Nodame is the perfect drama

A comedy about music, friendship, and relationship (not just romance but also that of mentors and mentees). Couldn't have imagined a better fit for the roles. It's not my first Japanese drama but is the drama to keep me going (I wanted to quit Jdrama years back after Hana Yori Dango, lol) When I'm down, I rewatch it. When I'm happy, I rewatch it. But what's remarkable about it, 14 years after my first watch, is the youthful energy that's still resonating with me even after those college years. Full of life, and joy, and hope for the future, there's no cliche lecturing, no relationship drama, just a bunch of young people and their pursuit of music.

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Who did it? Who knows! How much do your past mistakes really matter?

Very cute and fun drama by Kudo Kankuro (you know you will have a blast laughing if he wrote it). I watched it a long time ago and while the key relationship/past mistake arc didn't leave a lasting impression on me, I love the interaction between the boy/girl classes. The way teenage relationships and feelings are portrayed is so accurate. This is also one of Kudo's most gentle dramas - there are plenty of tender moments between the characters (won't reveal to prevent spoilers). Kuroshima Yuina was a revelation here. Mitsushima Hikari is as good as ever, but I feel like her character didn't have a lot of room for her acting prowess. I'm not a hardcore fan of Nishikido Ryo (he was super popular during the 1 litre of tears days) but he acted with a lot of sensitivity here. A great watch.

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Crazy fun and heartwarming story of friendship by the one and only Kudo Kankuro

If you've seen one Kudo Kankuro's drama, you know his style. Exagerrated comedy, quirky characters, jokes borderline (or straight up) offensive. But there's so much heart in a lot of his dramas, and Kisarazu's is one of the best. A group of friends tries to find meaningful things to do when they find out one of their friends has cancer and may die at any time (there's VERY few moments of grief here, and those moments are very brief. It is NOT melodramatic). Which means, doing crazy things that teenage boys (and more grown-up men) like to do. Their adventures are insane and made me tear up from laughing, but in the end the bonds between the guys are what make it shine. Yes it is crazy, yes it is fun, and can be hard to follow at times (as typical of earlier Kudo Kankuro's works), but it's well worth a watch.

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THE quintessential Japanese drama

I've been watching Japanese dramas since 2008, and til this day no drama has replaced Tiger & Dragon as THE quintessential Japanese dorama for me. The way Kudo Kankuro wrote it was unbelievable. He somehow managed to weave rakugo stories into real life stories - but they still make sense, end the story on the closing punchline (arguably the most important part of a rakugo story), while still having so much to say about family, friendship, arts, and finding one's true self. It would probably have been more popular if it wasn't slightly inaccessible - without paying attention closely, one might be utterly confused and give up on it an episode in (my husband refused to watch it after 1 episode, saying it was too confusing). But, as one gets over the first few episodes and gets used to the structure, it's such a rewarding drama.

I have other Kudo Kankuro dramas I've enoyed (Kisarazu Cat's Eyes, Gomen ne seishun, and his latest Extremely Inappropriate), but I don't think he can ever outdo himself in this case. Tiger & Dragon was his peak. Heck, Tiger & Dragon is still THE peak for Japanese dramas for me.

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Wonderful slice of life/family drama that doesn't take itself too seriously

A heartwarming drama about a man who doesn't leave his room. Together with his mom's dedication and the abrupt forced interaction with his sister's family including an angsty tweenager and an energetic toddler, he manages to finally - well - leave his room. The relationship between Masaharu and his niece/nephew is one of the central stories, but my favorite part is Masaharu's relationship with his mom. The joy mom gets when her son finally sees the sunlight for the first time in years got me.

There are little to no conflicts, and no happy ending here other than life continues on as usual, but that doesn't mean today isn't a better day than yesterday. You know it's a great slice of life with no melodrama when the most dramatic scenes are those of the R&D department that makes snacks for kids. The tomatoessssss.

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Thrilling and sensitive take on justice

I generally don't watch dramas classified as thrillers, as they tend to be overly dramatic, focus on cliffhangers and twists, while character development and the overall message takes a back seat. Not here. Via a man's quest for justice (and shall we say, atonement?) it asks viewers more questions than it provides answer for. What is justice when people who carry out justice are just humans like the rest of us? If they're also human, how can justice be black and white? Who decides what is just or unjust? Is it ok to pursue justice at all cost, even at the expense of violating the law itself? Akizumi is not THAT gray of a hero, but he's definitely much more interesting than your typical protagonist.

My favorite part of the drama is the portrayal of two (three?) parallel father/daughter relationship, and the characters are so much more relatable because they don't exist in a law enforcement/legal vacuum. Their lives outside of it are fairly fleshed out (interesting, except for Akizumi's) as well as their relationship with their loved ones.

The cast is amazing from everyone in the law office to the prosecutor/law enforcement side, with perhaps the exception of Datehara, and I do wish he didn't act in such an exagerrated way. Judge Seko's arc is also very fleshed out and adds another layer to the themes (women's struggles in fields predominantly occupied by men).

I also LOVE how there's no romance which would have really diluted the story. Very much appreciated. The music in general and theme song Hanataba (milet) is very suiting and still haunts me.

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Fun and heartwarming with a well-rounded cast

Remolove is a very cute and mostly drama-free story about two people who started talking online during COVID, only find out they work in the same office. Keeping true to its rom-com goal, there's very little drama in terms of love triangles (there are those but they're really not important plotwise). Besides the main love story, I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the interactions between the characters, especially the side story of Asanari-buchou, his son, and Tomichika the psychologist. Daiki and Shiori/her dad also make a great arc, and every time Daiki goes to break the fourth wall it's hilarious. I'd classify Remolove more as slice of life than romance, but this is as cute and heartwarming without going into melodramatic territory as it gets. One of my all-time favorite dramas!

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Quite possibly the worst J-drama I've watched in 15 yrs

And it's such a shame because the cast is so lovely. Esumi Makiko is GORGEOUS and a good actress. Yonekura Ryoko is so sweet and charming here. But that doesn't matter because every single character has such illogical behaviors, no one communicates with anyone else, and by the 7th episode I was already sick of all of the love pentagons. There is so much drama, misunderstanding, wishy washy back and forth, that I stopped caring for all of the characters. Usually every drama has one or two salvageable characters. Suga is not likeable in the beginning, but I can't believe in the end, he's the least terrible character. Maybe people really do behave like this in real life, but that's not a reality I've ever experienced and am sure glad not a reality I will ever have to deal with.

I went in not quite expecting something as brilliant or fun as Long Vacation or Quartet, but didn't think it was going to be this melodramatic and unnecessary. Hard pass.

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A complex youth/school drama hiding behind its comedic facade

I didn't quite know what to expect when watching NwP. The first few episodes are certainly very fun and cute, but it got dark fast. I remember it was the 3rd or 4th dorama I watched, and by the middle of the drama I realized Japanese dramas were something else. NwP is the story of three people - one who wants to be loved, one who IS loved but doesn't understand sincerity, and one who is carefree and just lives his own life. By creating this trio (with some romance as typical of teenagers but nothing dramatic), the drama crafts a sensitive tale of friendship, identity, peer pressure, school bullying, and overcoming those obstacles with the ones you love. It remains one of my all-time favorite dramas after watching Japanese dramas for the last 15 yrs. Highly recommended.

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