Jdrama: Zenkai girl(2011)

Rating: 6/6

It's a loong time since I got really addicted to a Japanese drama(it's been mostly Korean lately), but this one actually had me hooked!

The story is about Ayukawa Wakaba(Aragaki Yui), who since she was little has worked hard to become a successful lawyer with lots of money and a rich husband. She gets a job at a big law firm, but is only given the task of babysitting the 5 year old daughter(Hinata) of her boss.
While doing this, she also meets a group of single fathers(among them Yamada Sota played by Nishikido Ryo) , and she starts questioning her current dream. At the same time, she also finds the kind of man she's been dreaming of the law firm, so what will she choose?

I guess what really makes much of the awesomeness in a drama like this is the characters.

Ayukawa is a strong-willed businesswoman who maybe focuses too much about her goals, while Yamada is a good guy who pushes his own goals too much aside. These two have major differences, and of course this creates some debate, as they challenge each others way of life.
Both are good actors, and especially Nishikido was better than I expected. Boyband members are not always chosen for roles based on their acting abilities, but he actually did really well!



And I love the kids! Ayukawa is babysitting the girl named Hinata, who is trying to act older and smart, and sometimes manages it. Yamada raises the boy Emitaro, who is the more typical sweet kid who in his innocence unknowingly has wise moments. They are really cute^^ and both have their own troubles, and sometimes give advice in their own way.


Not all of the others are super awesome though, both as characters and actors. The single fathers are obvious idiots, and some people are naive or overdone, but it's a drama, so that's how it's supposed to be.

Of course it's a quirky and awkward love story, but the whole environment with the situations and the goofy, sweet or allknowing cast members makes it really entertaining and good. You also wonder what comes next, like you should with a dramaseries, which is definitely a plus. 
 I don't really have anything more to say. It's awesome, watch it!

It's easy to find, for example at dailymotion:

Zenkai Girl ep01 Part 1 by shanta_khan2007

Kdrama: Full house(2004)

Rating: 3/6
Not awful, just really really annoying-.-

The writer Han Ji Eun is scammed by her friends. She "wins" a plane ticket, but then they take everything she owns while she is gone.
She then borrows money from famous actor Lee Young Jae to get back to Korea, and later finds out that he is the one her house was sold to.
They agree to enter a contract marriage to be married for one year. Han Ji Eun will after this get back her house, and it also solves a problem for Lee Young Jae.

Lee Young Jae is of course a childish and arrogant asshole, while Han Ji Eun is optimistic and slightly stupid.


To make the whole thing more dramatic, Lee Young Jae is in love with his childhood friend and Han Ji Eun is starting to get really close to his other childhood friend.
And this is mainly the part which pisses me off.

Because these four people are the exact type of idiots I can't stand in dramas.
Spoilt, indicisive, stubborn people who never notice anything unless it is told or written directly-.-

Of course I can tolerate a bit of struggle and rivalry in dramas. After all, it's kind of obligatory. But here it just goes back and forward without anything significant really happening besides some frustration.
And a bit too much at that.
Make up your mind and go with it ffs!

Well, with that out of the way, I guess it's not that bad of a drama. It is sometimes sweet or funny. So it's not like I feel my time was wasted, but it lacks a bit of spark, for all the annoyance it put me through.

If you're still interested, you can find it at youtube:


Or you could find it at dramacrazy:
http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/full-house/

Series recommendation: Mushishi

Rating: 5/6

This is a pondering anime series, filled with amazing art and great effects. We follow the mushi-shi named Ginko. A mushi-shi is kind of like a researcher of a form of life called mushi. We follow Ginko as he travel around chasing rumors of occurrences that could be tied to mushi. He hopes to understand their place in the world’s hierarchy of life, which could lead to the meaning of life itself. Mushi simply are. They are not good or evil, but can come in many forms, and cause quite some problems for humans. It’s a paranormal thing, kind of hard to explain, but to put it simply we see examples of them in this series. They also can't be seen by everyone.

The series is (mostly) episodically, which I usually don’t like because of lack of flow, but you can't really make it any other way with a series like this. In every episode we experience a new miracle, not always good, caused by mushi, like some kid growing horns. It’s presented in a very pondering way, with those mushi always lurking around, and it gains the fantastic and eerie feeling of a fairy-tale. A dark fairy-tale at least, as there’s certainly some sadness involved in some if not most of the stories.

The art is also really great, which is essential when creating a world of creatures in almost every possible shape. There’s light, there’s shapes and it’s really magnificent. The characters are well made as well, as far as I can tell.

It being a pondering-and-thinking-anime, you might think it’s a boring series with infinite talking. Well there is talking, as he always explains the phenomenon happening, but it’s not boring. In fact, this was among the first series I watched after beginning learning Japanese, meaning I didn’t understand what the heck he was talking about unless I checked afterwards, and I still found it interesting. Well you might say I'm hooked on supernatural stuff, so when it’s dragged into reality by the help of some life form, of course I’m thrilled. But then I guess I’m not really the only one.

The only downside by the anime, as I see it, must be it being episodically, which makes it less addicting and the story more shallow, and that’s why I’m not giving it a 6. But hey, maybe you like it that way.
Either way, if you are a ponderer, and into supernatural stuff, I reeeally recommend this series.

Music video: Do NOT watch past 1:37 if you, like me, have spoiler-allergy.

Series recommendation: Fairy tail

Rating: 3+/6
Summary: Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isnt just any ordinary kid, he's a member of one of the world's most (in)famous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.

Recommendation:
I must admit, I don’t really watch a lot of anime series. I guess I prefer the movies, as the series rarely catch my attention. But this one kind of did. It is like many other shonen animes: girl meets boy who perform heroic deeds with crew. But it’s done quite entertaining. My problem is: I don’t know why. The fighting scenes are packed with “I’m gonna kick your ass now” moments, with matching music… but can’t you find that in other animes as well? One thing I do know, is that I love the cozy feel of it, and the way they use irish(?)-inspired music is AWESOME. It has humor, it has action, it has magic, it has dragons(kind of), so if you aare going to watch an anime series you might as well try this one.

But I’ve only watched 6 episodes though, so for all I know it might get horrible later on.

First opening:

Series recommendation: Densha Otoko

Synopsis:
A true love story turned to bestselling novel, created from the Internet BBS, 2channel to blockbuster hit movie. Ito Misaki plays Aoyama Saori, working as an office lady at a MNC, gets into trouble with a drunkard on a train. She's saved by Yamada Tsuyoshi, played by Ito Atsushi As a form of appreciation, she sends him Hermes teacups. Having no experience with the opposite sex, Tsuyoshi decides to ask for help on the Aladdin Channel BBS on how to interact with Saori.

Rating: 6/6

Recommendation:
I don’t know about you, but when I first read this plot I thought it seemed incredibly boring. However, after stumbling across it and hearing it mentioned an unknown number of times online, I decided to give it a go. I loved it and was hooked already at the first episode. We follow the romance of Tsuyoshi and Saori, but that’s not the reason to watch it.

You could say what I like about the series is the internet-conversations. The series is kind of made through the eyes of the people at the forums, in that much of the information given is heard as Tsuyoshi telling the forum. That way, you get the feeling of being one of those people reading the forum. The forum is full of reeeally strange people, and I think the somewhat crazy reactions of others help increase your own. That might be part of why the series is so incredibly awesome. There’s also not just the usual animegeeks, but all kinds of geeks. And Oguri Shun, for those crazy fangirls out there.

The only thing I didn’t like was Ito Misaki. She plays the pretty and kind Saori, but judging from my nausea, it might be a bit overdone. Ito Atsushi on the other hand, is really great in his part as Tsuyoshi. I like how he really looks like a nerd, not just some pretty actor with glasses. His facial expressions are priceless, and sometimes creepy…

It’s cute, it’s silly, it’s charming, it’s funny, and it’s really engaging. I swear, before I was finished, I was all “kitaaaa!” at every upturn, even if I hadn’t really heard that expression much before.
This series is a must watch, even if you’re not a geek. You’ll kind of wish you were one anyway.

I even cried at the end. Not because it was sad, but because it was over.

Spoilerfree music video: