Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013) Review

Year: 2013

Language: Japanese

Episodes: 16

Romantic-Comedy, School

Image Credit: Amazon Japan

Synopsis:

Kotoko, a not-so-smart girl, finally confesses her love to campus hearththrob and genius Naoki Irie. Unfortunately, Naoki coldly rejects her and tells her he doesn't like dumb girls. As she tries to move on, Kotoko's new home is destroyed by a meteor. With nowhere to live, she and her father moves into the home of the latter's bestfriend. However, to Kotoko's horror, she learns that Naoki is the eldest son of the family. Living with Naoki makes it harder for Kotoko to forget him. She quickly realizes that she still loves him and is determined to do everything to win his heart. 

Cheerfulnuts' Review:

I'm now officially a fan of Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo! I love this Japanese drama to pieces! It's loaded with fun and surprises! I have watched the 1996 Japanese adaptation and wondered what could possibly make the 2013 version stand out. Well, after completing the series, I can say that it has surpassed the original version. Let me explain why. 

I have greatly enjoyed the 1996 version. But 9 episodes are not enough to show how the cold Irie-kun would finally fall for the not-so-smart Kotoko. I'm glad that the 2013 version has successfully filled in the missing holes. Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo stars Honoka Miki and Yuki Furukawa, both of them whom I've never seen before. Furukawa may not be as good-looking as Takashi Kashiwabara in my opinion, but his portrayal of Irie-kun is quite different. He is equally cold, but we get to see how he softens up to Kotoko in each episode, which is exactly what I want to see in this series! Miki is not as experienced as actress Sato Aiko, but her Kotoko is cuter and more girly. A lot of viewers who have criticized Aiko's Kotoko find Miki more lovable and less annoying. I don't dislike Aiko's portrayal, though I can see why many people are annoyed. I kind of missed her though, so I appreciate the drama's casting an actress with big ears like Aiko's! 

Naoki's rival, Ikezawa Kinnosuke, is played by Yamada Yuki. He has more screen time in this version compared to the original one. Honestly, I think he did a good job in portraying Kin-chan. He's goofy, funny, and mushy. So much like the Kin-chan I knew. 

The older version is more funny than romantic, while Love in Tokyo is both funny AND sweet. There are love triangles and yes, we get to see a jealous Irie-kun! Though Naoki's jealousy is very subtle, it makes me jump for joy when he's secretly getting jealous. It's fun to see him falling for Kotoko. 

I'd like to point out that the acting is kind of raw. Thankfully, the drama doesn't need superb acting skills to deliver its message. To me, the message isn't about a girl confessing her feelings to her love interest. It's not exactly about winning a guy's heart either. It's about being optimistic and cheerful, being true to yourself, and loving someone despite his/her flaws. I'm really learning a lot from this drama, especially from Kotoko. I love her. She is naive and isn't good at anything, but I'd love to have her guts and her cheerfulness! 

Needless to say, this drama caters to young audiences, especially females. The good thing is it doesn't contain all the negative elements that you'll find in a typical teeny-bopper show. This is something that I wouldn't worry my own children watching. If you want a fun, entertaining, and sweet drama that isn't shallow, this will definitely make the list. 

Note: If you haven't seen the 1996 adaptation, I highly recommend you to watch it FIRST. It will make you appreciate Love in Tokyo more!  

Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:

10 out of 10 stars

Dinner Review

Year: 2013

Language: Japanese

Episodes: 11

Genre: food, comedy, drama

Synopsis:

An Italian restaurant Roccabianca is in its prime when the head chef/owner suddenly collapses, leaving the restaurant to his inexperienced daughter Saori Tatsumi (Kana Kurashina) and his sous-chefs. Despite their hard work in keeping the business running, the restaurant has lost many of its clients. With profits deteriorating, Saori is forced to make a hard decision - to hire a new head chef. The team doesn't like it but is forced to go with the plan. 

The new chef is Motomu Ezaki (Yosuke Eguchi), a very talented man who doesn't seem to go along with anyone. But with some turn of events, Ezaki slowly earns trust and respect from his team. Together, they will make the restaurant bounce back to its original heyday.

Cheerfulnuts' Review:

Dinner is a food drama starring Yosuke Eguchi. He plays as the talented but eccentric chef Motomu Ezaki who is hired by an Italian restaurant after its head chef went into coma. I've seen both of Eguchi's works - Lunch Queen and Patisserie Coin de rue - in which he also plays as a chef, so Dinner doesn't seem foreign to me. I actually didn't really mind watching the drama regardless of the story. I like Eguchi and I like food. Watching a food drama is certainly a feast for the eyes.  I think no other nationality values food presentation as much as the Japanese do. It turns out that the drama didn't fail me. In fact, it has far exceeded my expectations. 

It was truly a joy to watch it! It teaches me about important things such as valuing your clients, loyalty, sense of camaraderie, and having a strong passion. It also has a lot of funny scenes that made my stomach ache from laughing. The plot is simple and the characters are really lovable. Even non-chef viewers can relate with the characters. The more I watch, the more the Roccabianca team grows on me.

The drama is episodic. I was expecting it to have one episode dedicated to each character like in the drama Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo, but Dinner only focused on some characters.

Spoiler alert: The ending is a bit of a disappointment. At least that is how I felt as soon as the drama ended. But looking back, I couldn't have thought of a better ending for the drama. It may not be the kind of ending that everyone will like or be comfortable with, but it is meaningful and has made the drama even more powerful about its message.

I highly recommend this to everyone!

Cheerfulnuts' Verdict:

10 out of 10 stars

Operation Love Review

Operation Love
Alternative Title: Proposal Daisakusen
Year: 2007, 2008 (special)
Episodes: 11 episodes, 1 special
Language: Japanese
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Synopsis:

Iwase Ken (Tomohisa Yamashita) attends a wedding of his childhood bestfriend Rei (Masami Nagasawa). He is secretly in love with Rei and regrets for not being able to confess his feelings to her. A fairy then appears to his rescue by giving him a chance to go back to the past and try to win her heart.

Seriousnuts’ Review:

As soon as I watched the first episode, I could already empathize with the protagonist. This drama is seen more from the point of view of a male. Seeing the story through a guy's perspective has always been interesting to me (especially because I'm a girl). At the start of the story, as I saw Ken rushing to the wedding, I had the wrong impression that he was the groom. As the scene went through the wedding, I learned that it wasn't his wedding and his long time secret love Rei was to be wed to another man (awwww). The couple exchanged their vows, and the reception proceeded. After Ken gave his congratulatory speech with an unhappy and bitter expression, a series of photos of the bride were shown in the big screen. Since Ken is Rei's best friend, he too was included in most of the photos. For each picture that was shown, Ken reminisced the events that occured during those times. He regretted each chance that he let pass by without showing his real feelings for Rei. Rei would then occasionally give him meaningful glances as the pictures appeared. She too was affected by those memories, and if I were the groom, I would get jealous. Ken seemed to have really a deep connection with Rei, yet, they didn't end up together. What could have gone wrong? What could have been the story behind those pictures? I was so intrigued and that made me watch the series episode after episode. A male fairy appeared before Ken to the rescue. He used his magic to give Ken a chance to go back to each photo to try and change the past, and hopefully, win Rei's heart. 

This is not just an ordinary drama. Although romance between friends is a common feature of many love stories, the drama was able to stand out. I think the magical element in the story made the series more interesting and entertaining. Each time travel Ken made, he still failed to win Rei. Yet, for each time he came back to the present, he saw the changed photo, with Rei smiling instead of the originally sad expression. Despite being unable to win her heart, he was able to change her sorrows into happiness. He tried his best but the main ending (wedding) was still the same. After so many struggles, Ken finally realized that he couldn't change the past. He could only change the present. As he failed in his last attempt to win Rei's heart, he took a picture of himself (a method to go back to the present) and went back to the earlier present. He was back to the present times, but instead of finding himself standing in the reception hall (as always throughout the series), he was outside the building smoking. He realized that he haven't given the congratulatory speech yet. There he decided to confess his love to Rei. If he could not make it in the past, he could make it in the present.

The drama does not only focus on the love story, but to friendship as well. I enjoyed watching the friendship among the five people. They really reminded me of my own youth and school life. We were able to follow Ken and his friends from high school to work. As they grew older, they became busy with their own lives that they seldom see each other anymore. This shows a very common part of real life. As we grow older, we start losing more and more things. What would be left are the memories. I admire the friendship they had in the story. Despite the physical distance, the five of them remained very good friends. 

I think that the drama made a superb job into relaying its message to the viewers. Using the time travel concept is brilliant, a thought-provoking concept. I too had so many regrets in life that I wished a fairy would appear and help me go back to the past. But instead, the story only showed how useless it is to dwell on the past and live with regrets. We should rather focus on what we can do at the present. Aside from the good story, the acting is also praiseworthy. The actors are convincing, each of them were able to portray the roles perfectly. At first I find Yamashita (Ken) to be too poker-faced. Whenever he had to go back to and fro the past, he had to let out a yell yet his face was expressionless. I grew to love him anyway, and he was able to earn my sympathy for his struggles to earn Rei's love. It's also fascinating how some of the extra characters reappear each time Ken goes back to the past. The restaurant owner, the foreigner athlete, their classmate Socrates, and the teacher who turned into a potter seem to be always just around the corner. It's funny how they show up each scene despite their little role in the main story. Their inclusion into the drama made it even more heartwarming and unforgettable. I highly recommend the drama for it's thought-provoking message and highly entertaining story as well as the great performance of the actors. Definitely not a time-waster. Two thumbs up for the drama!

Seriousnuts’ Verdict:
10 out of 10 stars.

Puzzle (2007) Review

Puzzle

Year: 2007

Episodes: 4

Language: Japanese

Genre: Mystery

Source: Amazon Japan

Synopsis:

A group of armed men seizes a school and takes a teacher and a student as their hostages. The hostage-takers ask the top class to complete a puzzle in exchange for the hostages’ lives.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Aside from sharing the same title, being aired on the same TV network, and having Yamamoto Yusuke in both dramas, Puzzle isn’t related to 2008’s Puzzle in any way. The former is about a group of students from the top class who are forced to search for 2000 puzzle pieces and complete a picture within 48 hours. A group of armed men barges into a school which happens to be empty except for two teachers, the students from the top class, and a student who is about to quit from school. The events are slowly relayed to us through interviews carried out by an unknown man whom I presumed to be a police officer. During the entire interview, only the faces of the victims are shown. The delivery method had instantly caught my curiosity and I thought something as horrible as the Battle Royal must have taken place. I was wrong.

The hostage-takers aren’t as evil as I’ve expected. In fact, they aren’t scary at all. The students, on the other hand, are not a bit memorable. It’s shameful that the female teacher cannot take charge and seems to be the most panicky among the victims. I also fail to sympathize with any of them. I find the students’ detachment to each other hard to believe.

Still, I like the delivery of the story and I was suddenly drawn to it. It’s not boring (each episode lasts only about 24 minutes) and it’s actually quite entertaining. But it isn’t as good at it has promised. This is a type of drama that would catch your attention in the beginning and would keep you from switching off the TV until the very end, only to realize that it’s not really worth your time.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

4 out of 10 stars.

Strawberry on the Shortcake Review

Strawberry on the Shortcake is a Japanese drama about a group of teenagers trying to understand what love truly means. Not to be confused with the American animated series Strawberry Shortcake, this drama stars Takizawa Hideaki, Fukada Kyoko, Uchiyama Rina, and Kubozuka Yosuke.

Strawberry on the Shortcake

Alternative Title: S.O.S.

Duration: 10 episodes

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, School Life

Language: Japanese

Telecast: 2001

Synopsis:

The drama revolves mainly around the love lives of four teenagers whose lives are interwoven with each other. Irie Manato (Takizawa Hideaki) has been living a fake life after his mother left his father for another man. He is lonely and is being bullied in school. Before he totally gives up, he meets a beautiful girl named Misawa Yui (Fukada Kyoko). Her cheerfulness and frankness have saved Manato, and he finds himself falling in love with her. Not long after, Manato’s father remarries. Coincidentally, his stepmother’s daughter is Yui. The two becomes very close.

Sawamura Haruka (Uchiyama Rina) is Manato’s childhood friend living next door. She has a huge crush on Manato which he is oblivious about. After Haruka confesses her love to Manato through love letters, the two start dating despite Manato’s feelings for his stepsister.

Yui meets heartthrob Saeki Tetsuya (Kubozuka Yosuke) who fails to graduate from high school twice. She immediately falls for him and starts following him around. Tetsuya, however, only treats her as a friend. He is hopelessly in love with his teacher Asama Mariko (Ishida Yuriko) and has been having an on-and-off relationship with her. Only Haruka knows about their affair which she highly disapproves of. On the other hand, Manato has made friends with Tetsuya after meeting him on the rooftop.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Although I don’t agree with a lot of things taught in this drama, I still like it. It has an amazing narration, and the mood is made even better with Abba’s classics. After completing the series, the songs Chiquitita and S.O.S. are still ringing in my head.

In Japanese dramas, it sometimes gets difficult to fully understand each of the character’s emotions. And like S.O.S., I find the characters strange and not easy to relate with. The real/fake person concept is quite confusing. There were times when I don’t know which is which. Yui is too cheerful that she doesn’t seem real to me. That being said, the characters’ oddity made them very memorable to me.

In the first few minutes of the drama, I was automatically drawn to the story. The title alone is enough to catch my attention. At first I wonder why such title is given to this drama. Is it about baking shortcakes with strawberries on top? Or perhaps one of the leads loves eating strawberry shortcakes? But as I’ve watched more episodes, I’ve finally understood that “strawberry on the shortcake” is a metaphor used to describe how someone loves a person. It’s amazing how such a simple object is given a deep meaning. Although I think how someone eats the strawberry on a shortcake has nothing to do with how one loves, this strawberry-love analogy is very interesting. It’s like a personality test that divides eaters neatly into two groups: the ones who eat the strawberry first are aggressive when it comes to love, and the ones who eat the strawberry last always wait for the right time to confess their love.

I am a strong believer of the saying “opposite attracts”, so when I learn that Manato and Haruka prefer to eat their strawberry last, and Yui and Tetsuya prefer to have theirs first, I wanted these pairs to switch partners so bad. I just think that the first pair is a bit boring together (although I like Sawamura) and the second pair is a bit too wild.

What I love most about this drama is how it captivates the viewers. I can’t believe that I’ve finished it in a day. My eyeballs got really worn-out from the long hours of watching. The events were unpredictable. I couldn’t wait to find out what would come next. Some parts are a bit boring and dragging though; but overall, the drama is entertaining.

S.O.S. isn’t as profound as it appears to be (with all the metaphors and stuff), but it’s not bad and can still make an adult like me ponder about the concept of love. If you want a cute love story, or if you want to watch a school life drama, this one may suit your taste.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Rinjo Review

Rinjo

臨場

Genre: Police Drama

Language: Japanese

Duration: 10 episodes (Season 1), 11 episodes (Season 2)

Telecast: 2009 and 2010

Synopsis:

Kuraishi Yoshio (Uchino Masaaki) is a stubborn, eccentric yet an outstanding coroner who is highly respected by his subordinates. As he tries to solve each case, he is continually haunted by his dark past.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Kuraishi Yoshio reminds me of Black Jack. He is eccentric and appears to be somewhat cold and emotionally unattached, though he is in fact kind and cares deeply for others. This “what you see is NOT what you get” trait makes Kuraishi interesting and unpredictable.

Kuraishi’s subordinate Kosaka Rumi (Matsushita Yuki) is pretty much consistent all throughout the series. She isn’t as interesting as the other team members like Ichinose Kazuyuki (Watanabe Dai) and Nishida Mamoru (Kobayashi Katsuya), but she somehow makes Kuraishi’s character much stronger.

I don’t have enough knowledge in the medicine field, so I can’t tell whether the cases are realistic or not. But as much as people enjoy watching CSI and the like, Rinjo has engaging cases that can captivate the viewers. This drama made me think as each story unfolds. The drama is episodic, but it doesn’t ignore the character development aspect, which I think, makes the series strong.

In Rinjo II, most things are pretty much the same. The cases are much more engaging though (perhaps because the characters grew on me). The main difference in the Season 2 is Kuraishi. His coolness in facing his cases seems to disappear. He becomes more passionate and a bit emotional. You would see him shed tears too easily – something you would rarely see in the first season. Despite that, I still like him. It’s interesting to see this other side of his character which we haven’t seen in Season 1.

Rinjo is a good drama, but it is not for everyone. This may not be appealing to some young people. I’d also like to mention that despite the drama’s theme, Rinjo has been very modest in exhibiting gore and violence. Season 2 is independent. You can watch it without watching Season 1, though I still recommend you to watch the first season to fully appreciate the characters. The second season’s ending is much more satisfying to me.

Cheerfulnuts Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Itazura na Kiss Review

Based on Kaoru Tada’s manga of the same name, Itazura Na Kiss has been adapted a few times for screenplays in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. This review, however, is about the 1996 Japanese version, the first ever adaptation of this manga. Starring Takashi Kashiwabara and Aiko Sato.

Itazura Na Kiss (1996)

Japanese Title: イタズラなKiss

Chinese Title: 一吻定情

Alternative Titles: Naughty Kiss, Teasing Kiss

Language: Japanese

Genre: Romantic-comedy

Duration: 9

Telecast: 1996

Synopsis:

After Kotoko Aihara’s accidental kiss with Naoki Irie, Kotoko has fallen deeply in love with Naoki. Naoki is the most popular guy in school. He is very bright and handsome but is very cold to people. Kotoko, however, is an average girl who doesn’t seem to be good at anything. She is everything Naoki doesn’t like in a girl.

When a fire incident destroys all her family’s property, Kotoko’s dad Shigeo accepts help from his childhood friend Machiko. The father and daughter move to Machiko’s place, only to find out, to Kotoko’s surprise, that Machiko is actually Naoki’s mother. Now she has to live with her crush after the humiliating “kiss”.

Wishing that Naoki will reciprocate her feelings, she promises herself to make Naoki fall in love with her, even if he seems to be out of her league. During Kotoko’s stay, Naoki, unknowingly, seems to fall for her.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Itazura Na Kiss is pure silliness. Silly in such a way that it would hurt your tummy for laughing so hard. Japanese comedies have always been hilarious to me, but Itazura na Kiss is one of the funniest I’ve seen so far. I’ve read a lot of viewers comment about how much they hate Kotoko. She is annoying, but I guess Aiko Sato’s acting worked for her role. She is supposed to be as irritating as possible so that Irie-kun would dislike her as much as he could; thus, making the story very comical and amusing.

Takashi Kashiwabara, on the other hand, is perfect for this role. He is extremely handsome! It’s not hard to understand why his Irie-kun is so popular in his school. Kashiwabara’s looks alone could sweep any girl off her feet. Despite the lead girl’s silliness, I’m still tickled pink in every bit of kindness Irie-kun shows to her (no matter how trivial it is).

The plot is very simple and light. It’s perfect to watch after a hard day’s work. Both young and old would find this entertaining. However, just for you to know, I haven’t read the manga and I haven’t watched other versions so I don’t have anything to compare it to. Also, I have no idea how viewers who have watched the other versions would feel after watching this. I have also learned that the author had died prematurely before she could finish the manga series. Since I haven’t read the manga, I’m not sure if the series have ended it “right”. I love the ending though. But I have one gripe with the ending – it’s not convincing at all.

Overall, this drama offers you what it promises: romance and comedy. However, it is more comical to me than romantic. If you want those two in a drama, then you may safely add Itazura na Kiss to your “to-watch” list.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

9 out of 10 stars

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Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite Review

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite

Japanese Title: 10年先も君に恋して

Chinese Title: 十年之後依然愛你

Alternative Title: I'll Still Love You In 10 Years

Duration: 6 episodes

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Science Fiction

Telecast: 2010

Synopsis:

The story starts with Onozawa Rika (Aya Ueto) in year 2020 with a divorce paper on her table. Then, it goes back ten years earlier. Rika is being stalked by a mysterious man (Uchino Masaaki) who claims to be from the future. When Rika confronts him, he tells her that he is her future husband, but she doesn’t believe him and runs away. While waiting on a bus stop, Rika is again approached by her stalker and is told not to take the bus no matter what. He is trying to stop Rika from meeting himself, or rather, his younger self, who is at the bus. Rika agrees, thinking that doing so would stop the man from following her. Despite that, she still meets the younger Maruyama Hiroshi somewhere else. Upon their meeting, the two develop positive feelings towards each other. As their relationship progresses, future Hiroshi promises himself to do his best to pull them apart. He comes from the future with the goal of rewriting Rika’s future by getting himself out of her life.

Cheerfulnuts’ Review:

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite’s plot is similar to Hollywood’s Back to the Future movies, but it is still very interesting. I couldn’t wait to finish the whole series the first time I watched it. Some viewers, especially those who are not familiar with actor Uchino Masaaki, may find him too old for the doll-faced Aya Ueto. The pair’s first meeting in Juunen is quite funny so I wasn’t much bothered by their huge age gap. Amazingly, the young (or present) Hiroshi does look much younger than the actor’s actual age. I have seen a few dramas of Aya Ueto. Her acting is a bit bland for my taste. I like her in Juunen though. She is very pretty and I think she’s able to portray Rika so well.

Hiroshi and Rika seem to be a perfect match. None of their family and friends would have thought that their marriage would end ten years later. Even in real life, we tend to ask the question “why” when we see couples break up. Love doesn’t seem to last no matter how much in love a couple were. It is surprising (and sometimes heartbreaking) to see how much people can change. It’s scary and it makes love a risky adventure. Love seems to be only suitable for the brave souls.

I wish that Juunen is a few minutes longer because the ending doesn’t really feel like an ending to me. Having said that, the drama had a strong impact on me.  It is shorter than a standard Japanese series, but I think it is enough to convey its powerful message. I find it very meaningful. This is definitely worth watching whether or not you’re into Japanese dramas.

Here’s an insight I got from this drama: All couples will have bumps in their relationships, but as Rika beautifully puts it, “I am confident that ten years from now, I’ll still love the same person.” I’d also like to quote from Disney’s Enchanted, “Everybody has bad times. Do we sacrifice all of the good times because of them?”

Cheerfulnuts Verdict:

9 out of 10 stars

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Lunch Queen Review

Lunch Queen

Japanese Title: ランチの女王

Chinese Title: 午餐女王

Alternative Titles: Lunch no Joou, The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine

12 episodes

Genre: Comedy, Cooking, Family, Romance

Telecast: 2002

Every day, Mugita Natsumi (Takeuchi Yuko) looks forward to her favourite part of the day – lunchtime. She is very zealous about foods and even keeps a little notebook containing pictures and notes about different restaurants she’d been to. One time, she runs into Nabeshima Kennichiro (Tsutsumi Shinichi). Upon seeing her I’m-in-heaven expression while eating omurice, he decides to make an agreement with her. She will accompany him to his family restaurant and will introduce herself as his fiancé. In exchange, she could eat as much omurice in his family restaurant as she likes, which he claims has the best omurice in town. She agrees.

When the “couple” goes to meet the Nabeshima family, Kennichiro escapes along with the family’s cash. Natsumi is left, but she decides to play along. She promises the family to help preserve their delicious recipe. This starts the family’s journey in keeping the business alive with the help of its newest family member.

Cheerfulnuts Review:

I was immediately attracted to Lunch Queen’s cast and fun atmosphere. You don’t have to be a cook to appreciate this series. I love seeing their mouth-watering foods! Lunch Queen introduced me to a Japanese food I’ve never heard of before – omurice. If you can’t cook or don’t like to cook, you may find yourself wanting to cook again. After watching the series, I searched for the omurice’s recipe and tried to imitate it. I failed to cover the rice with egg. But it was fun to cook.

Besides cooking, Lunch Queen tackles about career choice – whether to go out and look for a job or to stay in your family business. This is perfect for people having this dilemma. Or if you just want to relax and watch a funny show, this is also for you. I couldn’t stop laughing in some of the scenes. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard in watching the series.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World Review

Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World

Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu

Japanese Title: 世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ

Chinese Title: 在世界中心呼喚愛

11 episodes, 1 special

Genre: Drama, Romance

Telecast: 2004

(currently unavailable on Amazon)

Synopsis:

In a rainy day at the wake of a teacher, seventeen-year old Matsumoto Sakutaro meets Hirose Aki, a strong-willed girl in his school. The two fall in love with each other and have always communicated through a tape recorder. As their innocent love flourishes, Aki starts to show symptoms of illness. After the couple’s trip to an island, Aki is rushed to the hospital. She is diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia. Sakutaro is devastated. Fast forward to present, the 30-something-year-old Sakutaro is now a doctor. He is still depressed over the death of his first love, who has died shortly after the diagnosis. He has never married. This story is about a man’s struggle to get over the loss of his most beloved woman.

Cheerfulnuts' Review:

I have never shed so much tears from watching a drama series before. I have seen other series which were recommended by friends. They guaranteed that they would make me cry. I was disappointed after watching them and decided that I would hate “tear-jerking” series for the rest of my life.

In the first few minutes of the first episode, I thought to myself, “This is another tear-jerker that wouldn’t make me cry.” I watched it anyway because I like Yamada Takayuki (Matsumoto Sakutaro) after seeing him in the movie Train Man. The first few series is okay. They were mostly about the development of the young couple’s relationship. After the diagnosis of Aki, the series tackled things that had never been brought up in other series with a similar plot (a dying lover). It does not only show the sweetness and innocence of Sakutaro’s love for Aki, but also the ugly side of the disease. I know this is only a fiction, but it was really heartbreaking to watch the couple. To the drama’s actors, I give them a round of applause for doing such a terrific job! Both Yamada Takayuki and Ayase Haruka (played Aki) won the best actor and best actress award, respectively, for their performance in the series. Aside from the great cast, the dialogues are very meaningful and have always been planted in my memory. This is a must-watch for anyone who loves to contemplate about life’s purpose. I especially recommend this to people who haven’t completely gotten over the loss of a loved one and to those who are still in emotional pain.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

10 out of 10 stars

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Koukousei Restaurant Review

Koukousei Restaurant

Japanese Title: 高校生レストラン

Chinese Title: 高校生餐廳

9 episodes

Genre: Drama, Cooking, School

Telecast: 2011

Synopsis:

After resigning his job in a Tokyo restaurant, Muraki Shingo is asked by his childhood friend Kishino Hiroshi to go back to their rural hometown to become a temporary high school cooking teacher. The school is about to open its own restaurant that would employ its students as chefs and waiters. They desperately need an experienced chef to lead the students. Hiroshi believes that Shingo is the only one who can do the job.

On his first day of teaching, Shingo is immediately repelled by the school’s dirty kitchen. He asks the students to clean it, which outrages the students and causing half of them to quit voluntarily. With only half of its students and a little time left before the opening of the restaurant, the team faces a big challenge that would change their life forever.

Cheerfulnuts' Review:

In the first episode, Koukousei Restaurant looks promising. Though teacher-students stories are very common, the plot is a bit unusual to me. I’ve never heard of a school running its own restaurant that employs its own students. I love that idea and I strongly wish that we have this kind of education in my country. Before setting foot to the real world, Japanese students are given a preview of what life after school is like. With this exposure, students can decide which career path to take.

I totally love the episode 3. The students’ passion for cooking and their attitude towards their “job” greatly moves me. It is truly inspiring. I enjoyed watching them cook! The dishes make me drool. I was at first bothered by Muraki Shingo’s facial expression (played by Matsuoka  Masahiro). I find his eyebrow-raising habit a bit weird. But this is only a trivial matter and doesn’t affect my love for the series at all. I learned to appreciate him and find him suitable for his character.

I highly recommend Koukousei Restaurant to teens who are clueless about their career path and to any individual who are yet to find his passion. Before I forget, I love the drama’s OST.

Cheerfulnuts’ Verdict:

7 out of 10 stars

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