When If first started watching Kurokouchi, I thought I knew what to expect. Your basic crime-based mystery show that had another eccentric protagonist played by Tomoya Nagase and crazy, novel-like murders. It would have the easy black-and-white situations where the good guys would shine their brilliant light of justice on those who commits crimes with long monologues on why what they did was wrong and advising them to repent for their crimes. But this show took on a whole different tone about 3 minutes into the first episode.

The show demonstrates that there is a much larger gray area than black or white. Take the main and titular character, Keita Kurokouchi. He acts more as an antihero than a true good guy. He straddles the line between what's deemed right and wrong, and still finds a way to look like a hero while doing it. His ultimate goal is to solve the unsolved case of a robbery of 300 million yen that happened almost 45 before the start of the story. His motivations aren't completely explained, but you can that it's something that he's completely dedicated to once you have a look at his apartment.

The thing I found most entertaining was how well the story progressed. It's full of surprises. Murder, betrayal, and conspiracies are the lifeblood of this show, and it delivers plenty that will keep on your toes and constantly thinking, trying to figure out who truly has the advantage in the game of chess between Kurokouchi and his adversaries. The ending is one that completely fits the scope of the show, and was something that almost makes you laugh at the end after seeing the final climax.

The cast was great as well. They pulled an all star cast that each played their roles to perfection. Nagase does such a great job as Kurokouchi, from his yakuza-like speech to his over-the-top mannerisms and catch phrases. He'll even throw in a rap verse or two. Gouriki was a great 'straight-man' as Seike. She was very much by the book and the typical straight-laced cop, until the things Kurokouchi began saying turned out to be true. That's when you see her character start to blossom as she gets down to solving her own personal mystery and how it relates to the 300 million yen heist. They both work great in tandem to deliver a funny experience while still maintaining a great level of suspense and action.

This is a show that you can't regularly rewatch because of how high-impact the suspense and surprises are. They're best saved for once you've forgotten much of the story, otherwise they lose their pop. But the funny moments of the show are watchable over and over again. I fount myself going back and rewatching parts because of how funny they were. And this isn't even a comedy based show!

Overall, I found this show probably the most enjoyable crime show since I watched the first season of Galileo a couple years ago. This didn't have as many creative crimes as much of the Japanese crime shows do, but it had the suspense and edge of your seat thrills to really push this show ahead of many others. A definite must watch if you want a good ride.

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Densha Otoko was the very first drama I ever watched from start to finish. I came in expecting a cliched plot about how the geek gets the girl through unrealistic means. A main character who starts out unbelievably weak but it somehow able to goad a female into liking him through means unexplained. I've watched plenty of anime that have this type of plot, and while it's not terrible, it does grow tiring to see it reused consistently. This show does a great job at deviating from the mold.

It's a show about an anime otaku named Tsuyoshi Yamada (Atsushi Ito), who confronts a creepy old man harassing Saori Aoyama (Misaki Ito, no relation), and how the two end up dating one another. Now on the surface that seems like a cliched plot, until the show throws in a twist that completely inverts the normal RomCom plot. Because he has no experience with women, he has documented the entire dating process with her on the Single Men's page of the BBS Aladdin Channel (a fictitious version of 4-Chan), and he consults the members of the BBS for help on how to win her over. They help him with everything from how to dress for the first date to him sealing the deal with a kiss.

The show starts out as a ridiculous, over-the-top showing of a nerd looking for love with a chick clearly out of his league, but it has some great developments that really change the scope of the show as it progresses. Tsuyoshi isn't the only character whose troubles are chronicled, as many of the members of the Single Men's BBS have their stories shown. Not only do they succeed in helping him out of his qualms, but they end up heeding their o0wn advice and improve their lives for the better. Even some his Tsuyoshi's friends find a way to improve themselves for the better.

I really love the cast as well. Atsushi probably played the most entertaining geek I've ever witnessed. I never felt like he was overacting and sometimes, you felt like you were in his shoes with the way he could relate to others. I actually put a personal stake in his reletionship success because of how relateable he was to me at least. Misaki played her role with class and it really helped to show that the way men think women judge their worthiness of dating is dependent on the person themselves, not by a broad way of thinking. She portrayed Saori with a level of value you don't see in most dramas.

I marked out when they played ELO's 'Twilight' as the opening theme. And then did much of the same when Sambomaster did the ending theme. The music selection was very exciting, and to this day I think of this show when those songs queue up on my iPod. The music BGM was fun and silly. It conveyed that the show was a lighthearted funny affair, and not a roller coaster ride like others. This a show to enjoy, not one to fret over.

Overall, it's a perfect show to watch if you're new to drama. If you're a fan of RomComs, this a one of the best ones you'll watch. It never strays from its mood, and always finds a way to really keep you interested. You feel the guy's pain (and he gets pretty pathetic at the beginning) and you feel great when he succeeds inch by inch throughout the show. It's a definite must-watch if you're an anime fan!

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Summer Nude was a fun little show to quick binge over a few days. I started watching it when it broadcast last summer, but took a break from it about 4 episodes in. When I picked it up, it got substantially better.

In terms of the story, it starts out very cliche and romanticized. Yamapi plays his standard lovelorn guy who is way too nice for his own romantic well-being. He has a lot of facepalm moments, and I felt like he was a Disney character. The plot was a little unbelievable and tried sometimes to be 'soap-opera-ish' in the way they dealt with relationships. But the found a way to reel it back in before it became too over the top. But it's a little head-scratchy at times.

The cast was amazing, finding a way to really create characters that fit their actors/actresses. Besides Yamapi's typecast character, everyone else really felt fresh. I liked how they got top notch guys that you can buy into. Even the characters in their little romance side story were cast. Especially Ricky!

The music was fantastic! I'm a big fan of Tomohisa's music, so 'Summer Nude '13' was a big hit for me. They really created a nice smooth track list of BGM that didn't go over the top and distract from the story.

This is not a show you rewatch though. It wasn't a bad show, but it wasn't great either, and the plot isn't the strong point of the show. It's the characters. This is one of those shows you watch once when you're feeling that drama fever and are caught up on your current shows.

Overall, I liked the show. It's not a show you put at the top of your watch list, but it's a good watch on a boring day with nothing to do. Not much suspense or drama in this show, so it's not a must watch. But it's a fun watch if you have nothing better to do and have seen Densha Otoko or Proposal Daisakusen.

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Galileo 2, of course, is the sequel to the highly popular Galileo series that ran in 2007. A show about an esteemed physics professor who aides the police in solving crimes with supernatural or impossible means using the science of physics. The first season was a masterpiece with the way it created these imaginative crimes that had you scratching your head the entire episode up until the reveal. And this season captured much of what made the first season great, but was not able to fully replicate the greatness of the first season.

The story flows exactly the same as the first season's. Manabu Yukawa, played by Masaharu Fukuyama, hears about a crime that recently happens and then proceeds to turn down the request for help until he hears the impossible feat it took to commit the crime. He then goes on his spiel about how "nothing is impossible" and thus begins his investigation. Then he does his famous bit of vandalizing the nearest surface with scientific formulas with whatever material he can use once he's solved the trick to perpetrating the crime. And it's always entertaining. You sit on the edge of your seat waiting for that moment to happen every episode!

But this season had a few differences. First the female lead in the first season, Kaoru Utsumi, played by Kou Shibasaki, was replaced. In comes a detective named Misa Kishitani, played by Yuriko Yoshitaka, a young brash female who follows her instincts and intuition and wants to pursue justice to the umpteenth degree. Not the first time we've seen this character in s detective show, but still could make things interesting.

The problem is that Kishitani provides little to nothing to the show other than occasional comic relief and lots of headaches in between. She really is essential in solving only ONE crime during the entire 11 episodes. While Yukawa and Utsumi had this great chemistry and work well in tandem, Kishitani and Yukawa are like skin and sandpaper. Her arguments with Kuribayashi aren't entertaining either. I found myself actively rooting for Yukawa to yell at her to 'shut up' numerous times during the show. She serves to hinder the show more than to help.

Besides that character fail, they do a great job at casting superstar talent to grace their show. Lots of top-notch actors and actresses play victims and perpetrators throughout the series. I marked out when I saw that the villain from Legal High made a guest appearance in the series. He was so entertaining.

Another BIG problem I have with this season is them spoiling the perpetrators early in episodes. I love the 'whodunnit' mentality of Japanese crime shows. And the fact that they show who commits each crime before the reveal sucks, but I still like how they don't spoil the method. A small consolation prize I suppose. I also hate that a few of the crimes were weren't as good as some other suggested ones that were never shown. Hell, in the last episode, after solving the crime, the prospective new one was more interesting than the one they just solved!

All in all, it was a great sequel to Galileo. It keeps the format and creates more interesting crimes to solve. Much more innovative crimes than what we see in most crime shows. But this season didn't quite capture the magic of the first season. Plus the two leads seriously lacked chemistry. Definitely a must watch for people who've watched and loved the first season. Even if you haven't, you should watch it. But for those who have seen the first Galileo, you'll find that this one isn't as great as the first one.

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When I started watching JDrama in 2007, I really only watched romantic comedy shows for the longest of times. I would search through the Drama Wiki and find any funny shows with great plots to pass the time. I came across Galileo in 2008, but I wasn't interested in watching it because it was a crime-cased show. In 2010, I watched my first crime-based JDrama when I saw Tokyo Dogs. I was amazed at how well Japan writes out their crime shows. I was blown away. So I began binging on various other mystery shows like MR BRAIN and Control. Then, I again came across Galileo. This time, after reading the plot again, I face-palmed at my idiocy. I'd been missing out on such an amazing show all this time!

The basic story is about a college physics professor named Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) who aides the police in solving crimes with supernatural or impossible implications using the science of physics. He's paired up with Kaoru Utsumi (Kou Shibasaki) and they work together to figure out the trick behind various cases that have baffled the police.

At first, it's a rocky relationship. Yukawa is only interested in cases for the physics aspect of it, which doesn't completely help out Utsumi because she's also looking for motive and probable cause. But soon it evolves into a great partnership where both get what they want from the case and we get to witness amazing physics in action. It's actually pretty impressive how much work the writers put into researching and creating these phenomenon, and then doing such a great job of explaining them to the viewers.

The acting is top-notch as well. Fukuyama and Shibasaki have great screen chemistry and you can tell that the two knew how to portray their characters well enough to act as polar opposites. Yukawa is this quiet, loner who is constantly lost in thought. He's charismatic and orderly. He reminds me of a less evil Sosuke Aizen. Meanwhile Utsumi is an ambitious detective looking to make an impact at her department and dole out justice. It's amazing how they're able to work together. They both look mature at times, and then both look childish at time as well. You have to credit the writers for creating such well-balanced characters.

This is the kind of show that one could watch on an annual basis. I've actually got my anime friends into drama because of this show. It's a great gateway show to other dramas out there. Since I've watched this series, I've been searching for shows who can rival its greatness, and thus far, I've found nothing. That's an attest to how great they made this show. This is by far the best mystery show that has ever been made in Japan, hands down!

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