Official Jdoramas Ratings Thread

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 9)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.9%_

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

[Aziraphale]

I saw this lovely photo at Uniqlo yesterday ... ... Ostuka Nene and husband Tanabe Seiichi just as you were mentioning them the other day.

*quoted image*

Ooh that's such a sweet picture It's so nice to see couples doing photoshoots together. I wonder if there are more Japanese celeb couples doing this?

The plot for Sengyou Shufu no Tantei sounds pretty well thought out despite the premise of the show. I had assumed that it would be rather one dimensional, don't ask me why but when they first announced it, I immediately thought it would go the way of Unubore Deka. I'm glad that it isn't and there is good development for the many of the characters. Haha Fumi-kun makes my hairs stand by the way. I wonder what pitch she says it at. It's a pity Fumi-kun is a weak character but I guess at the end of it, he will be tired of living a lie and find it in himself to breakout of it? Like how Serina has character growth, so too must he in the laws of the drama world.

Indeed, and we see a bit of that in episode 7, where Fumi-kun rejects Chihaya's advances to "start afresh" by telling her he has someone more important to consider - ie, his wife, Serina. I was cheering for Fumi-kun when he said that, finally he made the right decision! But it sucks that his father-in-law is getting more unhinged. When Fumi-kun said he couldn't possibly get his hands on some important data that would possibly incriminate Niiyama, Dad just told Fumi-kun to cut the bullcrap and get on it

I'm more used to Fukada Kyoko's voice now, but it's still high and a bit shrill. It does grate a bit on the nerves, and she tends to sound extra perky when she says "Fumi-kun", cuz that's just how Serina is even when she's trying to mask the hurt she's feeling at her husband's alleged cheating.

And finally, Serina learns of the mess Fumi-kun is in. Jinnai is tasked to find out about the takeover from a friend who works in an appraisal firm - the firm was tasked by a company to appraise Hibari Securities' assets. However this company isn't big enough to pull off a takeover, so the friend is suspicious as his own firm has dealings with Hibari as well. Jinnai gets into Hibari as an employee for the IT department and asks Serina if she knows where the shareholders' register is located and she recalls Chihaya mentioning it, so she tells Jinnai it could be in Chihaya's office. Jinnai tells Serina he suspects this is what Fumi-kun got himself into - Jinnai had tapped into Hibari's computer system and found a suspicious and encrypted list of shareholders in Fumi-kun's folder. By rights, a shareholder's list is not sensitive information, so there was no need to encrypt it. So he wants to compare it with the one Chihaya has. At night, Jinnai sneaks into Chihaya's office for the register, with Serina keeping a lookout - worst idea ever - and ep 7 ends with Serina being overpowered by a mystery person (likely Kajiki, who's in on the scheme with Niiyama), Jinnai unaware of what happened to Serina, and Fumi-kun coming back to the office...

The preview for ep 8 looks exciting. Serina tells Chihaya her true identity - she's been masquerading as a cleaner at Hibari - while Fumi-kun asks Jinnai to find Serina, and dad-in-law grows even more unhinged. Jinnai also kisses Serina!

It's interesting to see how Kaseifu no Mita is hitting high ratings and probably the second highest notched after Jin Season 2 for this year. And yet, Kaseifu no Mita is not even a well developed story with good acting. There's also too much predictability in it that hearing your recount of the episodes makes me sigh with relief that I bailed out early. What is the lure? Is Mita's story enough of a pull to remain in it for the morsels that are revealed each week?

Well, episode 8 (last week's, I'm always an episode behind, it seems) was pretty decent. Yeah I think everyone is keen to know more about Mita and what the deal is with her, why she's so robotic and all. Some of the things she does... I guess it depends on how you see it, whether they can be explained logically or anything. For example, she's awesome at the Rubik's cube (solving it in 5 secs), doesn't eat, doesn't feel heat (cold hands?), carries orders to the max, doesn't smile etc. I guess viewers are waiting to see if that's really what a normal person can turn into or if she's sold her soul to the devil, if she'll be redeemed at the end and have a happy ending. Also, there's been talk of a film (prequel, maybe?), which the station is denying.

The person of the week who needed to be "saved" was grumpy ol' grandpa - he was in hospital after suffering a fall and rejects the concern of the kids and dad. So the kids get a wild idea, asking Mita to impersonate their mom to knock some sense into gramps, because apparently Mita can imitate the voice of just about anybody. Grandpa finds out and hits Mita in a fit of rage, but Mita tells him she understands his grief of losing the ones he loves - the difference is that he can still try and cherish the people left behind while she can't. So finally Mita tells her life story to the kids and dad - all this done without a single flashback, so I was a bit surprised by that, but it was done nicely because through it all, Matsushima Nanako showed zero emotion until the bit where she was talking about being unable to save her child from the fire - it was just a tremble of her lips, maybe a tear at the end, but nothing more. The juxtaposition was pretty jarring, I think, she narrating such a tragedy in her robotic voice.

Basically Mita was someone who loved to smile and be happy - the obasan at the housekeeping agency used to be her family maid. However, Mita's dad died while trying to save her from some accident and since then her mom's borne a grudge against her daughter. Mom remarried and had a son, basically paying zero attention to her daughter now that she's built a new family, but obasan Harumi continued to encourage MIta to keep smiling despite the hard times, and Mita tried her best to be a good daughter, do all sorts of things to impress her mother... to no avail. Finally, she met a good man and they married and had a son together. One day her stepbrother came to visit and started going psycho on her, proclaiming he loved her and all. Shocked, she told him to leave but he kept coming back and harassing her. The hubby knew nada and welcomed the brother since he was family, but when he finally found out, he told the brother to scram. The brother lost it and set fire to the house - Mita's hubby and son were trapped in there and she couldn't save them despite wanting to. Mom and parents-in-law lost it as well, and Mita's mom-in-law basically told her never to smile anymore because it was her smile that caused so much grief on everyone.

After Mita tells her life story, she gets up and says she quits, as promised when she told the children initially to stop bugging her to share her past. And the family just sits there in shock...

I have to say I'm a bit disappointed about such a "normal" backstory - as in, I was really expecting something Faust-like, that she had sold her soul to the devil in a bid to get her son and husband back, but somehow the deal went sour and she's left a mere shell of her former self. I don't think it was explained yet how she came to be a housekeeper - probably the obasan took pity on her and took her in after the tragedy and she just started working as one because there was nothing else to do. And also... carrying out orders to the max? That's gotta be weird even for a person suffering such extreme grief. I wish they'd taken that angle and gone further with it, like actually having Mita cause someone's death or something as a result of taking things too literally. She almost killed Yui because the stupid girl asked for it, I don't think anyone would be too upset. Also, Urara apparently likes dad. There have been hints, for example her expression dips a little when dad asks if Mita can join the family for dinner at a restaurant after grandpa is discharged... I think they may want to make dad and Mita a couple...

I liked that part about Sawada and his wife too. It's sweet that they can talk to each other in that way. Endo Kenichi strikes me as a viper when he's playing the evil guy. Haha. I don't know why but that's what came into my mind when I saw him in Gaiji Keisatsu. The lethal, venomous baddie that strikes when you least expect.

Hehe, but surprisingly he wasn't that mean in Gaiji Keisatsu. Oh he was all prickly and stuff, but I didn't think he was evil. I was surprised a little by Ishibashi Ryo's character though, never quite saw that twist coming. I've liked what I've seen of Ishibashi so far - first saw him in G@me with Fujiki, and then in Gaiji Keisatsu. But he doesn't seem to be in a lot of dramas though.

Magarikado no Onna is cute in its simplicity and the feel-good vibe that it has but repetitive and a little shallow because the "rules" that Chiharu the lead character decides she should follow at the start of the episode but later comes back to scratch it off or tweak it after learning through personal experience and that of the people around that it might not have to be that way. development of the some characters are not even. And so, when they run off and do certain things, it comes off as jarring and makes you wonder why it suddenly happened. You should check out Koi no Chikara. I love it because was a very charming, heart-warming story of Tohko, Eri Fukatsu's character, a woman past 30 who finds love again when she least expects it. It is told in the setting of a small ad agency and the cast is small so they are well woven into the main story. But it isn't just about finding love but rediscovering your dreams and living it. I enjoy the mood created in the drama and I'm sorry that I cannot put it any better than to say that I have watched it three times already

Heh, based on your recommendation, I have started Koi no Chikara and am enjoying it. I'm 3 episodes in and finding it an easy, light watch. So far so good! It's been a while since I've watched a good rom-com with solid actors and writing. Loving Fukatsu Eri in this, though I wish they'd dress her up a bit more, she's such a gorgeous lady. Tsutsumi Shinichi is adorable as the gruff Nukui, I can't wait to see him fall for Toko - right now he seems smitten with Haruna, ehhh. I already smell trouble cuz Haruna's not telling him the truth about the Hirokoji account. I haven't really seen Yada Akiko in any dramas but know her as Oshio Manabu's ex-wife. She's okay, the sweet privileged girl and all, and I wonder if she's going to end up with Sogo. The theme song is very catchy, I really like it. Thanks for the great recommendation!

Edit: just finished episode 5, laughed a lot at Sogo and Toko teaching Nukui how to get close to a girl. Man, never thought he'd kiss Haruna, thought he'd tell her outright he wasn't that interested At least Haruna confessed the truth about the Hirokoji account, but somehow I still can't really warm up to her. I was surprised that Yosh!take joined them, but I like that he's the no-nonsense, business-savvy guy who keeps them grounded in reality about running a business of their own.

Edit 2: Man, I finished the whole drama in a couple of days! It was that good and I just wanted to keep watching. Haruna was really kinda annoying, the way she kept refusing to acknowledge that Nukui just wasn't into her, and I thought she was such a richard simmons in episode 10 when she didn't even ask Toko to stay. I thought the ending was a little too pat, as in sudden revival for Kusunoki Stationery and the firm, but in the end I still got a bit teary when everyone started clamouring for the enpitsu nezumi (which is so cute, the nezumi). I did think Sogo was going to get with Haruna, but they dragged out the Haruna-Nukui half-baked romance and I'm just glad that Sogo stayed fantastic through it all, I really like his character much better after he let go of that Kaori chick. And Yosh!take is so funny sometimes, I'm glad he was there to keep the other two guys grounded.

Nukui is so dense! I can't believe he let Haruna drag him around for so long, surely he had to be aware he wasn't really into her? Even the brother noticed he cared more for Toko than Haruna, and she had plenty of chances to verify that for herself. I guess I just wanted more adorable Toko-Nukui moments, like when they finally went on a memorable coffee date. I was laughing when he tried to confess to her, he was so awkward and tripping over his words, but good thing he decided action was more powerful than words Fukatsu Eri and Tsutsumi Shinichi were so cute together, hopefully they'll reunite in another drama soon, preferably with more kissy kissy - there wasn't enough of that in the drama

It appears that there's not much to look forward to for the winter season. TV Asahi is the only network that has two more dramas to announce. How can this be when it used to be the time of the drama year with the most awesome lineups!? I will check out Shokuzai when the episodes become available. Some update on the drama coming up soon on the blog. The episodes for Pandora III are only available to episode 4 after a month that's the only thing I rue about WOWOW being a private satellite network.

Matsuyuki is in a few productions which is good. I will follow Kyogu. It sounds interesting. A woman caught up in the circumstances that she is in and probably forced to make a choice on how to live her life. I wish she was cast in a modern day drama! Oh well ... I shall take what I can get.

I guess the quality overall has gone down? Maybe good writers are in short supply these days. Also, I've noticed an increase in family-related dramas, not only just for winter. I don't know if there's some fascination with families, dysfunctional or otherwise. There's always at least one about how people don't get along with their parents/siblings/children etc, it gets kind of tiring when I keep seeing these recycled storylines, it feels like the dramas are preaching family values to me.

Does WOWOW only release a few episodes at a time, or are they delayed releases?

Oh, Tsutsumi Shinichi has a new drama for winter - Tonbi. Maybe that's worth a watch? Seems to be only a tanpatsu though. And how is Kyogu? I saw the ratings - 16.2% seems pretty good to me.

And... I know this is a huge request and you don't really watch taigas, but I was impressed by the quality of your subs for Soratobu Taiya. I was wondering... if you'd be subbing Taira no Kiyomori, or know of any fansub groups of similar quality who'd be subbing it. It's probably still early days to ask, but I'm ridiculously excited for the taiga seeing as Fujiki is in it, and I don't mind waiting for quality subs. Just wondering, no obligations absolutely

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 12)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.9%_

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

Drama Specials

Ranma 1/2: 7.9%

Akujotachi no Mesu: 14.0%

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 12)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.9%_

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

Drama Specials

Ranma 1/2: 7.9%

Akujotachi no Mesu: 14.0%

Ooh that's such a sweet picture It's so nice to see couples doing photoshoots together. I wonder if there are more Japanese celeb couples doing this?

There probably are, but I don't follow enough of Japanese entertainment to keep track of whose with whom!

Indeed, and we see a bit of that in episode 7, where Fumi-kun rejects Chihaya's advances to "start afresh" by telling her he has someone more important to consider - ie, his wife, Serina. I was cheering for Fumi-kun when he said that, finally he made the right decision! But it sucks that his father-in-law is getting more unhinged. When Fumi-kun said he couldn't possibly get his hands on some important data that would possibly incriminate Niiyama, Dad just told Fumi-kun to cut the bullcrap and get on it

What makes Fumi-kun change his attitude? The changes that he sees in Serina? It sounds interesting if not for the fact that it is Fukada Kyoko. One more episode to go?

Contrary to the television ratings, the dramas that have the best user reviews on Yahoo Japan are actually:

Sengyou Shufu no Tantei, Doctors, 11nin mo Iru, Yokai Ningen Bemu

Well, episode 8 (last week's, I'm always an episode behind, it seems) was pretty decent. Yeah I think everyone is keen to know more about Mita and what the deal is with her, why she's so robotic and all. Some of the things she does... I guess it depends on how you see it, whether they can be explained logically or anything. For example, she's awesome at the Rubik's cube (solving it in 5 secs), doesn't eat, doesn't feel heat (cold hands?), carries orders to the max, doesn't smile etc. I guess viewers are waiting to see if that's really what a normal person can turn into or if she's sold her soul to the devil, if she'll be redeemed at the end and have a happy ending. Also, there's been talk of a film (prequel, maybe?), which the station is denying.

I caught bits of Ep 8 while getting screen caps for a post on Kaseifu no Mita in my blog. I found it pretty boring until the big reveal at the end which I found moving because it was something so harrowing delivered in a flat, impassive voice. But now that we know her background, it still doesn't add up. No doubt her experience was devastating, but what led to this turn? Were the extreme acts she carried out merely for shock value? Why does she feel that she has to do that to get people to come around? And what is it about the Asuda family that has made her slowly come out? Is she still going to continue to behave outrageously when given ridiculous commands?

It was obvious from the start that Urara had a thing for Asuda, but it is clear what he thinks of her in one of the earlier episodes where I think he left home and the three of them ran into each other because Mita had come to convey some message from his children and Urara arrived for another reason. He only consults Mita for her opinions on issues relating to his family and never looks to Urara. But trying to tie the two of them together seems a really long shot. I wouldn't buy it.

Heh, based on your recommendation, I have started Koi no Chikara and am enjoying it. I'm 3 episodes in and finding it an easy, light watch. So far so good! It's been a while since I've watched a good rom-com with solid actors and writing. Loving Fukatsu Eri in this, though I wish they'd dress her up a bit more, she's such a gorgeous lady. Tsutsumi Shinichi is adorable as the gruff Nukui, I can't wait to see him fall for Toko - right now he seems smitten with Haruna, ehhh. I already smell trouble cuz Haruna's not telling him the truth about the Hirokoji account. I haven't really seen Yada Akiko in any dramas but know her as Oshio Manabu's ex-wife. She's okay, the sweet privileged girl and all, and I wonder if she's going to end up with Sogo. The theme song is very catchy, I really like it. Thanks for the great recommendation!

Edit: just finished episode 5, laughed a lot at Sogo and Toko teaching Nukui how to get close to a girl. Man, never thought he'd kiss Haruna, thought he'd tell her outright he wasn't that interested At least Haruna confessed the truth about the Hirokoji account, but somehow I still can't really warm up to her. I was surprised that Yosh!take joined them, but I like that he's the no-nonsense, business-savvy guy who keeps them grounded in reality about running a business of their own.

Edit 2: Man, I finished the whole drama in a couple of days! It was that good and I just wanted to keep watching. Haruna was really kinda annoying, the way she kept refusing to acknowledge that Nukui just wasn't into her, and I thought she was such a richard simmons in episode 10 when she didn't even ask Toko to stay. I thought the ending was a little too pat, as in sudden revival for Kusunoki Stationery and the firm, but in the end I still got a bit teary when everyone started clamouring for the enpitsu nezumi (which is so cute, the nezumi). I did think Sogo was going to get with Haruna, but they dragged out the Haruna-Nukui half-baked romance and I'm just glad that Sogo stayed fantastic through it all, I really like his character much better after he let go of that Kaori chick. And Yosh!take is so funny sometimes, I'm glad he was there to keep the other two guys grounded.

Nukui is so dense! I can't believe he let Haruna drag him around for so long, surely he had to be aware he wasn't really into her? Even the brother noticed he cared more for Toko than Haruna, and she had plenty of chances to verify that for herself. I guess I just wanted more adorable Toko-Nukui moments, like when they finally went on a memorable coffee date. I was laughing when he tried to confess to her, he was so awkward and tripping over his words, but good thing he decided action was more powerful than words Fukatsu Eri and Tsutsumi Shinichi were so cute together, hopefully they'll reunite in another drama soon, preferably with more kissy kissy - there wasn't enough of that in the drama

I'm glad to hear that you loved Koi no Chikara. It has that rare atmosphere and cast of characters that gets you carried away from the start to the end wishing that you were in their world nevermind that the business aspect of it is a little flimsy and there was some noble idiocy going on there too. There's also a wonderful soundtrack to complement it! Eri Fukatsu fits the role of Tohko so well that you wonder if she's acting or if the character is an extension of her real self. It's funny how my Japanese friends call her cute when I tell them that I like her as an actress. I think she's beautiful and very talented. I should get my hands on Akunin come to think of it. I've never thought Yada Akiko able to shake off the good girl image even after she destroyed that and what could have been a good career by ignoring people who were warning her off Oshio Manabu. And it's just as well that Haruna does not get Nukui because she is too prim and too boring. Tsutsumi Shinichi is one of my favourite male actors so what can I saw but oooOOooooooo haha. It was rumoured that Fukatsu Eri and Tsutsumi Shinichi were involved with each other at one point. He is a big ladies man apparently and has been linked with many established actresses.

Oh and I don't think there's much kissing going on in dramas these days are there? Even if they do, are they doing it in the unconvincing manner where the male kisses the female who just stands rigidly without putting her hands on the man, and then the closing credit roll in? That said, I haven't been watching the right genre. Although WOWOW's Pandora III had a bed scene with lots of grunting and moaning! Haha. If there was lots of kissing it must have been in NHK's Second Virgin earlier this year.

I guess the quality overall has gone down? Maybe good writers are in short supply these days. Also, I've noticed an increase in family-related dramas, not only just for winter. I don't know if there's some fascination with families, dysfunctional or otherwise. There's always at least one about how people don't get along with their parents/siblings/children etc, it gets kind of tiring when I keep seeing these recycled storylines, it feels like the dramas are preaching family values to me.

Does WOWOW only release a few episodes at a time, or are they delayed releases?

The overall quality has definitely gone down because the dramas lack the heart, imagination and daring of years earlier. You don't see productions like Yasha or Psychometrer Eiji or Love Revolution. It's like Mitsu no Aji could have turned out so much better and been a genuine love story instead of something so twisted. There is a tendency to lean toward certain genres. Home, detective as well as medical dramas. There's some assurance that the ratings will be stable and above 10%. Family dramas are nice if they are well told and weave in social commentary. I abhor those that keep recycling worn themes like the daughter-in-law versus mother-in-law as well as those that moralise or hit you over the head because the producer doesn't credit the audience with enough intelligence to connect the dots and has to belabour a point or point the arrow in the way the story is moving. I guess it won't take long for me to lose interest in Japanese dramas altogether if things continue this way for another year or so.

Oh Pandora III is only at episode 4 because no one has uploaded the rest of the episodes on DA. The Chinese sites have the full series. But I want the raws for screen caps.

Oh, Tsutsumi Shinichi has a new drama for winter - Tonbi. Maybe that's worth a watch? Seems to be only a tanpatsu though. And how is Kyogu? I saw the ratings - 16.2% seems pretty good to me.

Tonbi is about fatherly love I believe. A father who lost his wife following the birth of their son, but still showers the boy with love and never blaming him for causing his mother's death.

I haven't watched Kyogu yet even though I have the file. I was watching Doctors over the weekend. It is quite fun. I like the way the main character has been created to be a smart man who wants to deliver good medical care and isn't beneath manipulation and deception to get what he wants. He also snubs stupid rules and is quick with smart retorts.

And... I know this is a huge request and you don't really watch taigas, but I was impressed by the quality of your subs for Soratobu Taiya. I was wondering... if you'd be subbing Taira no Kiyomori, or know of any fansub groups of similar quality who'd be subbing it. It's probably still early days to ask, but I'm ridiculously excited for the taiga seeing as Fujiki is in it, and I don't mind waiting for quality subs. Just wondering, no obligations absolutely

Thank you for thinking so highly of the quality of the subs done for Soratobu Taiya. I will not be subbing Taira no Kiyomori for a couple of reasons. The way I approach it is that I have to love a drama's first few episodes enough to want to sub because of the commitment required, my partner has to be in on it but we have so far agreed that we will be taking a step back from subbing and it will be indefinite or maybe forever and I would have to find someone else to help with timing and encoding if I wish to pursue projects on my own, taigas require too much commitment. I sometimes find the regular 11 episode dramas long especially if there are no Japanese subtitles to rely on. In the early days, we got carried away and just about did whatever we liked that we could get our hands on, but those were older productions which also didn't get as big a following so we were doing it for self-interest. Now there's nothing to sustain our interest seeing how the dramas are out there even though there are the occasional gems like Soredemo Ikite Yuku this year.

I don't know of good fansub groups because I don't use subs to watch the dramas. They probably don't sub fast enough anyway. And I think there are quite a few who are like a one-man show.

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 16)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_15.3%_

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_15.2%_

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

11.5%(end) - Avg: 11.0%

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.3%_8.9%_

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_5.6%_

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_28.6%_

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_*

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_9.7%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_18.5%(end) - Avg: 14.8%

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_9.3%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_3.3%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

*Ep 11 postponed to next week

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 19)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_15.3%_

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_15.2%_

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

11.5%(end) - Avg: 11.0%

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.3%_8.9%_

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_5.6%_

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_28.6%_

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_*

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_9.7%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_18.5%(end) - Avg: 14.8%

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_9.3%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_3.3%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_9.8%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_7.5%(end) - Avg: 8.7%

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_3.1%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_13.2%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_11.1%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

22.0%(end) - Avg: 17.3%

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_8.4%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_8.8%(end) - Avg: 6.7%

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

Drama Special

Ai . Inochi: 11.3%

[Aziraphale]

What makes Fumi-kun change his attitude? The changes that he sees in Serina? It sounds interesting if not for the fact that it is Fukada Kyoko. One more episode to go?

Contrary to the television ratings, the dramas that have the best user reviews on Yahoo Japan are actually:

Sengyou Shufu no Tantei, Doctors, 11nin mo Iru, Yokai Ningen Bemu

Interesting about the ratings, cuz Sengyou Shufu ended on just 10% while Nankyoku Tairiku had almost double that Meh. I didn't realise it was only 9 episodes though and was still looking forward to seeing Fujiki for another two weeks. Guess it's time to turn my attention to the taiga.

As for Fumi-kun, since ep 6 they've been showing him in a slightly more positive light. For example, him reminiscing about his dates with Serina (she does likewise), being less indifferent when he talks to her even though he still keeps her in the dark about the mess he's in, feeling genuinely guilty and upset for lying to her or accidentally hurting her, etc. Also, he put a stop to Chihaya's advances, and tried to get Dad to ease off (Dad wouldn't). He even took Serina to the ramen shop where they'd first met, and he was impressed that she could now order things herself. The underlying message is that Fumi-kun does love Serina a lot, and now that she's shaping up and growing a spine, it's making him notice her all over again, but the incident two years ago contributed to his current meh-ness:

Turns out that when Serina was four months pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage. Fumi-kun was out on a business meeting and they were lovey-dovey on the phone, he telling her to sleep early and keep herself warm etc. Then he switched off his phone cuz the client was coming. However, Serina had stomach pains and couldn't reach Fumi-kun, so she got her father to send her to the hospital. By the time Fumi-kun realised what happened, Serina had lost her baby and she couldn't have kids anymore. Dad held Fumi-kun responsible for it.

Serina over-compensated for the loss by loving Fumi-kun more and more, but now with the dead baby like a white elephant in the room, the guilt became too much to bear and all (that's what I feel). He was probably reminded of how he wasn't able to save Serina day and night, just by having Serina and Dad in his line of vision. So he chose to escape and block out the guilt, which had become a burden. It's a stupid way of handling things, but given that Fumi-kun is a doormat like Serina, it's plausible that he'd let Dad jerk him around as a means of making amends even as Serina became stifling in her attempts to bridge the loss.

So when Serina found out why Fumi-kun was feeling so guilty all this while, she got very upset and ran to Jinnai crying. He tried to cheer her up and even kissed her in an attempt to show that she does mean something to people and she's not really the useless person she thinks she is etc. That was VERY awkward, I really feel they shouldn't have made Jinnai do this cuz it served zero purpose. Serina never saw Jinnai as a potential lover because she's so nutty over her husband. Then Serina ran away to work at a gas station - Fumi-kun's car had run out of fuel on one of their dates and they'd managed to push it to a gas station to wait for refuel; he apologised for making her wait, but she cheerily told him it was the best drive she'd ever had. So it was to this gas station that she ended up, learning how to be a mechanic.

Fumi-kun was frantic, looking around for her and even asking Jinnai for help - he refused and said if Fumi-kun loved his wife so much, he should do the searching. So Fumi-kun went home and discovered Serina's diary, where she'd listed her top five memorable moments. One of which was the gas station date, which ranked higher than their wedding, hahaha. So Fumi-kun finally found Serina at the gas station, confessed his infidelity and said he'd accept her decision if she wanted a divorce. Serina asked for time to consider.

The finale, I think, is a bit lukewarm. Serina got Motoko, her friend, to spread the word on Twitter about the secret deal between Hibari and Maria Brothers. Niiyama was summoned to a board meeting to explain it all but failed. I would have preferred more of a showdown (or at least more scenes interspersed in the drama) between Niiyama and Dad, because this proxy business is meh after a while. They did have a bit of a face-off in the boardroom, when Dad accused Niiyama of selling out the company to Maria Brothers and Niiyama exposed Fumi-kun's affair with Chihaya. He'd earlier sent thugs to beat Fumi-kun up to prevent him from revealing it all at the board meeting. The affair reveal seemed to have turned the tide in favour of Niiyama, so when Serina and her fellow cleaner colleague (she was working in disguise at Fumi-kun's company) entered on the pretext of distributing bento boxes, Niiyama suggested a break. Serina then seized the opportunity to hand Fumi-kun a folder, which contained the written agreement that Niiyama had made with Maria Brothers for the sellout, for which he'd gain $1billion or something. Niiyama was finally defeated. Chihaya quit, although the board wanted Fumi-kun to stay on (I personally think he should have been demoted ).

It turns out that Chihaya was the one who'd told Jinnai to retrieve the agreement, by leaving Niiyama's office door unlocked (she was the one who'd hired Jinnai to check out Serina in the first episode). Jinnai cracked the safe in which the agreement was stored, then saw Serina with the bento boxes and got her to hand it to Fumi-kun instead. Chihaya probably divorced Niiyama, but this was not mentioned. Dad had a heart problem and was sent to hospital. He repented and decided to start a table-tennis shop, even though he'd been asked to return to the company. Fumi-kun also recalled all the times Serina had been extra nice to him in the office and connected the dots at last that she and the cleaner Yamada-san were one and the same. I think he had some inkling she was Yamada, but when you tune someone out, you tend not to want to make the link unless it's really in your face or something.

In the end, Serina went back to Fumi-kun - he apologised once again, she confessed she'd been kissed by another man and went on a "pair lift" (something like a ski lift, for the time they were up at the mountains on a snooping job) with another guy, etc etc, and Fumi-kun was shocked. Serina was like, "so maybe couples shouldn't be too honest with each other", and I'm sitting there going huh? Anyway, she got back with him, which I'm sure would make some viewers hurl, but it's kind of a given. She couldn't leave him even when she found out about his infidelity, so now that he's so apologetic and still in love with her, of course she'd take him back. Hopefully though, it'll mean a more balanced marriage for them after all this.

All I can say to that is: Fujiki gets the girl again! Even if he was a meh character and I wouldn't have minded if Serina chose Jinnai.

The ending was a bit silly. Jinnai was on a job on Christmas Eve and followed the "adulterer" to a hotel restaurant, but then suddenly began seeing familiar faces - eg, Fumi-kun on a "date" with Motoko, which got Jinnai riled up cuz he thought "pervy Fumi" was cheating again. In the end, it turned out to be a surprise Christmas party that Serina organised for Jinnai, so he could have a good time with friends - Joji had come back from Paris with his wife, and was trying to matchmake Jinnai with Serina's fellow cleaner colleague, hahaha (bit lame that). So yeah, that was pretty much it. On the whole, an okay watch and the theme song is cutesy but catchy. I'm glad the plot was pretty decent and it wasn't as fluffy as advertised.

I caught bits of Ep 8 while getting screen caps for a post on Kaseifu no Mita in my blog. I found it pretty boring until the big reveal at the end which I found moving because it was something so harrowing delivered in a flat, impassive voice. But now that we know her background, it still doesn't add up. No doubt her experience was devastating, but what led to this turn? Were the extreme acts she carried out merely for shock value? Why does she feel that she has to do that to get people to come around? And what is it about the Asuda family that has made her slowly come out? Is she still going to continue to behave outrageously when given ridiculous commands?

It was obvious from the start that Urara had a thing for Asuda, but it is clear what he thinks of her in one of the earlier episodes where I think he left home and the three of them ran into each other because Mita had come to convey some message from his children and Urara arrived for another reason. He only consults Mita for her opinions on issues relating to his family and never looks to Urara. But trying to tie the two of them together seems a really long shot. I wouldn't buy it.

Well, episodes 9 and 10 go deeper into the Mita story. First though, Yui had a dream in ep 8 that Urara and Mita got switched, so there was a glimpse of a happy Mita behaving like Urara, which was probably how Mita was before the tragedy. Urara decided to forget Asuda and went for omiai, and despite being tactless and nutty, the other guy liked her and asked for her permission to date with marriage in mind. She agreed, saying it's better to follow someone else's will rather than do things on her own, since she always messes up. She even told Yui she was considering quitting teaching - I always wondered how on earth she was one, she really didn't seem fit to be. And Urara had confessed to Mita that she liked Asuda but was not going to do anything about it and would not return to the Asuda household again. Hence the omiai, but Yui and Asuda were concerned that she was marrying someone she didn't love. Urara finally told Asuda she liked him, and he was like huh?? Seriously, he could be so dense.

As for Mita:

So she quits and a new housekeeper called Mita Tami (haha) arrived, all smiley and all, but the Asuda kids didn't want that. Turned out Mita was working next door for the nasty obasan whose husband was cheating on her. So of course Mita did something nutty again and tried to set the house on fire after the obasan, furious about the cheating, wanted her hubby and son to die together. But the kids rushed in and after much pleading, convinced Mita not to kill herself - granted, she'd doused herself with kerosene, but she was holding only a CANDLESTICK and they really could have blown the flame off

.

So Mita is back at the Asuda house - with conditions like not eating with them, not being their family etc - and starts seeing visions of her husband and son all episode. The kids make her do things she wouldn't otherwise do by telling her it's a work order. Kii is hurt trying to help Mita prepare lunch, and the nasty obasan (whose husband kicked her out) tells Mita that people like her should just disappear so that the those around her won't be hurt. Through these visions, we see that the bag Mita carries and cap/watch she wears belong to her husband and son, respectively. She always looks at the moon because her son wanted to be an astronaut. She goes to the amusement park and orders two meals because that's what her husband and son ate. She doesn't do things on her own free will because she feels that if she were allowed free rein, the ones she loved would die. As for going to the extreme with the orders, she was probably looking to die. She confesses that she tried to die once and tells the kids that their mother probably regretted her decision to die but wasn't able to stop herself in time (or something like that) until it got too late.

I think other families would just have given up seeing Mita being a shell of her former self - certainly the obasan next door and her son couldn't give a rat's a$$ why Mita is the way she is. It's just that the Asuda kids keep looking to her as some pseudo-mother figure after all this, asking her to do this and that, repeatedly seeking her opinions even though time and again she says she would not interfere and it is their right to make whatever decision they want. It gets to the point where it's played for comic relief, kids and Dad asking Mita for her opinion and Mita goes "That is something for you to decide", and then they repeat it back to her and go "I knew you were going to say that but couldn't you at least say something else??". You wonder why these people just don't get it, or maybe they do but they persist in wanting to shake a reaction out of Mita. When she pleads with them at the amusement park to leave her alone and not be so nice to her, they refuse, saying they're all a family and they want her to stop torturing herself. Also, she's the only one who doesn't care to judge them no matter how stupidly they're behaving. She just does what she has to, and even when they pour out their sorrows to her, she hands them a bill for extra hours. It's kinda funny. Her cooking is just like the mother's, and she does all the things a mother would be doing in the house. Kii is particularly attached to Mita and at the end of ep 10, asks if Mita would be their mother. And Mita actually agrees!

There are all sorts of rumours flying about the last episode, eg Mita becomes their mother but is real nasty in order to burst the kids' illusion etc. At this point, I can't see Asuda ending up with Mita, and I feel it'd be so weird if she's back to her normal self by the end of it all. So... not sure how this is going to end, hopefully it won't be something stupid.

I'm glad to hear that you loved Koi no Chikara. It has that rare atmosphere and cast of characters that gets you carried away from the start to the end wishing that you were in their world nevermind that the business aspect of it is a little flimsy and there was some noble idiocy going on there too. There's also a wonderful soundtrack to complement it! Eri Fukatsu fits the role of Tohko so well that you wonder if she's acting or if the character is an extension of her real self. It's funny how my Japanese friends call her cute when I tell them that I like her as an actress. I think she's beautiful and very talented. I should get my hands on Akunin come to think of it. I've never thought Yada Akiko able to shake off the good girl image even after she destroyed that and what could have been a good career by ignoring people who were warning her off Oshio Manabu. And it's just as well that Haruna does not get Nukui because she is too prim and too boring. Tsutsumi Shinichi is one of my favourite male actors so what can I saw but oooOOooooooo haha. It was rumoured that Fukatsu Eri and Tsutsumi Shinichi were involved with each other at one point. He is a big ladies man apparently and has been linked with many established actresses.

Oh and I don't think there's much kissing going on in dramas these days are there? Even if they do, are they doing it in the unconvincing manner where the male kisses the female who just stands rigidly without putting her hands on the man, and then the closing credit roll in? That said, I haven't been watching the right genre. Although WOWOW's Pandora III had a bed scene with lots of grunting and moaning! Haha. If there was lots of kissing it must have been in NHK's Second Virgin earlier this year.

LOL, Mitsu no Aji had some kissy and sex scenes, I think. The first episode, they'd already shown Aya and Masato getting hot n' heavy with each other, and I just saw the last bits of ep 10 where Masato and Naoko kissed and had sex. I suppose for a drama like this, they had to show bed scenes or at least some decent kissing, but yeah it's pretty rare these days to even get a decent romance drama. I'm sad

And to think Koi no Chikara was in 2002, just a year after Love Revolution! What a difference a year makes in dramaland. And yes, I agree Fukatsu Eri really was Toko, it was impossible not to root for her and she's very relatable - the drinking was a bit extreme, though, heh. I think there's probably a little bit of her in every role she plays, but it's not obvious to the extent that she's being herself and not acting (ahem, a charge labelled at Kimutaku, apparently ). I think the business aspect is a little... drawn out though, would have preferred more focus on the romance aspect to justify the drama title (Nukui and Haruna don't count since she's boring as heck - I think Yada Akiko is trying to revive her career these days?). And I didn't quite like how Nukui and Yusuke (the ex) fell for Toko the same way, ie thought she wasn't much, but realised over time they were comfortable with her etc etc. I dunno, it felt kinda weird? Would have preferred Nukui to actually appreciate Toko for her own unique qualities, at least in a way different from the ex. Oh, and I did not like Tanihara Shosuke as Yusuke. I didn't realise it was him when I first saw him, but then I checked the cast list and was like mehhhh. I skipped out on Love Shuffle because of him and Matsuda Shota. Why does Tanihara play characters that are at times slimy/too self-assured/too slick/sleazy etc???

Wow, I didn't realise Fukatsu and Tsutsumi could have dated. They certainly had good chemistry in the drama though. I read that she's dating a stylist? Never saw Tsutsumi as a ladies man, but hmm... it's the ones who don't look it who are, I guess, heh. Fujiki looks like one but he's a total ojisan, as he himself confessed

I am trying to get my hands on Akunin as well. I finished reading the novel, which was pretty decent but which, I suspect, would be much better in the original Japanese. Apparently, there was a lot of use of different dialects, which added richness to an otherwise ordinary character study. The film seems to have a good cast, though. Mitsushima Hikari is also in it.

The overall quality has definitely gone down because the dramas lack the heart, imagination and daring of years earlier. You don't see productions like Yasha or Psychometrer Eiji or Love Revolution. It's like Mitsu no Aji could have turned out so much better and been a genuine love story instead of something so twisted. There is a tendency to lean toward certain genres. Home, detective as well as medical dramas. There's some assurance that the ratings will be stable and above 10%. Family dramas are nice if they are well told and weave in social commentary. I abhor those that keep recycling worn themes like the daughter-in-law versus mother-in-law as well as those that moralise or hit you over the head because the producer doesn't credit the audience with enough intelligence to connect the dots and has to belabour a point or point the arrow in the way the story is moving. I guess it won't take long for me to lose interest in Japanese dramas altogether if things continue this way for another year or so.

Oh Pandora III is only at episode 4 because no one has uploaded the rest of the episodes on DA. The Chinese sites have the full series. But I want the raws for screen caps.

I really hope things shape up. Maybe the other stations can take a hint from WOWOW and employ better writers, or at least put more effort into producing a good drama. Are the stations trying to preach some sort of family values or something, to be recycling these family themes? I mean, there's so much more to family-related issues, but it's just the same each season. Mitsu no Aji is really a waste, from what I've read so far of the developments. It had such a good premise too, to either be a really awesome love story or something really twisted. Instead, meh leads and meh storyline. Apparently Nankyoku Tairiku wasn't much better, seems there was a lot of a brooding Kimutaku and zero romance between him and Ayase Haruka. It really begs the question of why they even needed to include her character in it when they weren't going to make use of it.

Do you watch Korean dramas? And how is Pandora progressing?

Tonbi is about fatherly love I believe. A father who lost his wife following the birth of their son, but still showers the boy with love and never blaming him for causing his mother's death.

I haven't watched Kyogu yet even though I have the file. I was watching Doctors over the weekend. It is quite fun. I like the way the main character has been created to be a smart man who wants to deliver good medical care and isn't beneath manipulation and deception to get what he wants. He also snubs stupid rules and is quick with smart retorts.

I'll skip Tonbi then. If you do check it out, perhaps let me know how it goes. I don't wanna watch any family dramas for now. Maybe I'll check out Doctors since it seems quite interesting, though that's like the third or fourth procedural drama I've seen this year. I just saw the post on Strawberry Night on your blog, that looks good! I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll be a decent watch. Also keeping an eye out for Chushingura, even though I'm meh on Tokiwa Takako. Uchino Masaaki as a samurai is always good And there's Shokuzai. Maybe winter is a good season for detective/mystery dramas?

Oh, I want to ask about Shinya Shokudo. Have you seen it, and is it worth a watch?

Thank you for thinking so highly of the quality of the subs done for Soratobu Taiya. I will not be subbing Taira no Kiyomori for a couple of reasons. The way I approach it is that I have to love a drama's first few episodes enough to want to sub because of the commitment required, my partner has to be in on it but we have so far agreed that we will be taking a step back from subbing and it will be indefinite or maybe forever and I would have to find someone else to help with timing and encoding if I wish to pursue projects on my own, taigas require too much commitment. I sometimes find the regular 11 episode dramas long especially if there are no Japanese subtitles to rely on. In the early days, we got carried away and just about did whatever we liked that we could get our hands on, but those were older productions which also didn't get as big a following so we were doing it for self-interest. Now there's nothing to sustain our interest seeing how the dramas are out there even though there are the occasional gems like Soredemo Ikite Yuku this year.

I don't know of good fansub groups because I don't use subs to watch the dramas. They probably don't sub fast enough anyway. And I think there are quite a few who are like a one-man show.

Ahhh, sorry to know you won't be subbing the taiga, though I totally understand as it's such a big project and would require a lot of commitment. I noticed you subbed Koi no Chikara as well, and a number of other dramas, and so far the subs on those have been very good, so thank you for that! I hope you'll still watch the taiga though, so we can discuss it, heh. And hopefully a good drama comes along to revive your interest in subbing, but I guess winter won't be the season for that to happen.

The subber for Sengyou Shufu was really quick (she's subie06 on d-addicts) and her subs generally pretty good, so I was very grateful she churned them out asap. Generally I don't mind waiting if the subs quality is good, but it does seem that Japanese drama subbers are either one-man shows, as you've pointed out, or work on dramas that are more idol-centric - I bet the Yamapi and Matsujun stuff would get subbed quickly, ehhhhhh. Or they're hiding on livejournal. Oh well.

Anyway, it's good to take a break now that it's almost Christmas. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and hopefully 2012 will be a good year for J-dramas.

I can't wait for the taiga!

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 22)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_15.3%_

18.4%(end) - Avg: 16.0%

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_15.2%_

15.4%(end) - Avg: 15.9%

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

11.5%(end) - Avg: 11.0%

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.3%_8.9%_8.1%(end) - Avg: 8.2%

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_5.6%_4.6%(end) - Avg: 4.5%

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_28.6%_

40.0%(end) - Avg: 25.2%

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_*

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_9.7%_

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_18.5%(end) - Avg: 14.8%

Hachimitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_9.3%_

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_3.3%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_9.8%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_7.5%(end) - Avg: 8.7%

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_3.1%_

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_13.2%_

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_11.1%_

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

22.0%(end) - Avg: 17.3%

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_8.4%_

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_8.8%(end) - Avg: 6.7%

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

[Guest jade_frost]

Interesting about the ratings, cuz Sengyou Shufu ended on just 10% while Nankyoku Tairiku had almost double that Meh. I didn't realise it was only 9 episodes though and was still looking forward to seeing Fujiki for another two weeks. Guess it's time to turn my attention to the taiga.

It sounds better than the rather fluffy premise it seemed to have from the general synopsis but I can't get past Fukada Kyoko so I'll never watch Sengyou Shufu.

Have you watched all of Fujiki's dramas?

Well, episodes 9 and 10 go deeper into the Mita story. First though, Yui had a dream in ep 8 that Urara and Mita got switched, so there was a glimpse of a happy Mita behaving like Urara, which was probably how Mita was before the tragedy. Urara decided to forget Asuda and went for omiai, and despite being tactless and nutty, the other guy liked her and asked for her permission to date with marriage in mind. She agreed, saying it's better to follow someone else's will rather than do things on her own, since she always messes up. She even told Yui she was considering quitting teaching - I always wondered how on earth she was one, she really didn't seem fit to be. And Urara had confessed to Mita that she liked Asuda but was not going to do anything about it and would not return to the Asuda household again. Hence the omiai, but Yui and Asuda were concerned that she was marrying someone she didn't love. Urara finally told Asuda she liked him, and he was like huh?? Seriously, he could be so dense.

Your description of the progress in Kaseifu no Mita makes me feel glad that I dropped it early. I find that the stunts Mita pulls incredulous at times. Even if Mita has decided to shut off her heart, she's still a thinking person. Allowing herself to follow absurd orders in every episode is senseless, and for me as a viewer tiresome. But I guess I am the minority. It seems to keep the audience addicted if we go by the ratings. It closed at an absurdly high 40% for ep 11 and the news articles had to add in the headlines that she smiled. Oh well good for her. I hate to think that it will go down in the history of tv dramas as a very successful production when it truly stinks where it should count. I like a scriptwriter that credits his audience with being smart enough with the nuances so that it won't be handled with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer like in Kaseifu no Mita, and I loathe all that outpouring of fake emotion and revelation that the characters take turns to have in the episode that they are featured in and suddenly change their ways. It's my beef with many dramas and not just this one.

Which brings me to DOCTORS. It is a medical drama, but it isn't like the typical medical drama in the vein of Iryu where there is a lot of emphasis on surgeries. I find it refreshing and captivating because it avoids some of the "sins" I went on about in Kaseifu no Mita and turns things on its head. That is increasingly hard to come by in the drama world.

LOL, Mitsu no Aji had some kissy and sex scenes, I think. The first episode, they'd already shown Aya and Masato getting hot n' heavy with each other, and I just saw the last bits of ep 10 where Masato and Naoko kissed and had sex. I suppose for a drama like this, they had to show bed scenes or at least some decent kissing, but yeah it's pretty rare these days to even get a decent romance drama. I'm sad

I really hope things shape up. Maybe the other stations can take a hint from WOWOW and employ better writers, or at least put more effort into producing a good drama. Are the stations trying to preach some sort of family values or something, to be recycling these family themes? I mean, there's so much more to family-related issues, but it's just the same each season. Mitsu no Aji is really a waste, from what I've read so far of the developments. It had such a good premise too, to either be a really awesome love story or something really twisted. Instead, meh leads and meh storyline. Apparently Nankyoku Tairiku wasn't much better, seems there was a lot of a brooding Kimutaku and zero romance between him and Ayase Haruka. It really begs the question of why they even needed to include her character in it when they weren't going to make use of it.

Haha I can do without the kisses and sex if they do the story well and cast actors with the right chemistry. No point having a wreck like Mitsu no Aji again. It's a serious waste of a timeslot.

I think it would do well to avoid dramas that dwell on a certain glorious time in the past when Japan was still a great economy. That sort of navel gazing tends not to go too well. And when you have Kimutaku, you can be assured that you will get a good dose of what he thinks passes as acting. But is really just posturing. I don't think Ayase and Kimutaku's characters would have gone and fallen in love since she is technically his sister-in-law even though her sister is dead. It sounds like an extension of her character in Jin. What a snooze. Act stoic, love from afar ... ... Tease the audience. it's so overdone. I think they hoped to recreate the pairing in Mr Brain which from the first episode I watched was really unimpressive and unintentionally hilarious.

What romance dramas have you watched that you liked? Some of the older dramas I remember enjoying are Wedding Planner and Satorare. Love Story was quite fun too.

And to think Koi no Chikara was in 2002, just a year after Love Revolution! What a difference a year makes in dramaland. And yes, I agree Fukatsu Eri really was Toko, it was impossible not to root for her and she's very relatable - the drinking was a bit extreme, though, heh. I think there's probably a little bit of her in every role she plays, but it's not obvious to the extent that she's being herself and not acting (ahem, a charge labelled at Kimutaku, apparently ). I think the business aspect is a little... drawn out though, would have preferred more focus on the romance aspect to justify the drama title (Nukui and Haruna don't count since she's boring as heck - I think Yada Akiko is trying to revive her career these days?). And I didn't quite like how Nukui and Yusuke (the ex) fell for Toko the same way, ie thought she wasn't much, but realised over time they were comfortable with her etc etc. I dunno, it felt kinda weird? Would have preferred Nukui to actually appreciate Toko for her own unique qualities, at least in a way different from the ex. Oh, and I did not like Tanihara Shosuke as Yusuke. I didn't realise it was him when I first saw him, but then I checked the cast list and was like mehhhh. I skipped out on Love Shuffle because of him and Matsuda Shota. Why does Tanihara play characters that are at times slimy/too self-assured/too slick/sleazy etc???

I think there was more romance in Itsumo Futari de which was the follow up drama by the same scriptwriter as Koi no Chikara. But it didn't work out as well as Koi no Chikara. I thought there was a good balance of romance because it was through work that Tohko and Nukui found something in common, and rediscovered their passion and realised their dreams. Although I didn't really like the part where Tohko quit and moved out to avoid him when she discovered her feelings were romantic. That dragged things out a little more than I appreciate. I do love Tanihara Shosuke's voice even though I hardly watch him in dramas. Heh I think he has nice eyes too. I have not watched Love Shuffle although it received lots of attention, so you're not alone in that one.

If it is romance you seek, I guess you should try to get your crack from K-dramas. I have attempted to watch a few but I have rarely reached the end of a drama. The men are great eye candy. And the dramas have interesting premise. Most times, I lose interest midway and abandon ship simply because the story loses steam or treads water and it's already taken quite a lot of will to get to that mark on my part, the execution of the story fell short of what I expected. Three dramas that I remember sitting through was HIT, Fantasy Couple and Thank You. And then I attempted Love & Marriage, City Hall, Greatest Love, Daemul. I think Japanese dramas have a better pacing although the characters are not demonstrative of their feelings.

And how is Pandora progressing?

Oh, I want to ask about Shinya Shokudo. Have you seen it, and is it worth a watch?

Pandora is going well. The acting is good the premise a bit grandiose but intriguing as with the other two Pandora dramas. There are different threads to the story that are just about starting to fall in place. I'm a slow watcher because I've been watching and recapping the episodes as I go. At this moment, I'm at midpoint. This drama probably strikes close to the hearts and minds of the Japanese because it has been taking quite a few potshots at the government and corporations through its portrayal of political intrigue and a missing submarine. Uchino Masaaki carries the drama well and as you see his character change over the episodes, you will know that he was well cast and is definitely one of the better actors appearing on tv now. Thank goodness for that. He plays the chief cabinet secretary in the government, and there was a scene where he delivered a speech to the citizens, and the stark contrast in the way he delivered his lines and acted it compared to Kimutaku in Change makes it obvious who should really be given the wallflower roles.

I haven't watched Shinya Shokudo, but I know that Akiramike has quite good standards when it comes to dramas and he thinks that Shinya Shokudo is one of the better dramas to have come along and not just for this season. So give it a try.

Ahhh, sorry to know you won't be subbing the taiga, though I totally understand as it's such a big project and would require a lot of commitment. I noticed you subbed Koi no Chikara as well, and a number of other dramas, and so far the subs on those have been very good, so thank you for that! I hope you'll still watch the taiga though, so we can discuss it, heh. And hopefully a good drama comes along to revive your interest in subbing, but I guess winter won't be the season for that to happen.

The subber for Sengyou Shufu was really quick (she's subie06 on d-addicts) and her subs generally pretty good, so I was very grateful she churned them out asap. Generally I don't mind waiting if the subs quality is good, but it does seem that Japanese drama subbers are either one-man shows, as you've pointed out, or work on dramas that are more idol-centric - I bet the Yamapi and Matsujun stuff would get subbed quickly, ehhhhhh. Or they're hiding on livejournal. Oh well.

Haha. I did quite a few subbing projects back in the day when time was not a luxury and work was simple. I was just raring to go and I did some projects that I probably wouldn't right now because the main consideration is that it should be something that I enjoy watching since I would have to replay scenes over and over again to hear the dialogue. But over time, it has been hard to keep that up I suppose because of drama fatigue given what has been on offer lately. I haven't much hope. Yup the idol dramas get subbed fast and usually get multiple groups interested whereas the truly good ones are slow on the uptake.

Synopsis and character descriptions coming up for Taira no Kiyomori. Convoluted I say!

Happy holidays and merry christmas to you too.

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of December 26)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_15.3%_

18.4%(end) - Avg: 16.0%

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_15.2%_

15.4%(end) - Avg: 15.9%

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

11.5%(end) - Avg: 11.0%

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.3%_8.9%_8.1%(end) - Avg: 8.2%

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_5.6%_4.6%(end) - Avg: 4.5%

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_28.6%_

40.0%(end) - Avg: 25.2%

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_3.2%_

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_9.7%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 9.9%

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_18.5%(end) - Avg: 14.8%

Mitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_9.3%_10.6%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_3.3%_4.6%_

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_9.8%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_7.5%(end) - Avg: 8.7%

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_3.1%_2.8%(end) - Avg: 3.5%

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_13.2%_14.5%(end) - Avg: 15.6%

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_11.1%_11.4%(end) - Avg: 11.6%

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

22.0%(end) - Avg: 17.3%

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_8.4%_10.9%(end) - Avg: 9.3%

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_8.8%(end) - Avg: 6.7%

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 4)

Watashi ga Kekkon Dekinai Riyuu ________ 17.0%_15.7%_14.8%_16.1_14.8%_15.4%_15.6%_14.8%_15.3%_

18.4%(end) - Avg: 16.0%

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode ____________ 18.1%_16.1%_16.4%_16.7%_15.9%_14.9%_15.1%_15.4%_15.2%_

15.4%(end) - Avg: 15.9%

Hunter ______________________________ 9.8%_11.8%_11.5%_12.0%_12.4%_10.2%_8.8%_11.3%_10.9%_

11.5%(end) - Avg: 11.0%

Kare, Otto, Otokotomodachi _____________ 6.5%_8.7%_8.2%_8.2%_8.7%_8.3%_8.9%_8.1%(end) - Avg: 8.2%

Bitter Sugar __________________________ 3.8%_5.9%_4.7%_4.2%_4.5%_3.9%_4.3%_3.8%_5.6%_4.6%(end) - Avg: 4.5%

Aibou Season 10 _____________________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Kaseifu no Mita ______________________ 19.5%_18.7%_19.8%_19.5%_22.5%_23.4%_23.5%_29.6%_27.6%_28.6%_

40.0%(end) - Avg: 25.2%

QP ________________________________ 1.7%_2.3%_2.2%_2.1%_2.6%_2.8%_1.9%_2.1%_2.3%_1.2%_3.2%_1.0%(end) - Avg: 2.1%

Kasouken no Onna Season 11 __________ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Runaway ___________________________ 12.5%_10.9%_9.3%_7.6%_9.4%_9.4%_10.3%_9.7%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 9.9%

Doctors ~ Saikyo no Meii ______________ 13.7%_14.4%_15.7%_11.6%_14.3%_14.3%_15.0%_18.5%(end) - Avg: 14.8%

Mitsu no Aji ____________________ 11.6%_8.2%_8.4%_10.1%_10.2%_10.2%_9.5%_10.8%_9.6%_9.3%_10.6%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika ______________ 6.3%_4.1%_6.0%_4.7%_5.6%_3.9%_5.3%_4.0%_6.5%_2.6%_3.3%_4.6%_

4.7%(end) - Avg: 4.7%

Sengyoshufu Tantei __________________ 12.6%_8.7%_9.5%_10.3%_9.5%_10.2%_9.5%_10.3%_9.8%(end) - Avg: 10.0%

11-nin mo Iru _______________________ 11.4%_9.4%_7.9%_8.8%_7.5%_7.1%_9.5%_9.4%_7.5%(end) - Avg: 8.7%

Kaito Royale ________________________ 4.2%_3.5%_2.8%_3.3%_3.7%_3.5%_4.6%_3.1%_2.8%(end) - Avg: 3.5%

Youkai Ningen Bemu _________________ 18.9%_17.1%_15.8%_16.7%_16.2%_14.3%_14.9%_13.9%_13.2%_14.5%(end) - Avg: 15.6%

Saka no Ue no Kumo (Part 3) __________ 12.7%_11.0%_11.1%_11.4%(end) - Avg: 11.6%

Shimei to Tamashi no Limit ____________ 6.7%_7.2%(end) - Avg: 7.0%

Chocho-san ________________________ 13.4%_10.8%(end) - Avg: 12.1%

Nankyoku Tairiku ____________________ 22.2%_19.0%_16.9%_15.8%_13.2%_19.1%_13.4%_15.0%_16.7%_

22.0%(end) - Avg: 17.3%

Boku to Star no 99-nichi ______________ 10.2%_9.7%_9.0%_10.4%_8.3%_9.6%_7.8%_9.1%_8.4%_10.9%(end) - Avg: 9.3%

Ore no Sora: Keiji-hen ________________ 6.6%_7.2%_6.9%_5.5%_7.1%_6.7%_5.8%_5.4%_8.8%(end) - Avg: 6.7%

Go ~ Himetachi no Sengoku ___________ 21.7%_22.1%_22.6%_21.5%_22.0%_19.6%_18.5%_20.9%_20.0%_

16.9%_15.7%_17.1%_16.6%_19.2%_18.4%_15.9%_20.7%_18.1%_17.3%_19.0%_17.6%_18.3%_18.0%_18.1_

16.3%_16.2_15.3%_18.9%_17.4%_17.6%_13.1%_15.4%_15.6%_17.8%_15.4%_15.8%_16.4%_15.9%_15.7%_

15.2%_17.0%_16.1%_16.1%_15.6%_15.6%_19.1%(end) - Avg: 17.7%

Drama Specials

Mou Yuukai Nante Shinai: 13.7%

Aibou New Year's Special: 16.2%

Upcoming Japanese Dramas

Stepfather, Step __________ Airs 9 Jan

Lucky 7 _________________ Airs 16 Jan

Strawberry Night _________ Airs 10 Jan

Hungry _________________ Airs 10 Jan

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ Airs 10 Jan

Teen Court ______________ Airs 10 Jan

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Dirty Mama ______________ Airs 11 Jan

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ Airs 5 Jan

Ending Planner ___________ Airs 12 Jan

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ Airs 12 Jan

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ Airs 19 Jan

Renai Neat ______________ Airs 20 Jan

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ Airs 14 Jan

Unmei no Hito ___________ Airs 15 Jan

Hayami-san _____________ Airs 15 Jan

Mousou Sousa ___________ Airs 22 Jan

Taira no Kiyomori _________ Airs 8 Jan

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 6)

Stepfather, Step __________ Airs 9 Jan

Lucky 7 _________________ Airs 16 Jan

Strawberry Night _________ Airs 10 Jan

Hungry _________________ Airs 10 Jan

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ Airs 10 Jan

Teen Court ______________ Airs 10 Jan

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_

Dirty Mama ______________ Airs 11 Jan

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_

Ending Planner ___________ Airs 12 Jan

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ Airs 12 Jan

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ Airs 19 Jan

Renai Neat ______________ Airs 20 Jan

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ Airs 14 Jan

Unmei no Hito ___________ Airs 15 Jan

Hayami-san _____________ Airs 15 Jan

Mousou Sousa ___________ Airs 22 Jan

Taira no Kiyomori _________ Airs 8 Jan

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 13)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_

Lucky 7 _________________ Airs 16 Jan

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ Airs 19 Jan

Renai Neat ______________ Airs 20 Jan

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ Airs 14 Jan

Unmei no Hito ___________ Airs 15 Jan

Hayami-san _____________ Airs 15 Jan

Mousou Sousa ___________ Airs 22 Jan

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 16)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_

Lucky 7 _________________ Airs 16 Jan

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ Airs 19 Jan

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_

Renai Neat ______________ Airs 20 Jan

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ Airs 22 Jan

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_

Drama Special

Tonbi: 7.5% (First part); 8.7% (Second part)

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 20)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_8.6%_

Lucky 7 _________________ 16.3%_

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_16.9%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_15.3%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_4.8%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_3.3%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

18.4%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_14.2%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_4.3%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_11.0%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_12.8%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ 10.8%_

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_

Renai Neat ______________ Airs 20 Jan

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ Airs 22 Jan

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 23)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_8.6%_

Lucky 7 _________________ 16.3%_

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_16.9%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_15.3%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_4.8%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_3.3%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ Airs 24 Jan

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

18.4%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_14.2%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_4.3%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_11.0%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_12.8%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ 10.8%_

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_7.9%_

Renai Neat ______________ 11.9%_

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_12.4%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_11.3%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_10.1%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ 5.7%_

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_17.2%_

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 27)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_8.6%_7.7%_

Lucky 7 _________________ 16.3%_16.9%_

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_16.9%_16.4%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_15.3%_12.7%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_4.8%_6.5%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_3.3%_3.4%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ 7.2%_

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

18.4%_15.2%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_14.2%_10.7%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_10.6%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_4.3%_4.1%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_11.0%_12.9%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_12.8%_11.8%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ 10.8%_7.9%_

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_7.9%_

Renai Neat ______________ 11.9%_

Shirato Osamu ___________ Airs 27 Jan

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_12.4%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_11.3%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_10.1%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ 5.7%_

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_17.2%_

[Aziraphale]

Hello again, jade! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life has been a bit hectic. Hope you've had a good start to the new year!

Have you watched all of Fujiki's dramas?

Hm... can't say I have. The major ones like Love Revolution, I've seen, but stupid ones like Proposal Daisakusen I skipped because I just can't stand seeing a useless actor like Yamapi get the girl over Fujiki (so facepalmx10). Some I couldn't get the English subs for, such as Ikemen Sobaya Tantei (the subber for Yako no Kaidan gave up halfway too). I love the dude, but I won't watch stupid dramas where he doesn't get the girl or where his role is relatively insignificant. Life is too short, and Fujiki ain't paying me for this

Your description of the progress in Kaseifu no Mita makes me feel glad that I dropped it early. I find that the stunts Mita pulls incredulous at times. Even if Mita has decided to shut off her heart, she's still a thinking person. Allowing herself to follow absurd orders in every episode is senseless, and for me as a viewer tiresome. But I guess I am the minority. It seems to keep the audience addicted if we go by the ratings. It closed at an absurdly high 40% for ep 11 and the news articles had to add in the headlines that she smiled. Oh well good for her. I hate to think that it will go down in the history of tv dramas as a very successful production when it truly stinks where it should count. I like a scriptwriter that credits his audience with being smart enough with the nuances so that it won't be handled with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer like in Kaseifu no Mita, and I loathe all that outpouring of fake emotion and revelation that the characters take turns to have in the episode that they are featured in and suddenly change their ways. It's my beef with many dramas and not just this one.

I managed to finish Kaseifu no Mita. I don't think this is a drama I'd watch again because every episode was just so... more of the same. In the end, the last two episodes were about resolving Urara's problems and Mita finding a bit of her old self again. She quit the Asuda family in the end, after trying to act like the stepmother from hell to force the children to understand just how crucial a role Urara plays in the whole family (eh, kids are fickle). Later on, the kids figured out Mita was just trying to help them and gave her a teary farewell. Urara didn't end up with dad, it'd have been weird if she did. The ending showed Mita turning up at a new family but this time wearing a smile on her face.

I just think they could have handled this whole concept a lot better, maybe tossed in some supernatural things to explain some of Mita's odd behaviour instead of resorting to forced logic - though I suppose if you really stretch it, certain things become possible (like how her hands are always cold, how she doesn't eat, etc). I don't like dramas with kids and to have four of them populate every episode screaming their lungs out was really annoying after a while. You're spot on about a lot of things that went wrong with this drama and others. But I suppose this is the standard we have to live with these days.

Which brings me to DOCTORS. It is a medical drama, but it isn't like the typical medical drama in the vein of Iryu where there is a lot of emphasis on surgeries. I find it refreshing and captivating because it avoids some of the "sins" I went on about in Kaseifu no Mita and turns things on its head. That is increasingly hard to come by in the drama world.

Did you manage to finish Doctors? Was it good? I may give it a shot if I can spare some time from the taiga.

I think it would do well to avoid dramas that dwell on a certain glorious time in the past when Japan was still a great economy. That sort of navel gazing tends not to go too well. And when you have Kimutaku, you can be assured that you will get a good dose of what he thinks passes as acting. But is really just posturing. I don't think Ayase and Kimutaku's characters would have gone and fallen in love since she is technically his sister-in-law even though her sister is dead. It sounds like an extension of her character in Jin. What a snooze. Act stoic, love from afar ... ... Tease the audience. it's so overdone. I think they hoped to recreate the pairing in Mr Brain which from the first episode I watched was really unimpressive and unintentionally hilarious.

One of my friends who was watching this for Ayase - he's a big fan of hers - says the chemistry was almost zero, and the romance was nada. They shouldn't have made the characters related in that way, it's bound to spell the death of any possibility of romance, especially when there's so much brooding and THE BIG MISSION at stake. I hope they don't do this kind of dramas anymore.

What romance dramas have you watched that you liked? Some of the older dramas I remember enjoying are Wedding Planner and Satorare. Love Story was quite fun too.

Hmm... I think most of the "classics" were pretty good, such as Long Vacation and Bus Stop. Didn't bother with Love Generation, for some reason, just never quite got into it but heard it was good too? Over Time and Koori no Sekai are two of my favourites. Don't think Beach Boys is quite a romance drama, but I enjoyed that one (though I won't really rewatch it because of Hirosue Ryoko). Virgin Road was all right, as was Majo no Jouken (but I didn't like Takizawa Hideaki). I still maintain that Kaneshiro Takeshi can't act and Nisennen no Koi was an absolute yawn, but Golden Bowl was pretty good and I liked Kuroki Hitomi in it.

If it is romance you seek, I guess you should try to get your crack from K-dramas. I have attempted to watch a few but I have rarely reached the end of a drama. The men are great eye candy. And the dramas have interesting premise. Most times, I lose interest midway and abandon ship simply because the story loses steam or treads water and it's already taken quite a lot of will to get to that mark on my part, the execution of the story fell short of what I expected. Three dramas that I remember sitting through was HIT, Fantasy Couple and Thank You. And then I attempted Love & Marriage, City Hall, Greatest Love, Daemul. I think Japanese dramas have a better pacing although the characters are not demonstrative of their feelings.

I have tried K-dramas, but very few have managed to catch my attention to actually complete watching them. I always feel that they're more draggy and shouty than necessary, and I don't have a lot of patience with storylines involving screaming mothers and their histrionics trying to get in between the leads' romance. Most of the time I just read recaps from drama sites to spare myself the pain, and will only attempt if the drama has a strong storyline and actors I really like.

I'd recommend Dalja's Spring if you're looking for a rom-com that's smart and funny. I really enjoyed that one and it's got a very good soundtrack as well. The acting is pretty good all round, no shortage of eye-candy, and it's one of the rare K-dramas that I'd recommend whole-heartedly. It's not perfect, of course (it does have said shouty mothers, alas - can't seem to avoid them), but it does set an example of what a K-drama can do with a good script and actors. There's also the two-episode Story of Hyang Dan, which is pretty cute.

Pandora is going well. The acting is good the premise a bit grandiose but intriguing as with the other two Pandora dramas. There are different threads to the story that are just about starting to fall in place. I'm a slow watcher because I've been watching and recapping the episodes as I go. At this moment, I'm at midpoint. This drama probably strikes close to the hearts and minds of the Japanese because it has been taking quite a few potshots at the government and corporations through its portrayal of political intrigue and a missing submarine. Uchino Masaaki carries the drama well and as you see his character change over the episodes, you will know that he was well cast and is definitely one of the better actors appearing on tv now. Thank goodness for that. He plays the chief cabinet secretary in the government, and there was a scene where he delivered a speech to the citizens, and the stark contrast in the way he delivered his lines and acted it compared to Kimutaku in Change makes it obvious who should really be given the wallflower roles.

I haven't watched Shinya Shokudo, but I know that Akiramike has quite good standards when it comes to dramas and he thinks that Shinya Shokudo is one of the better dramas to have come along and not just for this season. So give it a try.

I'll definitely put Shinya Shokudo on the list then. How is Pandora progressing? It seems it's quite intriguing, and Uchino Masaaki is usually a guarantee of quality (at least I think so, hehe). And if a drama can be smart in dealing with political issues, then that's definitely worth a look-in. I've also been following your recaps on Shokuzai, the episodes seem quite creepy, I think I'll have to watch this one in the daytime! There's also Strawberry Night which I haven't started, but the folks on D-addicts seem to like it a lot. Have you caught any episodes yet?

Synopsis and character descriptions coming up for Taira no Kiyomori. Convoluted I say!

I just finished the first three episodes (with Chinese subs) and I am boggled as well. Even with the character chart provided by the website, I'm hard-pressed to remember who is who and who plays which role in which family, haha. The only stupid character I really want to slap to Timbuctoo is Tamako. Omg how stupid can a woman be I didn't expect Shirakawa to die in ep 2, though. Thought he'd last a few more. Matsuyama is decent as Kiyomori, and I'm liking Tamaki as Yosh!tomo as well. I giggled when Fujiki appeared, he was guarding the palace and then he saw Tamako walk by and he recited a verse. It would have seemed rather random for the uninitiated, so I guess it was a good thing to read up a bit on Saigyo. Pity the ratings aren't explosive, but I'm still on board and hopefully things will pick up soon.

Have you seen any episodes yet?

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of January 30)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_8.6%_7.7%_

Lucky 7 _________________ 16.3%_16.9%_

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_16.9%_16.4%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_15.3%_12.7%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_4.8%_6.5%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_3.3%_3.4%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ 7.2%_

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

18.4%_15.2%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_14.2%_10.7%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_10.6%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_4.3%_4.1%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_11.0%_12.9%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_12.8%_11.8%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ 10.8%_7.9%_

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_7.9%_9.1%_

Renai Neat ______________ 11.9%_8.6%_

Shirato Osamu ___________ 3.7%_

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_12.4%_14.0%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_11.3%_11.6%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_10.1%_10.0%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ 5.7%_5.7%_

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_17.2%_17.5%_

[Guest jade_frost]

Japanese Drama Ratings for Kanto Region (as of February 3)

Stepfather, Step __________ 10.4%_8.6%_7.7%_

Lucky 7 _________________ 16.3%_16.9%_15.2%_

Strawberry Night _________ 16.8%_16.9%_16.4%_16.3%_

Hungry _________________ 14.2%_15.3%_12.7%_11.1%_

Honjitsu Taian Nari _______ 3.3%_4.8%_6.5%_3.9%_

Teen Court ______________ 2.5%_3.3%_3.4%_3.5%_

Tightrope no Onna ________ 7.2%_4.7%_

Aibou 10 _______________ 19.7%_17.4%_15.0%_17.0%_16.5%_13.9%_18.3%_13.1%_15.1%_16.2%_16.3%_

18.4%_15.2%_15.0%_

Dirty Mama ______________ 12.7%_14.2%_10.7%_9.7%_

Kasouken no Onna 11 _____ 17.1%_10.7%_11.8%_15.5%_8.7%_13.4%_12.9%_13.3%_13.0%_10.6%_11.4%_

Deka Kurokawa Suzuki _____ 5.3%_4.5%_4.3%_4.1%_4.7%_

Ending Planner ___________ 15.3%_11.0%_12.9%_9.1%_

Saigo Nibanme no Koi _____ 12.1%_12.8%_11.8%_11.4%_

Seinaru Kaibutsutachi ______ 10.8%_7.9%_6.9%_

13-sai no Hello Work ______ 9.3%_7.9%_9.1%_

Renai Neat ______________ 11.9%_8.6%_

Shirato Osamu ___________ 3.7%_

Risou no Musuko ________ 13.9%_12.4%_14.0%_

Unmei no Hito ___________ 13.0%_11.3%_11.6%_

Hayami-san _____________ 9.8%_10.1%_10.0%_

Mousou Sousa ___________ 5.7%_5.7%_

Taira no Kiyomori _________ 17.3%_17.8%_17.2%_17.5%_