Jdorama

Jdorama - or Jdrama, Japanese drama - is something I've re-obsessed myself with... yet again.

IT ALL STARTED WITH GTO :D

Then I expanded the obsession from there.

And now... well, it's ruling my life to the point where I find myself screaming "GANBATTE, BENJI!!!!!" whenever he leaves for work -.-

SO!

This is a thread to share, obsess and fangirl yourself out at xD

What are your favourite Jdoramas? Favourite actors/actress?

You know the drill :D Also, feel free to promote any drama you've watched and liked. I've seen loads of blogs where they promote them in a really cool way, so... I GOT EXCITED AND MADE THIS :D

TITLE:
ENGLISH TITLE:
EPISODES:
GENRE:
SONG:
CAST:
SUMMARY:
REASON TO WATCH:

Example;

TITLE: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e aka Hana Kimi
ENGLISH TITLE: For You in Full Blossom
EPISODES: 12
GENRE: Comedy, romance, school
SONG: Opening; "Ikenai Taiyou" by Orange Range, Closing; "PEACH" by Ai Otsuka
CAST: Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma, Mizushima Hiro
SUMMARY: Based on a popular comic, this hilarious comedy follows the chaos, troubles and friendship at a boys’ boarding school after a girl-disguising-a-boy joins. Ashiya Mizuki has just come back to Japan from California where she was raised. She fell in love with Sano Izumi, a hopeful high jump hero, who has quit after an accident. As she wants him to go back to the sport once again, she enters the same high school as a boy! With a short hair, flattened chest and lowered voice, she starts sharing the same room with Sano.
REASON TO WATCH: Did you SEE the cast!? I mean, Maki-chan, and Shunkerbell aka HANAZAWA RUI xD ...not to mention the ever so lovely and adorable womanizer Nanba-senpai played by Mizushima Hiro, our little hottie... Hana Kimi is a must-see!



EDIT:

LIST OF DRAMAS ALREADY DONE, A-Z:

Attention Please
Buzzer Beat
Good Luck!!
Hana Kimi
Hana Yori Dango (season 1)
Honey & Clover
Kurosagi
Nobuta wo Produce
Tatta Hitotsu No Koi
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! This thread is gonna be such a place of joy! - also, I like your idea of putting drama reviews in here, that way maybe we can convince more people to join in the fun hehe! :D


Let's seeeee ...... where to start? XD The first jdrama that I watched was, I think, Hana yori Dango - still one of my favourites, to be honest! It has Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun in it, and is very, very funny! :D
Annnd I also liked GTO a lot!
Annnd ...Gokusen, which was along the same lines story-wise ... well, I liked the first season of that, and then liked the second season a bit less (getting repetitive.. but still, hot guys! Kamenashi and Akanishi, *drool* xD) and haven't bothered to start season three xD
... then of course, there's Zettai Kareshi, which was awesome! (though, as stated before in GHCR ... Soshi > Night. :D)

And nowww... following a friend's advice, I've just started watching "Attention Please" yesterday, which seems really funny, it's about a girl who starts training to be a cabin attendant, but seems totally unsuited - having grown up only around guys, she's a total tomboy! But so much so far, I'll give that a proper review once I'm done watching it! :D


I was actually going to post a review or two as well, but I need to go now - maybe I'll post something when I come back! (leave Hana yori Dango for me, please )

I expect to get a review of HYD I + II AND the movie - they're all epic :D I personally LOVED Rui... I mean, Domyouji and Makino, yay, go make a baby and stuff, but still, everytime, my heart just dies for Rui when he's always being thrown aside.

Also, the third time I watched the movie, I realized Rui has a real dorky moment in it; when they're on the F4 plane, and he stands up, and hits his head - BEST THING EVER :D The ever so elegant and cool Rui is so dorky xD

Also... I didn't like Attention Please xD Watched the first episode, and gave up. I need my dorky hotties to make my heart miss a beat, and I just can't stand the leading actress xD

TITLE: Nobuta wo Produce
ENGLISH TITLE: Producing Nobuta
EPISODES: 10
GENRE: School drama
SONG: "Seishun Amigo" by Shuuji to Akira / Kame & Yamapi
CAST: Kamenashi Kazuya, Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki, Toda Erika
SUMMARY: Kiritani Shuji is the popular guy who gets along with everyone, from the jerks to the nerds to the just plain weird. The one person Shuji cannot stand is Kusano Akira. To Shuji, Akira is just plain annoying. He laughs, talks and acts funny. Things heat up when a new student comes to school. Her name is Kotani Nobuko, a girl who has no self confidence at all and is content at being made fun of and bullied in school. Shuji and Akira come to an accord that in order to make use of their "youth" they will "produce" Nobuko as the next popular girl. One of the conditions, however, is that nobody should find out that they are working together as a team to make this concept possible. Unveiled here is the story of true friendship between three unlikely candidates who would not have been friends if not given the special circumstances.
REASON TO WATCH: First of all, Yamapi (Yamashita Tomohisa) makes his best performance as a freakishly dorky, weirdo who flutters his hands as he skips down the stairs. Second of all, we have Kame (Kamenashi Kazuya). Kame and Yamapi. Yamapi and Kame. Two hotties, who just happen to be Johnny's. Oh-mama! AND WHY IS IT THAT MAKI GETS TO BE AROUND THE HOTTIES OF MY LIFE!? WHY OH WHY!? ... and what's up with Toda Erika being shoved into every drama with those hotties too!? xD Annoying much? No xD But yeah, the main reason to watch this drama is... well, the plot seems like something pulled out of the hoods of Hollywood, except that... well, you know where they make the princess of nerds into a prom queen, and she just magically becomes this superbeautiful girl, even if she wasn't that ugly in the first place? Well, Japan sure knows how to make stories like that in a realistic way. I mean, Nobuta (the princess of nerds, in this case) doesn't really change. I mean, she tries to be "normal", and stuff, but... well, everyone starts to like her just as she is, and it's amazing and-- I'm totally ruining this, aren't I? xD JUST WATCH IT! It's a great story about friendship. And Akira - he shows the meaning of being one of a kind, for sure xD

Haha, well, I quite like the girl in Attention Please - sure, she tends to overdo it at times, but that's what makes it funny - also, her teacher played by the same person who played the friend with the bar in Zettai Kareshi, and I think that woman rocks XD

And nice Nobuta wo Produce review! Haha I also got that recommended by many others, like my Japanese teacher XD .... it's a sign, I need to watch it! xD

But yeah, here's HYD ... season 1, for starters!

TITLE: Hana Yori Dango (apparently, Japanese people shorten it "HanaDan")
ENGLISH TITLE: Boys over Flowers (not to be mistaken for the Korean drama with the same name)
EPISODES: 9
GENRE: Romance, Comedy
SONG: intro - WISH by Arashi, theme tune - Planetarium by Ai Otsuka
CAST: Inoue Mao, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi
SUMMARY: Makino Tsukushi, a girl from a poor family, enters the elitist "Eitoku Gakuen" highschool, where luxuries such as a personal chauffeur and a designer fashion are normal for most students. Little did Makino know when she first enrolled about the existence of Flower 4 - referred to by everyone as F4 - the 4 richest, most spoiled and, obviously, handsomest guys in school, who act as if they own the place. At their order, any of the students will be bullied by everyone else in school, but when Makino and her friend are under attack, the girl stands up for her rights and - in a quite memorable scene - punches the gang's leader, Tsukasa Domyouji, right in the face! From here on, Makino's adventures with the F4 and their arrogant, but deep down sweet and sensitive leader leader start!
REASON TO WATCH: MATSUJUUUUUUN! <3 <3 <3 ... hem, hem. No, actually, many other reasons, too. xD Like the fact that Makino is an amazingly strong-willed girl who seems able to make everything possible, the sweet love story between her and Domyouji, the funny moments with the other F4 characters, Hanazawa Rui, who is Makino's first love and also happens to be played by the very, very hansome Oguri Shun, and and and ...... ! Did I mention the hilariousness? Also, if only for the scene where Domyouji waits for Makino 4 hours in the rain, and this needs to be watched ... it broke my heart.... what guy does that these days? Awww. ^^ Surely, the drama does get quite cheesy at times, but that's all part of the joy of watching it. And if you get away with watching it without afterwards having "MAAAAACHI NI AI NO UTA..." stuck on your brain, you're my hero! xD
But yes: WATCH! :D

"ARIENAI ITSUNO!!!!!!"

Or however you spell it xD

... best line EVER xD

And yes, the woman with the bar in Zettai Kareshi - aka Maya Miki - LOVE HERRRRRR <3 She's just so funny, a true comedian :D

Anyway.

HYD (that's how I shorten it xD) IS NEVER CHEESY! JDORAMA CAN'T BE CHEESY :D IT'S PERFECT XD

TITLE:Buzâ bîto: Gakeppuchi no hîrô
ENGLISH TITLE: Buzzer Beat (... okay, so I think everyone just calls it Buzzer Beat, screw the "real title" :D)
EPISODES: 11
GENRE: Romance, sports
SONG: "Ichibu to Zenbu" by B'z
CAST: Yamashita Tomohisa (YAMAPI), Kitagawa Keiko, Aibu Saki, Ito Hideaki, Maya Miki, Oomasa Aya
SUMMARY: Kamiya Naoki (Yamapi) is a young player from a professional basketball team. But due to his relatively smaller size and his tendency to crack under pressure, he is unable to show his true skills on the court. Meanwhile, Shirakawa Riko (Kitagawa Keiko) is a cheerful, strong-spirited music college graduate aiming to become a professional violinist. One day, Riko finds Naoki's lost cell phone on a bus, and their meeting begins a friendship that eventually turns into love. However, Naoki was already considering marriage with his current girlfriend. And it doesn't help matters that Naoki's coach (Ito Hideaki) has fallen in love at first sight with Riko!
REASON TO WATCH: The summary, in my opinion, makes the drama sound like Naoki is some pathetic dwarf, or whatever xD He's not THAT small - well, ANYONE'S small comapred to the gigantic bundle of muscle, Ito Hideaki. ANYWAY! That's not the point. If you like the drama "Pride", or "Long Vacation", this is a drama for you. It's... well, very much alike. Something about having the same director, or same whatever-person-you-need-to-have-around...? ANYWAY. The drama is... well, most of the time, you will probably go all "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EMOING ABOUT, NAOKI!?", because he's so frustrating xD Also, the cast is awesome; Yamapi the hawtness and my husband, Kitagawa Keiko who did an excellent performance in "Dear Friends" (she was also Sailor Mars in the "Sailor Moon" LIVE ACTION thingy, I think xD), Aibu Saki from "Zettai Kareshi", Ito Hideaki from "First Kiss", Maya Miki the funny lady with the bar from "Zettai Kareshi", and... an actress who has lately become one of my favourite ones, too; Oomasa Aya from "Mei-chan no Shitsuji", but who was even greater in "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge". Did you know she was in "Hana Yori Dango II"? As a "student of class 3-C". Very vague character description xD ANYWAY! WATCH - THIS - SHEKERIM-CHAN! Even the opening song will rock your socks, it's awesome :D

Next I will do "Kurosagi"

Oh, that's her name then? In that case .... Maya Miki FTW!! :D ... I looked her up, apparently she also plays in "Maiko haaaan!!", a Japanese comedy movie that a Japanese friend recommended ... now I have one reason extra to look for it and watch it! XD

Righty. Today, I shall try to convince you of the amazingness of Attention Please, and I'll postpone HYD 2 and the movie for later

TITLE: Attention Please
ENGLISH TITLE: Atenshon Puriizu (I <3 Katakana-English!)
EPISODES: 11
GENRE: comedy
SONG: "Oh Pretty woman!" by Kaela Kira
CAST: Ueto Aya, Maya Maki, Nishikido Ryo
SUMMARY: Misaki Youko is a tomboy-ish girl who has grown up with only boys as friends. In her home town, she used to play in a rock band, together with her crush. However, when her crush leaves for Tokyo to work in a bank, her band splits up. Jokingly, her crush says he'd like to see Youko in a uniform, as flight attendant - however, Youko takes these words seriously and decides to become a flight attendant. After passing her interview as by miracle, Youko sets off to Tokyo, for flight attendant training! However, the training is hard - especially for a rough, loud and tomboy-ish girl like Youko - and her instructor Minami, is not a woman to be taken lightly....
REASON TO WATCH: Heheheheeee okay, so maybe Misaki-chan is a bit annoying in the beginning - but it's amazing to see her change, and most of all, to see into what situations she manages to get herself into during her training! Oddly, she somehow always manages to commit some kind of terrible mistake, despite her best intentions ... it's really not easy to conform to the rigid rule system of being a flight attendant when you're as energetic as she is. But it's all good fun, and Misaki-chan gets there in the end - on the way, growing up quite a bit, making good friends and gaining the respect of her former enemies. Also, Maya Miki as her teacher is simply amazing! She's such a natural in the strict teacher's role, and yet you can see how much she cares about her students ... she's the kind of teacher that deserves a statue, if you know what I mean! XD Also, AIRPLANES! <3 It's so cool to get an insight into the "back office" of an airport, and the whole work that happens until we, the passangers, can fly safely and comfortably. Yes, I'm also slightly biased towards this because I'd like to work in an airport/ be a flight attendant myself, at least for a while. And yep, there might not be many hotties (although the engineer-dude whom Misaki-chan befriends turns out to be quite cute after he stops moaning the whole time, teehee) .. but there's so much more to this drama, that you definitely need to watch ittttt! :D :D

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but my mom's a flight attendant, and I know how these things work... basically xD It's not as fun and great like in this drama, obviously, or people would fall asleep in their seats xD But what can you expect from dramas like these? They can't be TOO realistic xD

I don't like the drama, just deal with it, Shekerim-chan :D

Also, how about we change the form thingymabob a little? How about this;

TITLE:
ENGLISH TITLE:
EPISODES:
GENRE:
SONG:
CAST:
SUMMARY:
+:
-:

Like that xD

Yes? No? xD I mean, now, instead of just fangirling over the awesomeness of the drama, you can also list what you didn't like about it :D Let's try it...

TITLE: Kurosagi
ENGLISH TITLE: The Black Swindler
EPISODES: 11 + A MOVIE xD
GENRE: Action, Crime investigation, Romance
SONG: "Daite Senorita" by Yamashita Tomohisa
CAST: Yamashita Tomohisa, Horikita Maki, Ichikawa Yui, Kato Koji, Yamazaki Tsutomu

SUMMARY: Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers. Despite that, Kurosaki grows up to become a con artist known as Kurosagi. As Kurosagi, he swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim. He works with the master swindler Katsuragi Toshio even though Toshio had a hand in the destruction of Kurosaki’s family. Kurosaki's life begins to change when he meets Yoshikawa Tsurara, a young law student who disapproves of his disrespect of the law. Can she persuade Kurosaki to give up swindling and his quest for revenge?

+: Great cast - Yamapi and HoriKitty! AGAIN! First in NwP, and now Kurosagi - CARO-CHAN IS HAPPEE! Also, the opening song is great; for those who didn't already notice, I'm VERY Yamapi-biased xD I think the storyline is very interesting, and I just LOVE how he transforms himself into different people by dressing up and creating another character... it's like Alias, only... less agent-like xD

-: Well. Hmm. I have to admit I was a little disappointed how things turned out between the two lead stars... I mean, one of the genres is also ROMANCE, and there's always the "sexual tension" or whatever between them, but... without trying to spoil this for anyone, I WANTED MORE!!!!!!!!

sucky for me, I don't actually watch the darn things in any correct order XD I simply just watch it if I see it. Though the ones I really like (and I hope nobody minds) are the gay boy ones! YAYYYY!!!!

Those make me fangirl scream and crap. I'm perfectly normal, I swear! Just because I'm always yelling "GTF in his pants already!"....XD

What haven't you watched in correct order? You have to be more specific o.O

TITLE: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
ENGLISH TITLE: Perfect Girl Evolution (...wtf? xD)
EPISODES: 10
GENRE: Romance, comedy
SONG: Opening; "Love Yourself" by KAT-TUN
CAST: Kamenashi Kazuya, Tegoshi Yuya as Toyama Yukinojo, Oomasa Aya, Uchi Hiroki,Miyao Shuntaro
SUMMARY: Blessed with good looks, Takano Kyohei, a college student, is always suffering from the unreasonable behaviour of customers who want him and the sexual harassment of his store manager. Because of his hot temper, he loses his head on this occasion and is fired from his part-time job. Then one day, the glamorous owner, Ms Nakahara proposes, “I’ll give you free board-and-lodging if you can turn my niece, Sunako, into a lady!” Kyohei and Toyama Yukinojo, Oda Takenaga and Morii Ranmaru, the other guys living together in the same boarding house, are enthusiastic, but the person who appears before the four of them is a spooky girl whose hair covers her face and who loves horror and vampires. And so, their tumultuous communal life begins...
+: Haha, trying to transform a goth girl into a lady is HILARIOUS :D A bunch of hotties living together under the same roof with a freaky goth chick and an annoyingly mature little kid - HILARITY ENSUES! Seriously. The drama is funny from the get-go, but as the series goes on, the characters develop in a nice way, making them so lovable... although, they are pretty lovable from the very beginning, what with their amazingly different personas. Actually, there were a few moments when I though "...omg, it's a dorky F4!!!!" xD Rich, handsome, and oh-so-different.

And the music is great - KAT-TUN FTW! <3

-: I'm not complaining, just pointing out how dorky the "dance" is in the opening xD Even if the music is fetchy, the "dance" is just... ehh.

Shekeriiiim! I watched Nobuta wo Produce and it was amaaaaaazing! <3 I was sooo sweet and lovely! :D And Nobuta herself was way cool, and all of them together were so funny! ^^ ha, somehow makes me wish I was back in highschool xD (Japanese highschool, please! xD)

Other than that, sorry for not posting here in a looong time ><" ... to my defence, I had exams xD .... well, I still have one left now, but ... yeah. Procrastination ftw. xD

Well, let's continue reviewing, shall we? I still owe you a HYD2 review, don't I? :D


TITLE: Hana yori Dango 2
ENGLISH TITLE: Boys over Flowers 2
EPISODES: 11
GENRE: romantic comedy
SONG: intro - "Love so sweet" by Arashi, theme tune - "Flavour of life" by Utada Hikaru
CAST: Mao Inoue, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, Abe Tsuyoshi
SUMMARY: This continuation of "Hana yori Dango" picks up the action a year after the end of the first season. Makino hasn't been in touch with Domyouji ever since he left Japan to study in New York. When she visits him in New York together with Rui, Akira and Sojiro, they are all surprised to find him changed, behaving much colder towards them, especially Makino. Soon, Domyouji returns to Japan on wish of his mother, and is pushed by her into an arranged engagement with Shigeru, the heiress of a large Japanese conglomerate - a business decision. However, Shigeru actually falls in love with Domyouji, so Makino needs to once more fight for her love.

+: All the reasons for liking season one pretty much hold for season 2, as well. The show is just as funny as the first one, and the characters really grew on me. I guess mentioning the hotness of the F4 guys (especially Rui and Domyouji xD) is already not needed, right? That's kinda self-understood. Oh, and Makino is just as headstrong girl as ever, which makes this show so much more interesting! Moments of cuteness and squeeness and hilarity galore, this is really a feel-good show! :D

-: Mwell, I didn't particularly like Shigeru, I kept innerly yelling, "GO AWAAAY! Leave Domyouji for Makinoooo!!" XD ... but then again, I could understand her standing point, too. Maybe this show does get slightly cheesy at times, and by the time you get to the end where there's a scene that parallels the elevator scene in the first season, you've been reminded about it so often, that it feels very unoriginal. Which still doesn't make it less sweet. xD

Dude, one comment; Makino DID keep in contact with Domyouji for a while, until he "suddenly stopped" - that was when that Ken dude - who was a close person to Domyouji or whatever - committed suicide, or whatever, and Domyouji was all "O M G THIS IZ ALL MA FAAAAULT I HAVE TO BE SERIOUZ NOWAAAAHHH!!!!!!" ... anyway, good film, I should re-watch it soon xD

TITLE: Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
ENGLISH TITLE: Just One Love / Love of my Life
EPISODES: 10
GENRE: Romance, drama
SONG: "Bokura no Machi de" by KAT-TUN
CAST: Kamenashi Kazuya, Ayase Haruka, Tanaka Koki, Hiraoka Yuta, Toda Erika
SUMMARY: A story of pure love between the son of a man who runs a ship repair factory beset with financial troubles and the well-bred daughter of a national jewelry chain store owner. The backdrop of the story is Yokohama.
+: FINALLY - a Jdorama where the GUY is poor, and the GIRL is rich! I mean, in most dramas (even in Taiwanese dramas - especially those!) the guy is always the rich one (HYD, for example!) and the girl is the poor one/normal one. And the story is so sweet, very Romeo & Julia-ish, to be honest. OH OH OH! And no surprise; KAT-TUN makes the theme song! (Well duhh, two of their members - Kame and Koki - are in it xD) And I jsut have to say, that since I never liked Koki THAT much, he totally made me laugh a lot in this drama xD I mean, for one; his "Majide!?" or however you spell it, was just hilarious xD And just generally, he was so dorky <3
-: I kinda expected it to be sadder - I mean, Hiroto (played by the lovely Kame I ADOOOOOORE!!!!!) said, like, a dozen of times how "their tragedy started, went on, and ended" all over and over and over again, so I was sure it would be a total heart-crushing-killing-drama. I was wrong. I cried, tho! xD

And I totally spoiled it now xD

Eeeeek, gomen ne! That detail slipped my mind! ^^"

Lol you didn't spoil thaaat badly xD - sounds like a nice drama though :D

Also, you'll be happy to hear that I've followed your advice and watched Buzzer Bear! - it was sooo cool! I got really into it, somehow - basically, I've spent a total of 11 hours out of 24 watching Buzzer Beat, was my absolute record xD ... it was soooo addictive and amazing .... ;_; I really liked the wide display of characters, and all the hilarious and the gripping moments, teh luuuuv!

And now... I shall do a bit of reviewing, as well.... I give you....

TITLE: Hachimitsu to Clover
ENGLISH TITLE: Honey and Clover
EPISODES: 11
GENRE: romance, friendship
SONG: "Canvas" by Hirai Ken
CAST: Ikuta Toma, Narumi Riko, Harada Natsuki, Mukai Osamu, Narimiya Hiroki
SUMMARY: The plot of this drama revolves around a group of five art college students, from the arrival of first-year student Hanamoto Hagumi, for about a year, to the point where their ways part. Along with the friendships and romances, this drama portrays each individual's own journey to learning more about themselves and preparing for their future.
+: A really sweet and sensitive drama. As you might expect from the artsy-kind-of-environment this is set in, and the plot hazy plot description, this drama is not one of much action. Instead, it shows the student's lives and worries in a quite realistic way - but at the same time, it manages to create and maintain a soft, pleasant atmosphere throughout. Moreover, it gets closer to the characters than most dramas, seen as one of the students acts as a first-person narrator in places. Also, let me mention the cast - other than Ikuta Toma, I didn't know any of them before watching the drama, but they all seem to fit their roles so well! Well done, cast! :D (little ancedote at the margin: one of the guys in the group reminds me *so* strinkingly of someone at my Uni ... and that person isn't even Japanese! xD)
-: Hum, when I say "sweet and sensitive", how much you will or will not like that depends on your personal taste. In my case, I found it a bit too cheesy when I started watching and I felt put off by the narrator's contemplations right at the beginning of the first episode. The drama does of course contain some comic relief in places, but all the philosophic musings are rather a question of taste.
Nevertheless, I recommend watching this drama if you're looking for something with a lot of feeling. :D Also, it's perfect as a before-bed-time-drama, seen as it won't exactly give you a huge adrenalin rush or anything like that. xD

Yokatta ne? I've been meaning to re-watch Honey & Clover, but haven't really had the time... xD Your review just made me anxious to see it again, though! Job well done

Herrrrrrrrre's Johnny!

...no, here's a airplane jdorama for ya, Shekerim-chan! <3

TITLE: Good Luck!!
ENGLISH TITLE: Good Luck!!
EPISODES: 10
GENRE: Romance, drama
SONG: "Ride on Time" by Yamashita Tatsuro
CAST: Kimura Takuya, Shibasaki Kou, Tsutsumi Shinichi
SUMMARY: Having achieved his life-long dream of being a pilot, Hajime is first officer on an international jetliner and is now working to become a captain. He can't seem to please Captain Koda, who has become an exacting taskmaster since an air incident many years ago. To complicate matters, he begins a relationship with stubborn and straight-talking mechanic, Ayumi, whose parents died many years ago in the plane crash for which Captain Koda feels he is responsible. What follows is a story of 21st century love, dreams, and passion.
+: KimuTaku <3 He's one of those Johnny-boys who've managed to break away from that pop-idol image, and become a well-known serious actor. Partly because everyone thinks SMAP - the boy-band he was in - was bad bad bad, BUT WHATEVER xD KimuTaku is really hot in this one, AND I KNOW I should stop watching movies "just because" a dude is hot, but seriously - I think he makes all his characters really vulnerable and mysterious, but really; you can't help but love him! Also, thanks to this drama, I got to know the amazing Shibasaki Kou, who makes an awesome job as the grumpy mechanic xD

-: I think this goes to all dramas in general, but without it, it wouldn't be called 'jdorama'; all characters tend to be waaaaay to angsty tooooooooo much. Too much of that "staring intensely into space" stuff going on. But hey, we like it ne? As long as we don't have to deal with it in real life!

Other than that, I have nothing to say. Please consider watching this one, Shekerim-chan! It's really good, I promise - and when have I ever been wrong? :D

Wow. It has been AGES since I've posted in here. xD .... re-reading the entire thread made me realise, in the meantime I watched Yamato Nadeshiko xD ... very funny! And contains lots of YUM! xD

soooo, let's put in another review, shall we?! I haven't actually yet watched this drama to the end, but I suppose that's okay, because I wouldn't want to be giving away spoilers anyhow so ... here goes ...

TITLE: Atashinchi no danshi
ENGLISH TITLE: don't really know whether there's an official translation of the title, but personally I'd translate it as "The boys at my house" or something like that ^^"
EPISODES: 11
GENRE: drama/comedy
SONG: Infinity by GIRL NEXT DOOR
CAST:
Maki Horikita
Osamu Mukai <--- YESSSS!! \(^o^)/
Yoshinori Okada
Yusuke Yamamoto
Koji Seto
Tomoki Okoyama

SUMMARY: Chisato Mineta is a 20-year-old homeless girl, who is forced to live on the streets as she is hunted down by the yakuza, to whom she is hugely indebted, due to a gambling debt her father had made with the yakuza. It so happens that in one of her flights from the yakuza, she is saved by a rich man, the successful owner of a large toy producing company. He pays off her debt to the yakuza, but in turn tells her that he will only release her of the debt she now owes him, on one condition: she must marry him. He had been predicted to have only one month to live, but never had a wife, so he wants to spend the rest of his days being looked after by a wife. Chisato accepts the deal and signs a contract to seal it, but after her husband dies, she finds out there were other conditions hidden in the contract: to avoid paying her 100 million yen debt, Chisato must live together and play the role of mother to her late husband's 6 adopted sons for 3 months. There are various tasks she must accomplish to get to her goal of being reliefed of her debt, but not even something as seemingly simple as gathering the entire family around dinner in the evening is easy with these 6 rowdy guys ...

+: This series is seriously funny! The boys each have very different characters, each with their specific stories from their past that scarred them, so it's not an easy feat for Chisato to try to unite them and accept her as a mother. You can imagine what kind of trouble they get into ... well, maybe you can't, actually... this series is too random! xD But they do turn out to be nice boys, and they all have their little sweet side, which is nice to discover ...
Also: Osamu Mukai!!! <3 <3 <3 ... tooooo nice. Mmmmmm. *drools*

-: Maybe one negative point about this drama is ... just how random it is. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. ... especially the first episode, TOO MUCH happens. .... but you do get used to it after an episode or two. And anyhow, which Japanese drama actually makes sense?! XD