Akai Ito / 赤い糸

Akai Ito / 赤い糸

Format: Renzoku
Genre: Romance

The story was one of the best-selling novels of 2007, it revolves around the "red thread of fate" connecting the young pair Mei and Atsushi and the trials they face.

--Tokyograph

Here comes the innocent, sweer love story founded by fate.

Akai Ito is a love story founded and rooted in the belief of fate and destiny. Akai Ito literally means Red Thread. The Japanese believe that there is an invisible red thread which connects two persons, making them lovers by destiny.

I was quite sceptical at first, as this drama is based from keitai-novel - just like the movie and drama, Koizora; which I didn't enjoy (only watched the movie though). There are even some reviews I read that somehow compare it with Koizora. But then the comparison stops only at the general foundation of the story that is founded on teenage angst, teenage love story which also deals with some serious stuff like teenage pregnancy, drugs, violence etc. Thankfully it stops there.

That being said, I am surprised at how much I found this drama compelling. I am enjoying most of the episodes. It is not a fast-paced drama but I am not complaining as some times not only fast-paced drama is good watch, no?

I find the main characters very likeable. Atsushi is strong,'unselfish' and kind. Mei is likable; I like her smile. I found myself rooting for them. Sweet couple. I find the love to be a sweet, innocent love. I'm a sucker for innocent love.

But their love is met with obstacle; their parents' past. I don't walk to talk much about this, I let you the discretion to find it out yourself. Besides the sweet and 'fated' love between the two, the drama as previously mentioned also deals with serious issues like drugs, teenage pregnancy, suicide and violence. The attempt is okay though it is not dealt with deeply. They are dealt with only on the surface. I guess the short around-half-an-hour episodes might be a reason.Some of the scenes also can be pretty unrealistic and drama-cliche to some people.

Despite the shortcomings, I found it pretty enjoyable.I marathoned the episodes in one go as each episode compel me to which another and this goes on until I finish the whole thing.I like the drama. Prior to watching I had quite low expectation due to my dislike on Koizora.But am proven wrong.

btw I learnt that the drama adaptation and the original novel is very different. Have read a few chapter, and found that IF they actually adapted the novel faithfully then I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to like it. Atsushi's character is different in the novel, and so does Mei. I mean the innocence portrayed in the drama is not in the novel. And I never found a story of a girl surrendering their body out of so called love to actually be a sweet love story especially when the hero and heroin is in school (might be a reason why I just can't enjoy Koizora). The novel is darker, also in term of the characters. If it's adapted like that straightly the it will be just another Koizora to me. Gladly they tone down a lot for the drama, changing Atsushi and Mei's characters to inject innocence in them, which is one of the reason I found the couple and story to be sweet. they gave me a very warm feeling. :)

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Love Shuffle / ラブシャッフル - impression up to ep 7.

Love Shuffle / ラブシャッフル

• Format: Renzoku
• Genre: Romance, Comedy

Usami Kei is a salaryman who has risen in status due to his engagement with Mei, the wealthy daughter of his company's president. Shortly after she breaks off the engagement, a power failure leaves him stuck in the elevator of his apartment building. Trapped with him are three others living on the same floor - Airu, a trilingual interpreter, Ojiro, a model photographer, and Masato, a psychiatrist. While waiting, their conversation hits upon their love lives and the question of whether there is truly only one fated partner for everyone. As a result, they decide to try "shuffling" their relationships with each other.

-- Tokyograph

I'm currently watching love shuffle which to me the basic plot of changing partner every week is quite hard to digest. Maybe I'm conservative at that. So far I'm already on episode 7. It potrayed many love ideals, the relationship between man and woman and though some of the ideals portrayed are quite taboo for my liking and totally opposite to the values I hold, the drama is an interesting watch. There is even some love, jealousy, adultery ideal that made me feel like vomitting, seriously! I personally found it eerie.

Watching a low-quality videos might be detracting the enjoyment of a drama but surprisingly despite the bleached out videos I'm watching though it gave me quite a boring impression has so far made me want to watch more and more of the episodes.

This is not a drama for everyone though. Though there's comedic scense and jokes thrown it, the basic plot is of something deep and serious but portrayed in somehow funny environment as it's embedded right in the drama characters. I don't know if this is comprehensible or not but I see it as injecting 'funny' in the characters not injecting 'funny' in scenes. which so far has work well. The shinigami thingy is eerie though :P, you'll know if you watch, don't want to talk much about it.

I like the acting, I somwhow found the character believable; in the drama set of course since sometimes I wonder is there is such such person living in this world. Well I can't be sure since the world is sure full of diversity. The characteristic in each actors are maintained throughout and doesn't slip off which help to believe the drama.

While this might not be a drama I'd want to watch on repeat, it's a drama of ideals which entice me to think and I really appreciate that. though sometimes it left me with a depressed and mixed feeling.

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Ryusei no Kizuna / 流星の絆 - Completed

Ryusei no Kizuna / 流星の絆

• Format: Renzoku
• Genre: Suspense, bonds, comedy

This will be just a general review.

I don't know whether to say I'm liking this or not. I've always been a fan of thriller but this drama is just different. I've stated in my previous post that the mixture of suspense with comedy in this drama just didn't really work for me.

While the comedic element is prevalent in the earlier episodes, it was getting lesser as the stroy progress, which to me is a good thing. I believe the earlier comedic scenes are somehow forced and the different sub-plot becomes an unnecessary lenghty attempt to build into the development to the motive of avenging the parents' death. It can be shorten down and yet serve the purpose.

I watched this with quite an expectation. besides, the synopsis led me into believing that this is a serious, mystery drama. I should check the genre first. *sigh* It's not nice you know when you put expectation but it's not being surpassed. At least on the line is ol

I don't feel like talking much about the storyline. The ending was a bit unpredictable until the very latest episodes, but the killing motive is not something 'shiny' to add into the drama resume. And I'm quite sure I've somehow seen that killing+motive scenes in another series I can't remember. But the feeling of the scene is exactly the same.

Nutshell; I don't really enjoy it much though it's decent.

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Ryusei no Kizuna / 流星の絆 . 3 eps viewing - impression

Ryusei no Kizuna / 流星の絆

Based on the popular novel of the same name, Ryusei no Kizuna tells the story of three orphans, whose parents were murdered long ago. Together, the three vowed on a shooting star to one day avenge their parents. After many years, the two brothers have found the murderers, and are set to carry out their plan for vengeance when they realize they've made a serious miscalculation; you see, their sister...

-- jdorama.com

So I started on this drama in the middle of waiting for the new episodes of Atashinchin no
Danshi which so far has been an interesting watch to me. My opinion here on Ryusei no Kizuna will be based on the three episodes I've seen so far.

From the synopsis above, you'd think that it is a dark mystery thriller. I've always been a fan of dark thriller so I was expecting to enjoy this especially after looking at its decent viewership rating. I'm expecting a thriller where I'd be kept glued on seat, adrenaline pumping scenes, guess-who's-the-criminal game, and all that trademark hanging ending of each episodes of a thriller;

but boy was I proven wrong.


While stress has been put on the murder of the parents, many other plots are sewn in together and funny thing is; that there are comedic scenes! Kudo Kankuro style has always been eccentric. Here, I personally feel that having the somewhate revenge-ridden 'basic' plot is not fitted to be executed right alongside comedic/funny scenes as how've been executed in this drama. Some scenes I believe is best left out. The moods are just being mixmashed together to form I don't know... an unlikely dish of dark yet comedic flavoured drama. It might work well to other people, but it doesn't seems so to me.

I'd love it better if it's kept a strict thriller with serious undertone substracting the random funny subplot which sometimes I found a bit distracting.

But still, I am going to continue watching as I'd love to know who killed the parents, the motives. And maybe 3 episodes are just to early to make an overall judgment.

Whatever it is, I like Nishikido Ryo. XD haha. k. cut that.

Whatever it is, we'll see how the rest of the episodes fare.

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アタシんちの男子 / Atashinchi no Danshi

アタシんちの男子 / Atashinchi no Danshi

• Format: Renzoku
• Genre: Comedy

Chisato (Horikita Maki) is a 20 years old homeless girl burdened by debt left on her shoulder by her irresponsible father. Until one day she met a strange old man who kind of rescued her from a gang of Yakuza and paid all the debt. To pay back the debt is to be his wife for a month, and to be a monther for his six adopted sons all with different strange personality.

I know I've been on quite a long hiatus. Been watching lots but just don't seem to find times to update and review. I know I've been promising to update this and that, but forgive me for that unfulfilled promise.

I just started on the drama Atashinchi no Danshi, and awesomely it starred quite numbers of actors I like; Kaname Jun, Okada Yoshinori and Mukai Osamu to name a few. Plus few other fresh faces.

For a drama in the genre comedy, it does made me laugh here and there. But at the same time the first two episodes somehow is filled with few quote that teach us about life. Which is what I find special in japanese dramas.


So far, the drama is quite interesting. I won't call it great but it's definitely not a downer for me. It's an average drama with fun-filled moments. The interactions between the brothers are nice to watch. And the strange ideas and toys the old man was inventing though strange I found it creative and fits well with the certain objective of certain episode.

"I tried to blame my misfortune on other people,
And I always thought, "This is not the real me"
Living like that is pretty tiring you know?
Everyday is hard and painful,
I just started hating everything,
I never thought I'd have a future,

Alone, I would have never learn that,

If you take one step forward, the world will change!
.
.
.
... maybe"

-- Chisato from Atashinchi no Danshi

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