Reflections of Seto

My impressions of the Japanese Dorama that I have watched are listed below. To learn more, you can visit jdorama.com which is one of my favorite websites. I hope you will enjoy dorama as much as I do!

Artificial Beauty / Seikei Bijin (Plastic Surgery Beauty)

Yonekura Ryoko’s acting here is superb. She is able to pull off the role of being both funny and brave despite having to hide her dark secret of having had complete plastic surgery. This shoe explores issues about whether physical beauty is important to be able to achieve happiness. Are we attracted to a person’s character and personality or to the person’s physical appearance? If you have to choose, which one would you rather have? This show is definitely worth watching.

Beautiful Life

Takuya Kimura plays the role of the cool, deep and man of few words’ character again. Compare it to Hero where he acts as a public prosecutor. We can feel the chemistry between the two lovers but I feel that Takako Matsu is a better leading lady opposite Takuya Kimura.

Brand

Brand is a series about a career woman in the fashion house Dion. Singer Miki Imai stars as the protagonist and also sings the program’s theme song “Goodbye Yesterday”. The interaction between the male protagonist, Somegoro Ichikawa and Miki is very entertaining to watch as she wrestles with the fact that she is 10 years older than him and that she is his boss. Ichikawa managed to act his role convincingly. However, the ending is not quite so fulfilling with the lovers parting. They will only get together again if he manages to successfully introduce new changes to the rigid rules of his tea ceremony family business which he inherited. Thus we will not know if they will end up together.

Dekichatta Kekkon (Shotgun Marriage)

This drama is about a couple learning to understand and accept each other after the girl got pregnant before marriage. They go through many trials together to try to gain her father’s approval. In the end, they became a stronger couple and got married because they love each other and not because of the baby.

Golden Bowl

This is a show for bowling enthusiasts. Every episode has a bowling competition where you can see different bowling techniques. Storyline is not fantastic. It is about love developing between 2 bowling partners. One is a married woman whose husband is having an affair while the guy is a young sensitive man played by Kaneshiro Takeshi.

Great Teacher Onizuka

Sorimachi Takashi’s acting is great here. He is funny, handsome and quite cool. The plot and script is very well written. The other actors are very good too, thus making this one of my favourite dorama. Go watch this and you will not live to regret it.

Hero

Hero is a short series (11 episodes) about an unusual public prosecutor who manages to solve tough cases and his very serious pretty law clerk. In the end, these two have developed feelings for each other. Their interaction with each other is very entertaining to watch. Kouryu Kohei is played by Takuya Kimura (one of the hottest actors in the Japanese industry) & Miss Amamiya is played by the pretty Takako Matsu.

Home and Away

This is a very interesting story about a woman who wanted to go home but one incident after another brought her to many places and adventures. During her travels, she meets and helps many people. In turn she came to a better understanding of herself, met her estranged father and reconciled with him. In the end, she managed to be back in time to get married.

Love Revolution

Love Revolution is a romantic comedy about 2 girlfriends’ love relationships. It was very cute to watch the doctor who had never had a relationship with a man wanting to fall in love. The process of self-discovery with regards to being in love and in a relationship was touchingly illustrated. 2 handsome guys fall for her and she has to choose. It’s heartening to know she ends up with the first guy she falls in love with after so many obstacles and self-realization. The flight stewardess ended up with the fat chef, an unexpected outcome. Of course, the ending is good with happy outcomes for all concerned.

Mukodono (Son In-Law / My Husband)

Nagase Tomoya has two separate lives. He is a pop star by day and a very mushy loving husband at night. This is a very touching family show and definitely worth the time.

Narita Rikon (Narita Divorce)

This story evolves around 2 office workers who met, dated and got married. They decided to divorce hastily after a quarrel at the airport after their honeymoon. It shows that real understanding of a spouse’s character comes after marriage. It puts across a message that one should not try to change everything that you do not like about your spouse. There is no such thing as a made-to-order perfect husband or wife. One should accept the person for who he or she is. That is love. Love the person for who he or she is with all their faults and strengths.
I personally do not like the actress’ (Seto Asaka) acting in this show. She is too shrewish here. Too much arguing and shouting between her and the husband.

Otoosan (Father)

It’s a family drama about a widower father with his 4 beautiful daughters. The casts are all superb and worth watching even though the plot is pretty predictable.

Sensei Shiranai no? (Teacher, don’t you know?)

I love this heartwarming drama about a teacher trying to understand and trust his primary school students. This show is fun to watch and is definitely one of my favorites.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is great here as the idealistic teacher.
Kiku TV website: http://www.kikutv.com/shows/teacher_teacher/

Shin Hoshi no Kinka (Heaven’s coins 3)

This story is about a deaf and dumb girl called Mahiru. It is really sad but it has a good ending unlike the other Heaven’s coins dramas.
Fujiwara Tatsuya is very good looking here as Kazuki. Takasugi Mizuho’s acting here as Hiroto is superb.

Shomuni Series (Part 1, 2 and 3) Power Office Ladies

This is a definite favorite of mine. It is about 6 office ladies who make things happen in the company despite the fact that people consider them as the lowest life form in the company. Esumi Makiko’s acting here is very entertaining. Each episode has lots of comic elements.

Summer Snow

Summer Snow is a heart-warming series about a family having to fend for themselves when their parents died in an accident. The eldest brother acts much older than his age and as surrogate parents to his younger siblings. I like the show immediately when I watched the first episode. It has lots of funny scenes. Dohmoto Tsuyoshi’s acting is great here. However, it has a sad ending as he dies in the show. But the show is lightened up by the way the other characters accepted his death and that a good thing came out of the tragedy. His heart was donated to the girlfriend and she is able to have a normal life because of it.

Macha