Totally forgotten about this thread that so much so - I posted a recommendation of a Japanese film on another thread.

https://www.scandal-heaven.com/t5751p75-recommended-foreign-films#752137

Anyways, the last Japanese film I saw last week was Mugen no Jūnin 無限の住人 / Blade of the Immortal. I've not read the manga/anime (a lot of mainstream Japanese can't seem to run away from this formula), but with the film helmed by Miike Takashi, expect rivers of blood, squelchy stabbing sounds and flying limbs in this.



Stars Kimura Takuya, and HARU's good friend Toda Erika's in it too. And an older Kuriyama Chiaki. Pop corn fodder of a chanbara. If you like Miike's 13 Assassins, this will be for you.

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Since my last post here, I saw a few more in the past couple of years:

Honnōji Hotel - time travelling shenanigans at a hotel starring Ayase Haruka. It was OK, but I do feel that there is a few Nobunaga/time travel stories (think Nobunaga Concerto) at the mo.



Nobunaga Concerto - see above, but with Oguri Shun.

Otōsan to Itōsan - with Juri Ueno and Lily Franky (the guy who doodled four naked girls for SCANDAL's Overdrive single!) about a woman having to take care of her dad who in turn disapproves of his daughter's relationship with an older guy.



Note to self - 1500th post.

I have been watching Summer Nude for the first time, up to episode 4. How Yama P ignores Erika Toda for ten years is beyond me, her smile is the best.

Because he got Masami Nagasawa in her mind haha!
I remember Haruna tweeted "I will be watching Summer Nude!" (translation credit to thoseguiltyeyes)

Metal Mickey wrote:Because he got Masami Nagasawa in her mind haha!
I remember Haruna tweeted "I will be watching Summer Nude!" (translation credit to thoseguiltyeyes)

Masami Nagasawa's also in High School Entrance Exam, which I've been watching, too. There's test pressure in the U.S., but not usually to get into high school (although there can be for some top private ones).

Thanks, mbowie - for the heads up on Summer Nude (weird title if I may say so myself). An easy drama to watch with an ending that was predictable, in a nice way. Didn't know Karina's in it. The only thing I didn't like was that young couple added to the mix for comic relief, totally unrelated to the story arc whatsoever.



I'd recommend peeps to watch it too, albeit belatedly by 4 years.

Been off J-dramas for a couple of years bar a few titles which I found on Netflix - all of which were rubbish.

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Actually I lied. lol I actually saw Boku, unmei no hito desu which comes highly recommended if you like light hearted funny dramas. It stars Kamenashi Kazuya, Kimura Fumino (I call her the poor man’s Nagasawa Masami...) and Yamapi. This drama sees the return of Kazuya and Yamapi since Nobuta wo Produce as well as them singing the end title song - the first since Seishun Amigo, which SCANDAL covered at the recent BEST XMAS gig in Tokyo in 2017.

Check it out if you haven’t!

@kudo - thanks for the thanks! I've also been watching "No Dropping Out, Back to School at 35" which is interesting but a bit odd. Summer Nude was more fun.

mbowie4321 wrote:@kudo - thanks for the thanks! I've also been watching "No Dropping Out, Back to School at 35" which is interesting but a bit odd. Summer Nude was more fun.

Saw that. As they say in Japan - maa-maa.

Following Summer Nude, I watched another YamaP drama series from 2015 entitled 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made (from 5 to 9) about a very straightforward monk (YamaP) who wants to be with an English language teacher played by Ishihara Satomi after an omiai (matchmaking date of sorts) arranged by her parents. Initially I thought the story had a weird premise, but it was actually very good. There's a hint of Hana Yori Dango in this when it comes to Ishihara's character trying to please the monk's matriarch of a grandmom. And guess what - she is played by the same actress who played Domyoji's mom in HYD.  I'd absolutely recommend watching this.



I first knew of Ishihara Satomi from the cover of a magazine I saw at Narita airport. After watching 5ji kara I realised that she was also in Rich Man Poor Woman which I only saw 4 or 5 episodes of. Will pick it up again soon.

Following 5ji kara, I watched Shitsuren Chocolatier (2014) which is about a chocolatier (Matsumoto Jun) who is still in love with Ishihara's character named Saeko, despite her previously dumping him before Valentine's Day and is currently married to another man. Ishihara's Saeko is somewhat both naïve and yet seemingly manipulative, and you just want to hate her. Yet I'd still go ga-ga over her, which kinda makes you identify with Matsumoto's chocolatier character at times. Heh. Not a high school rom-com this if you are underaged. Just sayin'.



Still in the mood to watch Ishihara-chan, I am now watching her current drama series on TBS called Unnatural which is about her as a forensic pathologist. I don't really like to watch anything that is remotely about my profession, but I'll make this an exception. I think it's actually quite good. A bit overdramatic at times but then, it is a TV drama isn't it.

Lately I have been watching Galileo with Ko Shibasaki. A fun Sherlock Holmes type series from 2007.

Anyone here watch IWGP? (Ikebukuro West Gate Park)

It's a really cool and funny detective series about a slacker named Makoto that ends up getting involved in a murder case. It's pretty old (From 2001 or so) but it's one I'd recommend.

I also tend to watch pretty much any drama with AKB in it. I still love the early seasons of Majisuka Gakuen. The last season was a bit too out there for me.

ChottoLatte wrote:Anyone here watch IWGP? (Ikebukuro West Gate Park)

I have not, but will give it a try. I just watched Galileo Suspect X (the movie version of the series). I won't spoil it for anyone, but very downbeat.

I had been watching Umechan Sensei, but can only find about 12 episodes with subs.

mbowie4321 wrote:
I had been watching Umechan Sensei, but can only find about 12 episodes with subs.

I can't do asadoras as they are too long. May explain why subs aren't available for it.

mbowie4321 wrote:Lately I have been watching Galileo with Ko Shibasaki. A fun Sherlock Holmes type series from 2007.

If you like Shibasaki Kou, you should check her out in a couple of other drama series.

She's the romantic interest with Kimura Takuya in Good Luck!

She is one of the leads in Orange Days. This one is one of my most favorite dramas, ever, and is the part that made me fall in love with Kou.

Oh, and she's also a pop singer. She did the OST for the Otomen live action drama adaptation. If you search her name in Youtube, you can find a number of vocal performances she's done.

I rewatched Shokubutsu zukan (Evergreen Love in U.S.). A charming romance, not sure why people on IMDB don't give it higher marks. Takahata Mitsuki is adorable.

@Saldiven thanks for the suggestions, I've been watching them. Good stuff.

I've also been watching 過保護のカホコ (Overprotected Kahoko). It's cute.

Also watched "A Meal Makes Her Forget," which is good, too.

I watched Keyakizaka46's Tokuyama Daigoro wo Dare ga Koroshita ka. I think it's pretty good and the plot is interesting. And a little funny and weird.

I just finished watching RE: MIND on Netflix.  Good concept; poorly written and the acting was quite over the top at times.  It reminded me of a modern teenage twist on Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS.  Maybe if I were a teenager this show would have been more compelling for me as the mystery unfolded.  

A while back I watched a show called VAMPIRE HEAVEN.  It was campy, but fun to watch.  It didn't hurt that the two stars, Tsubasa Honda and Aya Oumasa, were absolutely adorable.  I found it hard to read the subtitles at times.

Also started watching "Partners By Blood" a while ago on DramaFever.  I liked the first episode or two, but I was having trouble with my free account to easily see the next set of episodes.  Kind of forgot about it until now.

I recently watched both Little Forest volumes for the third time so I thought that I could write a little review/recommendation.

Little Forest is about a girl (Ichiko) who lived for a short time in the city and then returned home to the countryside where her mother left without a note. She grows her own vegetables and cooks delicious looking dishes.

Little Forest shows recipes for some local dishes and how the vegetables are planted and harvested. It shows the living on the countryside and in the nature.

Both movies together are divided into four parts so that there is a part for each season (summer, autumn, winter, spring). Each part (or season) shows dishes that are eaten in that season. There is not much story in both movies but the landscape is beautiful. The second movie contains a little bit more story than the first one. It feels a little bit like a docu.

Little Forest is really calm and relaxing. I really like it and will watch both movies again. I can recommend it to everyone who likes relaxing movies with beautiful scenery. Just don't expect too much from that little story that is in there.

IMDB links:
Little Forest: Summer/Autumn
Little Forest: Winter/Spring

I am halfway through watching "Marumaru Tsuma" with Ko Shibasaki (she does "unhappy" like nobody's business).

Spoiler:

Can someone recommend a good j-drama with engsubs? Thanks.

kopenguin wrote:Can someone recommend a good j-drama with engsubs? Thanks.

What kind of dramas do you like - family, crime, medical, fantasy, horror etc... a lot of good ones out there.

And trawling back the 18 pages of this thread will be a good start!

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Caught a few films recently on the plane. Quite a good selection of late!

DESTINY 鎌倉ものがたり / Kamakura no monogatari
(The Tale of Kamakura)

Quirky fantasy about a writer (Masato Sakai - of Legal High fame) having to retrieve his wife's (Mitsuki Takahata) soul from the afterworld after she died "by mistake". Really enjoyable! Released about Christmas time last year and the end credit song Anata is sung by Utada Hikaru.



花戦さ / Hana Ikusa
(Flower and Sword)

A jidaigeki (period film) about a monk who does flower arrangements in the times of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. I thought it was going to be a light hearted comedy, but it is more light-heartedly... serious? Enjoyable yarn, nonetheless. Stars a few heavyweight actors like Mansai Nomura in the lead role and Koichi Sato.



いぬやしき / Inuyashiki

I kinda made fun of this when I read the premise of the story which was about two men being turned into cyborgs by extraterrestrials, but it was good. I haven't seen the anime/read the manga. If you have visited Tokyo before, there are scenes in Shinjuku and Shibuya that will look right familiar. Stars Takeru Sato (Rurouni Kenshin trilogy) and Noritake Kinashi. Directed by Shinsuke Sato who did Gantz and BLEACH.



ラプラスの魔女 / Rapurasu no Majo
(LaPlace's Witch)

A Takeshi Miike film about two young persons (Suzu Hirose and Sota Fukushi who played Ichigo in the BLEACH live action) who had undergone brain surgery to possess skills of foreknowledge - kinda like the precogs in Minority Report. Two seemingly unlinked murders occurred in two separate parts of Japan and Sho Sakurai's (of Arashi fame) university professor character needs to put the pieces together.



探偵はBARにいる 3.0 /  Tantei wa bar ni iru 3.0
(The Last Shot in the Bar)

A detective (Yo Oizumi) and his sidekick tries to solve a murder that involves a hostess and the local mob. Lots of double-crosses in this. Looks cold. Well it is set in Sapporo in Hokkaido. In the winter. Gritty crime/detective film, worth checking this out.

Another Ishihara Satomi drama - Takane no Hana, which has a beauty and the beast twist to it. This is the latest one she did for 2018 after Unnatural (enjoyed that one, not surprisingly it won awards including one for her).



I've got three more episodes to go. Looking forward to see what happens next!

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UPDATE: Finished watching all 10 episodes.

I thought the premise of the story was good, but I felt that some aspect of the plot from Ishihara’s Momo-san's character arc could’ve been written better. Found myself going “What’s wrong with you - make up your blimmin’ mind!?!” at the screen. Yes, crazy J-drama viewer here. Karina’s in this too albeit for the last 3 episodes - not seen her for a while.

The last drama that I recently finished is "KOINAKA", starring Fukushi Sota and Tsubasa Honda and I loved it. Despite the fact that the story wasn't something crazy original and unique, I enjoyed every moment of it and I kind of even felt a bit sad when I finished it lol 

It's one of those dramas that you could watch for relaxation, because it has a lot of cozy moments and for having a bit of adrenaline as well, since there is a pretty complicated and stressful connections between the characters. 

I really recommend it if you're into romance genre.

Ayase Haruka, Hirosue Ryoko and Honda Tsubasa together?

Okusama wa, Toriatsukai Chuui (Careful, Hazardous Wife). Listed as drama/action by d-addicts, but I'd add a touch of humour as well, thanks to Honda Tsubasa. It's about three housewives in nice neighbourhood of Tokyo. How is this action? Do check it out.



If you enjoyed this, there's a film coming out in June:

I adore Honda Tsubasa ever since I watched "Vampire Heaven."