my boss my hero マイ★ボス マイ★ヒーロー [series]

Thank god Nagase realised he should be doing comedies. The world is a better place for it.

I have my boss my hero to thank for opening up a whole world of Japanese tv for me all that time ago. It sparked off my fanatical adoration for comedies and dramas from Asia that i will probably never be able to shake.

cast:
Nagase Tomoya - Sakaki Makio
Tegoshi Yuya -Sakurakoji
Tanaka Koki - Kazu
Aragaki Yui - Umemura
Kashii Yu - Minami Sensei

Its impossible to properly describe just how funny this program is.

Nagase pulls the most rediculous Hanya mask like faces. 

^^

The banter between him and Koki is so great, the pictures I have got for this post are mostly of those two - but still cant quite convey just how funny these guys are.

This series is bonkers. Vastly different to the Korean film, the overall story hasnt changed that much but the execution is what sets them apart. 

This series can sum up Japanese tv as a perfect example of the medium. I cant wait till my niece is old enough to watch this.

Basic premise:

ok, well you have this yakuza family with all the relavent minions. Sakaki is unbelivably good at fighting and generally being yakuzary

After Sakai makes a ridiculous mistake at a meeting proving his stupidity to all and sundry, the head of the gang (his dad) sends Sakaki back to high school.

He never graduated and now its imperative he finish well otherwise the future leadership of the gang will go to Sakaki's younger brother (bit of a pride dent there)

The problem is, Sakaki is so f*cking thick he cant even count or spell his own name. secretly enrolled in St Agnes high school and pretending to be 17 he has a bit of a make over and off he goes.

Outside he is still a fearless yakuza, inside he is a confused school boy (with stubble and sideburns). 

He is befriended by sakurakoji who's name he cant even say (i swear i kept waiting for sakurakoji to confess to sakaki all the way through Tegoshi is so f*cking camp its unreal)

The more involved with school life he gets the more he softens and eventually, as you would, everyone warms to the nut bar Sakaki

aw look at him. aint he lovely

And theres even a little romance (yes its a bit weird as she is of high school age and he is like 27 or something, but with his mental age...well, it kinda makes it not that weird).

Sakaki starts to treat the class as a new gang, and tries to bring them together as a class leader in haphazzard but endearing ways.

Having school races to reach the limited edition pudding at lunch, forming a band for the school show when none of them can play anything, and playing basket ball with broken elastic in his shorts, trying to read a girl's txt message... basically it is a farce from start to finish.

But oh god did I cry when it all kicks off towards the end of the series

I sobbed - it goes completely nuts. Obviously the yakuza sh*t isnt gonna fizzle out just because he has exams and as you expect things take a more serious turn later down the line.

Nagase had me in stitches for the entire thing up untill he had me crying 

and Koki's Kazu became one of my favourite characters of any drama.

I loved kashii yu as Minami Sensei (or Iron Face as Sakaki calls her) 

she must have had such a job keeping that straight stern face while she has that d*ckhead inappropriately pulling hanya scowls at her.

I love the way that sakaki is so rubbish in his school that he is pushed around

by the would-be thugs of the class led by Hoshino (played by Wakaba Ryuya -

He is always absolutely great in everything but I have to say he tops it with Hoshino's oblivious weirdness)

Nagase is a genius. And thats all there is to it. This will still be one of my favourite shows years down the line. Watching Sakaki shout and scream in Kazu's face never gets old.

I have rewatched this so many times with various people and it never fails to be wonderful. I just cant explain how great this show is. watch it watch it watch it. Or Hoshino will steal your lunch money.

I love this show.

sorafune (MBMH theme song) video:

another MBMH theme: (music only)

opening MBMH theme: (music only)

~

tatta hitotsu no koi たったひとつの恋 [series]

ayase is so cute she's almost retarded

this drama has two of my favourite people as the leads and three more as the supporting roles

kamenashi kazuya (kat-tun, 1pound no fukuin, gokusen)

ayase haruka (hotaru no hikari, cyborg she, sore wa totsuzen arashi no you ni)

and as if that wasnt enough 

tanaka koki (kat-tun, my boss my hero), 

hiraoka yuta (proposal daisakusen, godhand teru, vampire heaven),

and toda erika (liar game)

so everyone is great. let's get that out of the way. yes, it was bound to be a good series with that lot.

kamenashi and ayase make an awesome team - he plays kanzaki (working in a boat yard all oily and grubby all the time, no money, but great hair) she plays nao (naive and innocent rich girl who was very sickly in the past so she is a bit sheltered and childlike)

poor guy and rich girl meet and fall in love kind of awkwardly it causes a load of problems romeo and juliet stylee. 

it is more than that standard format of show though. the script and acting make hitotsu koi more like a warm memory of love rather than a cheesy love story drama.

most of the show is spent watching kamenashi smoke and look pretty damn cool and ayase looking cute and confused.

their relationship is not typical but very believable as are the interactions with their friends. 

the whole group is fun and likeable and there is obviously a big comedy factor with tanaka koki running about like a moron all the time as you would expect from him.

i like their characters and the story progression. they all start out a little tentative then slowly grow closer and open up to each other. 

they all have some sort of jaded view, bias, or assumption of how they should be or how they are viewed by others. 

gradualy those preconceptions are broken down and they all find out who they are and what they want from life and love.

there is a lot of banter, some pretty sweet moments, and you get to see kamenashi all beaten up and bloody a few times. which is always good.

ayase is brilliant in hitotsu koi, ive rarely seen her use such a vacant oblivious stare like the expression she flaunts constantly in this drama. 

she sulks and pouts like no one else and she really wins your heart.

when flicking through to get screen shots of this series i remember just how much i liked it. 

the cast were perfect and the story was lovely. i really like how they tie the end back to the beginning and it makes me smile to remember their meaningful first love.

...wow this was a soppy review. i didnt even squee or kyaa at all.


aw i just saved a mouse or rat or cute little furry rodenty thing from my
nosey ass dog. you cant play with tiny things moo-face youre too massive.

~

cartoon kat-tun カートゥンKAT-TUN [tv show]

check it out yo!            ...i want a pet taguchi.

cartoon kat-tun hosted by the members of kat-tun is leagues above any
other talk show and that is final.
i worked my way through the first 70 episodes in less than two weeks
as it was one after the other addiction stylee.
i came to watch this way after it had ended like many japanese tv shows i see.





now, i fell in love with koki as an actor in my boss my hero
then promptly found a load of other stuff he had been in previously.
kazu is still my favourite chracter he has played.







kamenashi as ive said is one of my favourite actors
so i was pretty used to him by the time i started watching cartoon kat-tun.
i was most taken with taguchi who i now completely adore.
id only seen him in yukan club with (former) fellow member of kat-tun akanishi jin.
i cant get enough of taguchi when watching the talk show, he cracks me up.

beck it out yo!

i love seeing koki kick taguchi at the start of every show,
the stupid puns and word play (called dajare in japan) from all the guys
(mainly taguchi) and then the deathly silence that follows.



i love how they take any opportunity to get ueda boxing and nakamaru beatboxing -
though to be fair i nearly died when the guy who played hiro in heroes was beatboxing with nakamaru
oh my f*ucking god i sqealed so much i cant even explain to you.
my neighbours were introduced to the sound kyaa kyaa!!! that evening.

my other favourite bit in one episode
is the impressions of yankumi (gokusen character) with becky.

if i ever managed to meet nakamaru i think i would have to plead with him
that he show me his absolutely sh*t impression because
even just thinking about in now im giggling outloud.
id also love to hear in real life taguchi's introduction of himself 
iriguchi, deguchi, taguchi desu - id probably lose the plot completely.



one of the things i really like about the show is how we get to see them all mucking about
they all just chat about stupid things and talk over each other,
it feels like you are sat with them just hanging out
but for this show i really needed the subtitles for that exact reason,
i couldnt keep up without subs whereas most of their drama series
i can follow pretty well without as long as they dont speak to fast.

kamenashi speaks pretty clearly so most of the time i can understand him
but when its the whole of kat-tun d*cking about i cant make head nor tail of it.



though the first time i understood a dajare joke without subtitles
was while watching cartoon kat-tun i was soooooo chuffed.
(kamenashi saying cho itai when having reflexology and being in pain with the part relating to intestines)

instead of ranting too much about this show i thought id just get a load of fun screen shots.
one thing that wont really come across in pictures is bakanishi jin
being so mean. gotta love that guy's sharp tongue.