Five Star Tourist (2015)

Sometimes your fav drama gets heavy, sad and even tear jerking and you need a break. Five star tourist was a light hearted comedy that drove away my serious-drama blues and taught me some interesting things about Kyoto.

One of the best things about this drama was the inside look into Kyoto; however, I felt as if this drama was sponsored by a Kyoto tourism group. Mainly because in the beginning of the series the tour highlights were more prevalent than anything else. The cast was neatly put together and I think Watanabe did an awesome job. The characters each had an episode or two that showed their individual growth so kudos to the writers.

The worst thing about the drama is the pace. It took me forever to finish it because each episode had a 10-15 minute lull where I nearly fell asleep from boredom. The pace of the show is weird, although it is a comedy the progression of each episode is very slow. I don’t want to offend any Yamamoto fans out their but I felt his character was the exact same in this as in Ouran host club and Yamada-kun to 7 nin no majo.

I would barely recommend this drama. I don’t feel like it is a complete waste of time because I now understand a little more about Kyoto, and it was my first time seeing a bigger girl lead a j-drama. But this drama was the least on my list of things to watch and I did a lot of fast forwarding through episodes. If you plan to watch keep in mind that EVERY episode ends exactly the same as the last so aren’t any real twists or turns. Except the disappointing end that eludes to a movie; not sure yet if I want to try and see the movie.

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I loved this drama. First of all you should know that, even though it's centered on tourism and covers many sightseeing spots of Kyoto, while also offering really good information, it has something of a detective drama in it, which gives it an extra something to look forward to in each episode.

I'm gonna start by praising Naomi Watanabe and I may be biased because I admire her a lot, but she did an amazing job in this (even while wearing an obvious wig, which I suppose was for character reasons, since her fashionable hair right now wouldn't have worked for the character). I entered this drama expecting Naomi to be a strong lead and to provide a view of a plus size woman, because between her clothing brand and her work in La Farfa, she's becoming an international beacon of diversity in media. And even though there are fatphobic remarks throughout the series and she is upset about them, she still breaks stereotypes that dramas tend to put upon plus size female characters. Kyoka is a smart, determined and resourceful woman who is finding the passion for her job after having lost it for some time and who proves once and again that, no matter where she's working or how people view her, she's the best in what she does; not for wanting to be so, but because she respects her clients and wants to make people happy. You go, girl.

The drama focuses on tours, but the key to each episode is a puzzle, a mystery that has to do with the personal reasons a client has for taking the trip and how the guides can help them achieve those goals and find what they're looking for (while also changing their lives for the better, no pressure). Hence, some detective drama goodness ensues.

The rest of the cast is great as well, Yusuke Yamamoto never disappoints and you know he's gonna give a 100% performance every time. Sara Takatsuki was amazing as well and her character is really interesting and fun to watch.

All in all, this drama has a lot of the things I love: good plot, mysteries, funny scenes, good performances and well developed female characters with a great female lead. I highly recommend it if you're into those things and even more if you'd like to see some amazing shots of Kyoto.

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This is the most unorthodox detective drama I have ever seen! Yes, I said "detective drama". And no, that is not a mistake.

The people in a tourism company need to think of their clients first which, considering they are not psychics, is the closest thing to a detective I have ever thought of. Thinking of an itinerary, planning out special local areas to visit, where to eat, where to sleep, how to save money, where to shop, not to mention the best way to cultivate treasured memories... Doesn't that sound like detective work?

In this drama, I laughed and cried with each episode and each actor/actress made their character come alive while touring through Kyoto. While the drama is fictional, it was amazing to see inside the profession of a tour guide in Japan; how everything was put together, problems were solved, places to visit, etc... It also gave me a new view of a couple of my favorite actors, which is always a wonderful thing!

This drama is a fantastic story and definitely not one to be missed. Especially if you enjoy Japan for more than it's pop culture.

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I actually wrote a review for this drama ages ago that has since mysteriously disappeared (not sure what happened to it?), so here it is again.

This is a fun, heartwarming, and informative drama. I say informative, because little facts and bits of knowledge about Kyoto and famous sites there are sprinkled throughout. I quite like this as it adds to the travel aspect of the story in a way that is natural and interesting. The characters are all quite charming and fun to watch as they interact with each other on screen. I enjoyed watching them band together to plan trips and support each other during difficult situations. The female lead is fantastic, but Watanabe is an actress who could make any character likable, so no surprise there. The male lead is handsome and likable but can also be a bit too 'woah is me, I don't know how to do anything, I need someone to fix it for me.' You really want him to pull himself up by his bootstraps and work some stuff out.

The lack of what felt like a very real, potential romance is what drove me up the wall though, and I won't lie and say that that didn't have an affect on my rating. If a romance is hinted at or promised in the story between characters I would like to see together, it makes me pretty mad when nothing comes of it, even if it's a realistic and well-written plot decision. Even if the hinting is so light as to not be worth paying any attention to. Romance is definitely the number 1 reason I watch Asian dramas, so if you fail me on that....it's gonna have a negative impact on the rest of the drama for me, even if it's not deserved.

I'm downgrading this drama some mainly because while I liked the story, it didn't necessarily grip me every episode, and I was ultimately really disappointed by the lack of romance between the leads. Perhaps that is unfair, and if lack of romance isn't an issue for you, then by all means ignore this portion of my review. But it's a big deal for me, and I can't write a review without taking it into account. It was a nice story, but it didn't deliver on quite everything I hoped it would.

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