system and description of the shows. I've never tried to watch these dramas and it's interesting to read about someone who does. Do you visit Japan? How long have you understood the language? Oh, and I love your blog title. I love mochi!

NattieAnn said...

I have to admit that I have never seen a japanese drama. But these shows sound alot like some of the shows on here. One in particular sounds like the show The Dead Zone . This show is about a guy that woke up from a coma with the ability to go back, or forward in time to see what happened/happens to people he touches. It is actually a really good show. I liked it alot.

Marie Drennan said...

I must say, this is a most enlightening blog! Great links and video. Where's my magical talking mop? You're keeping up a fun and lively writing style, well suited to the topic. It's a fun blog to read -- nice work!

Some bugs to fix:

mamma's (not possessive, take out apostrophe)

watch out, Kindaichi (direct address needs comma)

Staring (should be "starring", multiple instances!)

Yay! Claps! (capitalize C)

Trust me on this one, folks (direct address needs comma)