doll faced terrorists and computer hackers, guns, back stabbing, an awesome sound track, AND a mother f*cking second series.
most of my screen shots are from the second season because SILVER HAIR and thats all you need to know.
Narimiya Hiroki, Miura Haruma, Kawashima Umika, Sato Takeru, Fujii Mina, Takashima Masahiro... you know what? i cant even be bothered, there are so many characters and amazing actors in this - i just cant even - with this - here is the link to the drama wiki, look them up if you want to know who else is in it. absolutely f*ck doing a cast listing.
this chick is so hot. my god. seriously.
first off, this will be a utterly pants review. im telling you now. i watched it a long time ago, so i dont have any details fresh to mind to spoil for you - so thats good, but also i cant remember sh*t about it so it might not make much sense.
also, i just so love this show. that sometimes doesnt help my reviews be particularly coherent. but nevermind! shoganai ne.
It is cheesy. yeah, i cant deny that one. but of course it is a bit over the top. proper tense computer hacker stuff always is - you know the plot - young kid hacker genius called in by police to help against terrorist, gets caught up in a load of stuff he shouldnt have to deal with, but does it brilliantly because he is Miura Haruma and awesome.
fantastic cast - you just couldnt ask for much better than these two, then along come the rest and it just spirals off into a whirlwind of - oh god its everyone i love from everything ive ever seen all at once in the same drama.
Sato Takeru plays his friend, Narimiya Hiroki plays a mastermind terrorist, the wonderful Kichise Michiko from liar game, hanawake, boss, pandora, nodame, bla bla bla... uh how did i start this sentence? well, her anyway, she plays a - uh - sort of - ... i dont really know. she's just badass.
Mitsushima Hikari comes into the second season *swoon* oh god i love that girl. christ i just want her a Narimiya to make a swarm of the most charismatic babies that ever lived. aside from all the fan girl fodder, it has a really solid story and is shot really well. yeah its cheesy but you know that sort of panic stricken story line kind of has to be. its always a race against time to stop the world from blowing up in an insane fight with code name: puff the magic dragon on crack, while the whole of the world watch, and only one small boy and his dog - i mean - laptop can save humanity... there are lots of camera shots close up of staring eyes and weird angles, dramatic music to accompany the countdown to explosions and death and such... and of course the obligatory changing of sides from baddie to goodie and goodie to badass mother trucker that you never expected or you kind of did but then thought it was someone else but then the music made you think it might be them again and then - bam! yep, they screwed everyone over and no-one ever saw it coming.
the second series is awesome. i watched it in about 4 days. it is too good to just say, oh i'll watch it later, seriously guys, if you havent watched it already make this your next one. if only for the silver hair. oh god. the silver hair. i died over and over again.
This is a quiet little film, full of people I like and shot with the feel of watching real life. The dialogue and pace is all very natural and calm, and the subtle humour keeps it flowing along so much so that it is over before you realise.
The discussion of whether ‘half’ is pronounced haafu or harufu made me really laugh, it was really nice to see that and think that is how I sound when I’m trying to get my head round some Japanese words. Such incidentals throughout made this a really warm sweet film, even though it obviously isn’t one for an epic fluffy happy ending.
cast: Kitano Kie (14 Sai no Haha, bandage) Okada Masaki (Blackjack, Hana Kimi)
Mizobata Junpei (Buzzer Beat, Akai Ito)
Naka Riisa (Yankii-kun to megane-chan) Narimiya Hiroki (Yankii-kun to megane-chan Shiraishi Miho (suppli, orange days) Osawa Takao (ichi, a cheerful gang turns the earth)
The end of the final year of high school is a difficult time to be in a relationship. We watch these two characters awkwardly (adorably) become an item only to realise they may have to part ways soon due to the end of school and moving to attend their separate universities. How can you choose between your high school love and your education, dreams and aspirations?
It is a sad film really, in a way. But I think it’s because it is so realistic. There is no Tatta Hitotsu No Koi style flash forward to later down the line so we can see how things pan out, this movie is just one snippet of their lives shown to us as if it were a treasured memory conjured by an old photo.
It reminded me somehow of Kimi Ni Todoke but I couldn’t tell you why. They aren’t alike in story but maybe just that quiet feel. Actually I quite want to watch that now I’m thinking about it.
Getting the screen shots for this I find myself just watching it again. It pulls me in somehow. And while I’m brought into a sudden reality of living in the city again as I spend my first Friday night at my new flat listening to my neighbour through the wall shouting his mouth off in some beer soaked inaudible ugly way, I long for the sort of peaceful feeling this movie instantly gives me. I know my friend is just down the road with vodka but I can’t be assed to move, I spent forever walking by the sea today and my legs hate me. So screen shotting this movie is kinda nice and chilled which is welcomed by me right now.
While getting these shots I realise I have forgotten half the movie, and each scene is funny or sad all over again. I love how Hiro freaks when Sho asks her out and she rides her bike down a hill in a panic and falls flat on the grass, splat anime style. She is kind of headstrong and wilful but really scatty and girlie as well, which makes him tease her constantly.
The two friends of this main pair are played by MizobataJunpei (akai ito, buzzer beat) and Naka Riisa (yankii-kun to megane-chan, kami no shizuku) who offer their own subtle realistic humour; I could watch the both of them all day long so I was glad of their presence in this. Also Osawa Takao (ichi) was so great as their calligraphy teacher – lazing about on the floor counselling love woes over tea. I’ve never seen him look so cool.
As sad at it is, it isn’t all death and woes so it doesn’t become a huge tear jerker. The constant smiles it brings just mean you can’t help but feel a little sad when the unfortunate but unavoidable end comes. All in all, it is an uplifting sweet funny movie with great characters and a flawless cast. Even just looking at screen shots from this film make me smile.
I think maybe that is why It reminds me of Kimi Ni Todoke, that warm, slightly sad but beautiful feeling, that surrounds honest but apprehensive love.
orange days is a great drama for those about to go to uni (which i am - yes im a little late with that but shut up). the group of friends form somewhat haphazardly and begin to center around the pairing of kai and sae. sae who is deaf uses sign language and lip reading to communicate, kai already knows how to sign as does her friend akane. a close bond is formed between sae and kai through a bikering volatile friendship and kai's busybody current girlfiend is pushed to the side. as the group become much closer the series follows their ups and downs involving university, thinking of their future, and their relationships.
cast: orange society: kai - tsumabuki satoshi (long love letter, IWGP, lunch no joou) sae - shibasaki kou (sora kara furu ichioku no hoshi, galileo) shohei - narimiya hiroki (yankii-kun to megane chan, gokusen) akane - shiraishi miho (suppli,nodame cantabile ) keita - eita (voice, nodame cantabile, last friends, sunao ni narenakute) maho - konishi manami (shoni kyumei, anitque) ayumi (shohei's sister) - ueno juri (nodame cantabile, last friends, sunao ni narenakute) yuriko (sae's mother) - fubuki jun (sunao ni narenakute, fuurin kazan)
orange days has really made me want to learn JSL now, i picked up quite a bit just from watching the show. i liked how the others in the group who do not already know how to sign pick it up quickly and try their best to use it for sae.
it is quite an emotional series. sae's character has been through a great deal of trauma due to losing her hearing (she is a musician so it was a huge distress) and kai tries to soften her closed prickly personality enough to become a person she can trust and rely on.
akane and shohei have a kind of will-they-wont-they thing as (obviously) do kai and sae. eita's character is the "nice guy" that never gets the girl :(
this series ads to the endless amount of things eita and ueno juri have been in together though in orange days they dont have any scenes with each other.
this drama is very funny and sweet but it is one of those sort of series' that takes you through all the frustrating hardships that friends face together. it isnt hard going, it isnt all fated to end in complete disaster - though it comes close at times.
with the emotional rollercoaster sae has to ride due to her disability and the seat kai takes next to her in that journey, there are many upsetting moments to go through, but overall this is an uplifting fun series that makes me want to be closer to my friends and not waste the time we have together.
and it really makes me want to learn JSL.
and my god, shibasaki kou is so beautiful. have you seen her pocky adverts?
she is so adorable i cant even explain. she did the milk pocky ad once, i saw it on youtube and nearly died of her cuteness.
i know that tsumabuki satoshi has done some pocky ads too (who hasnt?) if they havnt thought of this already and ive just missed it, they should have them do one together. orange flavour pocky! they missed a trick there. damn it i want pocky now.
duuuh duh nuh nuuuuh! dun dun duh da duuuuh! (that was yankumi turning up in your smokey warehouse to beat you down!)
where on earth do i start... how do i review the almighty gok? there is no way to not love gokusen. even if you dont like it you actually do you just dont realise it. this has the potential to be the longest review with the most pictures im not even gonna bother putting all the main characters names in it would take me forever. look it up on dramawiki.
ok, we first meet yankumi on her very very first teaching job. she is heir to a yakuza gang but wanted to be a teacher so off she went. hiding her yakuzaryness from eveyone was a little bit hard as she was put in charge of the rowdiest bunch of delinquent yankiis ever seen this side of the second series. kekeke
sawada (matsumoto jun) leads the group he's all moody ass and pouty (though its hard not to pout with that mouth youre never sure what's acting and what's just his face) also featuring in the main group are fantastic actors oguri shun and narimiya hiroki.
one by one the class comes to love yankumi as she sticks her nose (and fists) into their fights and disasterious attempts to stay in school her job becomes to just get them all to graduate without dying or getting expelled first.
yankumi storms into the abandoned warehouses (that apparantly japan has millions of) to save the beaten sh*tless boys when theyre in trouble she beats up any thugs that even sneeze near the tv program and all the guys come to kinda know she's a bit special.
the second series is exactly the same format just a new class. this time with kamenashi kazuya from kat-tun and his bandmate bakanishi jingrish samaakanishi jin. its got a great cast this time round too. the stories are exactly the same - but you just dont care!
they always get mixed up in stuff they shouldnt, nearly get expelled, all hell breaks loose every five minutes and yankumi must lose her job like three times every season.
the third series i have to admit i have a soft spot for. although really its too hard to have a favourite series for me as its all like one big epic movie (i lost a good few weeks just watching series 1 and 2 back to back while waiting for the 3rd one to come out)
this (supposed) final series has miura haruma (samurai high school, bloody monday) and lots of other lovely faces that once again get into the same old sh*t as the other previous classes. but hey - thats what teacher see right? kids go through a lot of the same stuff as their peers. just maybe not some of this sh*t. in reality.
if i say its far fetched, stupid, relentless, repetative, righteous, violent, farsical, unbelievable, corny, predictable, etc etc i may get slapped by the god of brilliant manga adaptation drama but i say it with love! i swear!
its jammed full of moral messages about not being a d*ck and standing up for your friends and all that sorta stuff - but in the nice way japanese tv does it not in the vomit inducing disney type way. yankumi talks the guys down while smacking them in the face. yay!
ok so i should mention yankumi and the other teachers for a minute. she is played by nakama yukie(she really has been in so many things i thought id just put in her dramawiki linkhttp://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nakama_Yukieinstead of bother to explain who she is if you dont already know her greatness)
the head teacher she butts heads with constantly in each series sawatari is played by namase katsuhisa. his character gets better and better with each series. the other reoccuring teacher is baba played by azuma mikihisa (he has the hots for yankumi from the moment they met but she only has eyes for unattainable prince on a horse type out of her bumbling clumsy league guys) also yankumi's yakuza family feature in all three series' playing a big part in the story lines. all those guys are great. and also bumbling clumsy idiots.
ok, so on to the movie.
this was supposed to finish off the lot. but im still hoping they do a final series and bring back sawada from the very first series to marry yankumi - lots of gok fans really wish for this.
the movie features a new class and also many of the guys from the third series as main characters in the film. it also has countless short appearances from past characters from all of the series'. (even nakamura yuichi is in there - yes i noticed that one you little scamp! - he was in series 2 if you didnt notice him)
there he is ^
and like the three previous series kuma (waki tomohiro) is also around to be generally great and smiley. i really like that he comes back each time we get a new gok.
the best thing about this film? well along side yankumi who should come to work in this school but kamenashi kazuya! i mean his character from series two. aish he couldnt have been more cool. that jacket and the trousers tucked into his boots (^_^) the ever moody pout and quiet mumbling sarcastic remarks and getting beaten up all over again! just like old times right?
for me it works so well as i feel that out of all the students he got to know yankumi the most somehow. having him there to remind her of what an idiot she is is just genius.
and for the hardcore fans of the drama (and there are almost as many as fans of the manga) we have gokathons where we just watch it all over again over a short period of time and walk around for the few weeks afterwards picking fights with randomers in the street who looked like they might shake us down for small change or pick on our comrade
but we dont back down from any fights do we?!
for this is the blood, sweat and tears of youth!
its also called psychosis caused by the over exposure to gokusen righteous violence.
it doesnt help when you have yankumi's big entrance theme as your ringtone.
if it goes off when you walk into a room... minutes later you realise youve just trashed the place by throwing everyone around and beaten the living sh*t out of them with steel poles that just happened to be laying there all around you.
and god forbid you go anywhere near the beach or a park or a long street you'll end up running or fighting or running and fighting. aish it never ends.
yeah thats right. gokusen psychosis. there was ahelpline. but the'on hold'music was yankumi's theme. there were riots. those dockyard warehouses never fully recovered.
...
kattun gok skit:
becky doing yankumi impressions on cartoon kattun:
i really want a clip of the bit right after when nakamaru does the impression too
its the funniest thing in the universe. aish nakamaru rocks.
also, i just so love this show. that sometimes doesnt help my reviews be particularly coherent. but nevermind! shoganai ne.
Sato Takeru plays his friend, Narimiya Hiroki plays a mastermind terrorist, the wonderful Kichise Michiko from liar game, hanawake, boss, pandora, nodame, bla bla bla... uh how did i start this sentence? well, her anyway, she plays a - uh - sort of - ... i dont really know. she's just badass.
its always a race against time to stop the world from blowing up in an insane fight with code name: puff the magic dragon on crack, while the whole of the world watch, and only one small boy and his dog - i mean - laptop can save humanity... 
there are lots of camera shots close up of staring eyes and weird angles, dramatic music to accompany the countdown to explosions and death and such...
