Tsuki no Koibito 月の恋人 [series]

Yeah yeah yeah you hate the Chinese girl, we know we know.

I know everyone hates this one, everyone hates everything Kimu Taku has done since 2010 onwards but if you don't compare it with before, you might actually like this drama. 

His character is the bastard, not the actor. Just because he is not playing some smooth or funny or quirky likable guy, or love to hateable guy even, you cant blame him for this drama being boring. 

And actually I dont think it is, I think it is mature and slow paced and ...actually a little bit odd, like two dramas in one, but its not what I would call boring. 

I've read so many bad reviews of this show, and heard so many people say they dont like anything of Kimu Taku's work post CHANGE, which I loved too or MR BRAIN which I also adored with all the bananas in my heart. But why does those dramas being so good mean this one is automatically bad?

I don't really care, I'm not going to beat this drama down like everyone else, Im not going to sing high praises either but I liked it at the time, I don't want to be swayed by other people's weird opinions of Lin Chi Ling, and Kitagawa Keiko with her brilliant gyaru bitch whining. 

So many comments from Japanese viewers saying they were annoyed by Ling's broken Japanese language skills... when that was how the character was meant to be like.... I dont really understand how she was annoying but whatever. 

I thought she was a pretty strong character so I can only assume it was due to either racism or just rooting for Shinohara's character to steal her man. 

I cant really outline the plot too well because this was, what, 4 years ago now? Yeah 4 years ago this month in fact. I cant remember all that much but I will scrape together what I can from my withered old memory. 

Whatever way you look at it Hazuki Rensuke is a bastard you don't really want to be around, let a lone work for. Certainly not one you want to fall for. 

He is the president of Regolith, a furnishings company. 

He started off by making his own pieces by hand, building his cared for designs with attention to detail and always thinking of their function and users. 

The warm touch he once had is long gone and he only wishes to increase his market share in the world and expand as much as possible. 

To add to his unlikable traits he ends up finding himself a Chinese trophy wife who he took away from a bad situation and turned into a model - and isn't he oh so proud of himself for doing so. 

She rebels against him as much as she can eventually when he begins to treat her like less than a person, but its a long road out of the box she becomes trapped in. Throw in a transvestite brother in heaps of debt and you have yourself a sh*te situation nipping at your heals. 

I think one of the main reasons viewers did not Xiu Mei is that they didn't realise she was meant to be such a pivotal character as they started watching. She became highly important and not just a side story to Rensuke and Ninomiya's relationship. 

Ninomiya had known him since forever and watched him grow into the unlikable guy we meet at the beginning of this drama. We know she loves him, he is obviously oblivious and uses the friendship to his own ends. She is feisty though and doesn't take is crap like everyone else, well she takes it but she isn't quiet about it. 

We have a whole bunch of interesting characters come in and out... I just looked on drama wiki and it said there were only 8 episodes. I cant believe that. There's no way! So much happens; it really travels through time from one crazy situation and another. It cant be 8 episodes long... Apparently it is though. 

I like his ultimate downfall, but I think the journey to that point is also interesting. He becomes a much more likable person when it has all fallen to pieces ...but still a bit of a moron. 

Shinohara wins the whole show really, I thought at the time how she stole every scene. 

I think if you havent seen it already you should give it a fair chance. Its a great cast and a slightly unusual story, I don't think it deserves the slating it received. If nothing else but for Shinohara's frustrated face. 

I will end with a cast list as the cast was all anyone seemed to care about when this drama aired.

Main cast:

Kimura Takuya - Hazuki Rensuke 

Shinohara Ryoko - Ninomiya Maemi 

Lin Chi Ling - Liu Xiu Mei 

Matsuda Shota - Sai Kazami/Cai Feng Jian 

Kitagawa Keiko - Onuki Yuzuki 

Watanabe Ikkei - Kijihata Togo 

Hamada Gaku - Maehara Tsuguo 

Mikami Kensei - Koizumi Keiichi 

Nishiyama Maki - Eruka 

Mitsushima Hikari - Anzai Rina 

Nakamura Yuri - Kasahara Yuki 

Abe Tsuyoshi - Min 

Nagatsuka Kyozo - Onuki Shogen 

Nukumizu Youichi - Tokita Ikuzo 

Takenaka Naoto - Maruyama Tetsuji 

Kabira Jay - Mineoka Yasuyuki

I'm pretty sure that one set was the same place they shot some of Sailor moon. I noticed once when I was watching Kitagawa Keigo doing cartwheels to kill rubber suity bad guys. 

I like the settings and different areas they shot in for this series. Almost as gorgeous as Shinohara. Nothing quite beats Matsuda Shota's horrible hair style though - oh my god that was bad.

Just watching it back to get some screen shots I remembered the banter between Rensuke and Ninomiya, it was really bickery like siblings, I enjoyed that. It was different to other relationships in dramas I guess because he stayed a po faced moody git until the very end and didn't really change all that much. I still wanted them to end up together though. I think they worked well together but I think maybe people just didn't like Rensuke enough. He is hard to love lets face it. 

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CHANGE [series]

was there any need for madonna? really?

yes this is a political human drama series but dont be put off. i tend to fall asleep at the mere mention of politics and never go out of my way to watch a drama about a subject i have no interest in, but seen as the lead actor was kimura takuya (mr brain, tsuki no koibito, engine, hero the list goes on and on and on) i didnt give it a second thought and watched it as soon as it came my way.

i was surprised to see kimura with curly hair - i did laugh at first. it was kind of rediculous. but by the end of the series i kept being disappointed every time he came out with it straightened - i actually really liked it curly.

kimura's character asakura keita is really quite adorable from start to finish. asakura was an elementary school teacher (pushed around by his tiny students) with no interest in politics but likes star gazing and his quiet life.

asakura came from a political family and wanted nothing to do with that life style, but when his father and brother die in a plane crash asakura is pressured to run for his father's high position.

the plan orchestrated by kanbayashi shoichi (terao akira) to use asakura as puppet for his own means to become prime minister starts to fall apart as asakura shows his strong will to fight for just causes.

asakura is supported by a weird bunch of people that make up his campaign management lead by nirasawa played by non other than abe hiroshi its pretty much the same character as in dragon zakura (^_^)

i found it to be quite funny pretty much all the way through in that subtle intelligent way that kimura likes to act. he really is so easy to watch.

i dont want to spoil anything so i wont explain too much at all, i was really quite surprised at how it turned out - and also by the fact that i couldnt stop watching it untill the end. i watched two episodes a day i think.

i thought the ending was fantastic. i cried in awe and really felt quite moved

by the whole thing to be honest.

its not one of my favourite dramas but i really did like it so much at the time which must say a lot - i really get so bored with anything political - not to mention confused - very confused.

i think this series' charm was how innocent asakura was. his almost childlike honesty and ignorance was not only endearing but a chance to see difficult political matters through totally refreshing eyes.

id say it is worth watching. kimura and abe. not much chance of it being bad really is there.

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MR BRAIN ミスター・ブレイン [series]

joy of all joys, gackt in a straight jacket, kamenashi in doctor's whites,
kimura... being kimura.

aside from the fact that kimura was absolutely fantastic as mr brain, and had the wonderful ayase haruka as his baffled dorky assistant yuri, and also mizushima hiro played the also somewhat baffled and dorky detective hayashida, yes, aside from all that, there are guest actors in every episode including

kamenashi (kat-tun, ynsh, hitotsu no koi, gokusen, 1pound no fukuin, nobuta - seriously you should know who he is by now) along side aibu saki (zettai kareshi, buzzer beat), sato takeru (kamen rider den-o, princess princess d), koyuki (kimi wa petto, laundry) and the almighty nakama yukie (gokusen).

and of course - the reason i found this series in the first place - gackt as a psycho ghosty crazy person in a straight jacket kyaa! giant squeeee for gackt as a mental.
キャー

mr brain is a stroke of genius. great stories and weird surreal animated moments, lots of humour, lots of tears, some completely adorkable characters, nasty evil boo-hiss-boo type mean people, and tons and tons of bananas.

thats not a metaphor. there are many bananas in this series.

a neuroscientist working for the national research institute of police science, mr brain can solve mysteries in a way no one else can, he is a bit weird and no one seems to really get him at all, but his skills for analysing the situation, uncovering lies, and finding a clever killer are unmistakeable.

i really like his friendship with hayashida (whom he calls rinda due to reading the kanji in his name wrong) and his constant abuse towards ayase haruka's character yuri (who he often compares to a monkey)

it really is very good. its so clever and funny, everyone i have shown this to has loved it. and what part of gackt in a straight jacket would not convince you to watch it? seriously! he is mr crazy crazy man bites his own fingers off eat you without a second thought

i cant explain how great that is.

kimura is beautiful and hysterical in mr brain. its my favourite role of his endless list of dramas. kamenashi brought me tears with his episode, and sato takeru was absolutely fantastic. i think its the best performance ive seen from him - he could really handle such an unusual role.

there is nothing bad about mr brain except for the fact that it ended.

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