This "Kanojo ga Joubutsu Dekinai Riyuu" was a pretty nice surprise for me; consisting of six episodes lasting roughly thirty minutes each, it can be taken as Nth proof that quality trumps quantity (although I did find it a tad too short - more on that in a jiff, bear with me ^__-).
The story was a clean, nice, delicate one - precisely the one you'd expect from an NHK production - and that was comforting in itself. Nevertheless - and without any spoilers, I promise - the conclusion felt a bit rushed to me, so as far as I'm concerned it wouldn't have hurt to have even just one more episode so as to be able to develop it a bit more smoothly. But it's a minor detail, really - and I know I tend to be pretty picky when it comes to scripts, so take it with a grain of salt.
The cast - I'm sorry to confess, totally unknown to me - did very well, and I particularly appreciated that the dreary but alas (stereo)typical portrayal of foreigners as funny weirdos, so common in J-dramas, was mostly absent from this series. Nice one, guys! (BTW, having a burmese-born ML portraying a burmese character was also a nice touch! I wish Hollywood learned to do the same - but then again, who cares, right? I would be none the wiser even if they did, given how I'm completely detoxed from their productions anyway, LOL).
Music and production value might not be top-notch, I'll admit, and that's why I'm not rating this as a perfect 10. But it got really close, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it! ^___-

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Similarly to "Tsumari Suki tte iitai n Dakedo", I've watched this drama because of the FL, despite the fact that it's not really my genre, normally...and surprisingly ended up liking it quite a lot!
True, the premise is as weird as they come, let's face it; but they managed to develop it in a quirky-but-funny way (LOL, those *literally* steamy scenes! ^__^;;;...), and apart from that, the story itself is a lot more wholesome than one would expect at first (heck, it's a lot more wholesome than 90% of other romance dramas, as far as I'm concerned! >__<).
Two nice characters that it's impossible not to root for, in a sweet, healthy relationship (yep, they share a...ehm...unusual fetish which I honestly would've done better without...but hey, they're consenting adults and nobody gets hurt in the process, so, like, why not...?) that advances through mutual selflessness, love, respect and honest communication.
The leads both delivered very convincing performances (besides, Ohara Yuno here is the very definition of a perfect GF! - and I suppose Sato Kanta will have the same effect on the female audience), the music is nice too, and so is the production value.
It gets a lot better after a few episodes, so my suggestion is, if you feel like giving it a try, don't stop at the first episode(s) but watch a few more! ^___-

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What a lovely gem!!!

Right from the first few seconds of this "Nihon Boro Yado Kido", I was captured by the tremendously interesting concept: enough with the Tokyoite settings, filled with skyscrapers and modernity, let's show instead a much lesser known Japan, one more true to itself, with all its small towns and its "shabby hotels/pensions" filled with memories of the past and personality!
What followed was a delightfully written, masterfully acted, and very aptly directed little masterpiece!
The music added some more value to the enchantingly catchy atmosphere, and I'm not referring exclusively to the wonderful enka song "Traveler", but to the whole musical score that so nicely accompanied the entire watching experience.
I think even Fellini would've been totally satisfied by the profound humaneness that oozes from every scene!
A particular praise to the leads: Takahashi Kazuya reminded me a lot of a young(er) Takenaka Naoto, so good and funny he was! And as for Fukagawa Mai, well, what can I say? I desperately fell in love with her already at the first episode! Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, but she possesses such a great acting talent!!!
The only thing I'm unhappy about? LOL, that's that I wish I could give this more than 10, seriously! ^__^;
Instant top10 of all time, as far as I'm concerned!!!
Arigatou, Nihon! ^_____^

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Zetsumeshi Forever! ^____^

I've found out about this dorama by chance (I loved "Bank Over!" so much that I thoroughly searched the - pretty vast! - filmography by the screenwriter, Mori Hayashi, and this title was the one that first caught my eye) and I'm sooo glad I did! ^___^
It's at the same time pretty addictive and quite relaxing, to follow the adventures of this funny salaryman, who roams the roads of Japan aboard his minivan in search for "endangered meals" (that is, delicious meals in old, inexpensive restaurants that risk disappearing in the future).
The dorama shines, needless to say it, thanks to a very nice and original script, to a convincing performance by the whole cast (Hamatsu Takayuki and Yamamoto Koji - who wouldn't want a friend like him, right? - really steal the show here) and last but certainly not least to a beautiful soundtrack (both the ending credits song and the various pieces accompanying the whole series are extremely good indeed).
But the real cherry on top, imho, is the photo, shown at the end of every episode, portraying the real people who run those "endangered restaurants" next to the actor/s who impersonated them. That small detail gives so much more depth to the whole thing, as it makes the viewers fully understand and appreciate the beautiful humaneness behind the ML's (at first glance, a bit weird) hobby. Thanks to that, this isn't the Nth shallow food-drama about a glutton stuffing his or her face day in and day out, but rather a bittersweet and oh-so-Japanese tale of the real people behind those dishes, their stories and dreams, hopes and difficulties.
Very, very nice indeed!
The only reason I don't give this a "perfect 10" is that a coupla questions are left unanswered: did Kaburagi eventually reconcile with his wife? Did he meet again with the ML and maybe with his daughter too? And then again, did the ML's wife finally see the beauty of her husband's hobby - just like their daughter had done? It could be that all those questions - and yet some - get answered in the SP, but since I couldn't find it anywhere, I have no way to know for sure.../.___.\
But hey, there's always hope that they'll come up with a second season, right? If that's the case, here's one who's totally looking forward to that! ^___-

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Solid 80s' mystery

If you're a "Shōwa person" like me (and that could mean either that you were born in the Shōwa era, or that you feel a particular affinity to it - or both, as is my case, LOL), there's a high chance you too will like this "Kekkon Annai Mystery".
Right from the first minutes of it, thanks to the music, the clothes, and most of all to that dark computer screen with the bright green text (which all help bring us older viewers back to the '80s quicker than Doc Brown's DeLorean would ^_^), you get that unmistakeable "end of Shōwa" flavor, and that's already half of the movie's charm.
The rest is done by the exquisite directing (I guess the director had studied proficiently the Italian Golden Age Thriller Masters, like Lucio Fulci and the first Dario Argento - and indeed, the first scene reminds a bit the beginning of "Profondo Rosso", while several others will make the more knowledgeable among you reminisce about movies like "Sette Note in Nero"...and why not, some takes were done in the style of Hitchcock's classics too!), by the score, the editing, and by the general, intriguing atmosphere. The cast did well, with a particular praise to Nagayama Aiko who really stole the show here!
The fact that, being only 90' long, the movie felt a bit rushed, and that the mystery's solution imho felt a bit bland, prevented me from giving this a "perfect 10". It's still a solid "9" for this lovely "oldie but goldie" though! ^___-

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Cinema at its best!

One of the best movies I've ever watched, period.
Okay, further elaborating on that...what should I name first?
Perhaps the absolutely perfect script, portraying a beautiful, delicate, poetic story of friendship?
Or maybe the fabulous cinematography, which makes it feel almost as if an endless collection of wonderful paintings were seamlessly flowing one after the other in front of the viewers' delighted eyes?
Or maybe again, the superb performance delivered by the whole cast, with a virtual standing ovation for Matsumoto Honoka?
And why not the lovely music, or the marvelous dishes, or any other element of this magnificent production?
Seriously, cinema at its best. Wow, just wow!

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Original and funny!

The absurdly funny premise reminded me of a creativity-enhancing exercise I had been taught to use when I had studied scriptwriting (and then taught myself when I found myself teaching the same subject a few years later): you'd have to take a few sheets of paper and randomly write, on one of them, 10 characters (for example: a killer, an accountant, a nurse, a truck driver, etc.), on another 10 objects (like: a dagger, a Mayan idol, a bottle of scotch, etc.), on a third one 10 places (a school, an elevator, a back alley, etc.) and on a fourth one 10 genres (mystery, comedy, horror, etc.). Then you'd fold the sheets, pile them together, and pierce through them with something sharp. At the end, you'd just unfold the sheets and select the different elements which were closer to the holes, at which point you'd have to create a plot with whatever you ended up with (which could mean something as weird as "a drug dealer, a secretary, an ancient scroll, a Playstation, a dance school, a diner, SF and romance", LOL).
Now, I honestly don't know whether the same exercise is being taught in Japan as well, but if it is, then we could guess this dorama's writer came up with "an interviewee, a detective, a love hotel, water, time-leaping and comedy"...^_^;
However the funny premise originated, though, the good thing is, it's been then pretty nicely developed with some endearing characters, a good cast (particular praises to Ohara Sakurako - too bad her singing career is making her filmography relatively short, 'cause she's not only cute as pie, but also knows how to act), some hilarious scenes (I think there's at least one or two in every episode where you'll end up laughing out loud - at least, so did I), a lovely jazzy score, and last but not least, some nice messages.
Too bad there were also a coupla weaker episodes, plus the usual portrayal of foreigners as weirdos (so common in Japanese comedies, alas) which I honestly could very well live without; otherwise I'd have given this an even higher grade!
It's still a solid "8" as far as I'm concerned, though! ^___^
Don't be discouraged by the weird premise, and for Heaven's sake, don't think - not even for a millisecond - that there might be anything remotely lewd in the "soaking wet" part, 'cause there isn't, it's a quite tasteful drama instead.

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A beautiful and original mix! ^____^

The first two characters of the original title (京阪) can actually serve as a perfect symbol of what this dorama is. How so? Bear with me a little, I'ma explain that right away...^_^;

For those of you who are unfamiliar with "kanji" (the "Chinese" characters used in Japanese together with the native hiragana and katakana), those two characters are actually the first kanji of "Kyōto" and the second one of "Ōsaka" (I'll spare you the lengthy explanation of why the hell they are not read as "Kyōsaka" then, but rather as "Keihan", LOL), the two cities connected by the eponimous railway line and named at the very beginning of every episode, where they point out how different they are: on the one hand, the traditional, calm and refined Kyōto, and on the other hand, the modern, lively and more down-to-earth Ōsaka. And in the middle, the fictitious Kizunaya inn, with its lovely humane staff, a weird but oh-so-nice house rule, and the various guests with all their stories and their problems.

And that's just it: this dorama stands in the middle between many opposites, and manages to perfectly mix so many different ingredients and turn them into an original dish: you'll find some comedy and some drama, some deep moments and some silly ones, some calm and some tension, some jazzy, lively music, and some relaxing, classical pieces, etc. etc....and in the end, if your taste is anything close to mine, you'll end up being totally satisfied by the original mix!

Honorable mentions to the script, to Konishi Sakurako and, most of all, to the kid actress Niitsu Chise who was so impressively good! (to be able to act that well at that young age is kinda scary, seriously! ^_^;...)

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The premise of this "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald" reminded me a bit of the American movie "Noises Off" (1992), with Michael Caine and Cristopher Reeve. And indeed both are adapted from a play, and both portray the crazily funny misadventures of a troupe. Whereas that one was written from the point of view of a director, though, this one is actually done from that of a writer. And as anyone who's ever tried writing professionally will be able to confirm, it is surely based on the many frustrations and troubles writers have to go through (unbeknownst to the vast public, the final version of a script has often little to do with its first draft; some of the changes have sound reasons - like budget restrictions, for example! - but it might often happen that retouches are actually caused by frivulous motivations - a long list of which is funnily depicted here! ^__^)
Just like that other movie, though, this one as well suffers from some silliness and some exaggerations...so the script is very good but not perfect.
The cast is great, and refreshingly so imho due to the absence of high-school-aged idols, LOL (particular mentions for the always great Toda Keiko and Nishimura Masahiko!)

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Being a sucker for time-related stories, I knew I was gonna like it the moment I read the synopsis! What I didn't know was that I wasn't just gonna *like* it, but rather *totally adore* it!!!
The script is simply marvelous, the direction and photography absolutely top notch (I normally am wary of special effects, as I don't like how they've come to monopolize Western cinematography; but when they solely serve the script, as they do here, they're welcome ^__-), the acting fantastic (Tong Li Ya, whom I had previously admired - alas, too briefly, as her role there was important storywise, but minor as for screentime - in the drama "Waiting For You In The Future", is the very definition of "gorgeous"; and Lei Jia Yin manages to accomplish the not-so-easy feat of portraying two "different" characters and *actually* making it seem like they're different)...last but not least, the music is lovely and contributes greatly to give this lil' gem a kind of "Amélie" feeling.
Perfect 10! ^____^

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After this, I feel like I desperately need the soul equivalent of a long, warm shower!

I'll start with a warning: there was no way for me to properly review this dorama and explain why I loved it at first and ended up hating it (and believe me, I don't use this word lightly), without some spoilers.
So, before you keep on reading, let me ask you a question: have you watched "Full Metal Jacket"? If you haven't, then maybe play it safe and stop reading. But if you have, here's one more question for you: would you say that Sergeant Hartman was a fine educator or a rotten S.O.B.?
If your answer is the former, then stop reading and start watching this dorama, there's a high chance you'll love it! But if your answer is the latter, then you might want to keep reading - spoilers included - so as to avoid wasting 9 hours or so of your life (over 12 if you include the SP) on this.
And now I'll proceed explaining why I think so (spoilers from now on, consider yourselves warned):
I was captured right away by the thought-provoking premise, and it kept me thinking and (probably over-)thinking for the first few episodes. I even thought, for a brief moment, that maybe the scriptwriter had had an incredibly prophetic view of his future (and our tragic present), thus using this dorama's distopian classroom to portray a society where those in charge seem to have loads of evil fun pitting us "commoners" against each other and even unleashing chaos - the only thing they care about being that we obey, don't think and follow their rules which are more and more absurd each day - and clearly counterproductive, at that. Ok, I was seeing too much into it, LOL, but that's just to show you how intrigued I was!
Slowly but progressively, though, the story kept getting sillier and sillier with every episode. Short after the middle of the series, I started suspecting where it was heading: to an utterly insulting ending where they'd say that this monster (Amami Yuki's character couldn't deserve titles like "teacher" or "educator", and sorry if you disagree, but this is my informed opinion as someone who's worked in this field!), I repeat, where they'd say that this monster had actually been a "good (hell, even great) teacher", that it had all been just some "tough love" and that it had all "turned out well after all".
And that's where I started hating it.
Because I believe that if you treat people badly (Akuma-sensei - sorry, Akutsu-sensei - pun intended - traumatizes her pupils day in and day out, and her behavior sums up to psychological torture in my book!), I repeat, if you treat people this badly, no good *whatsoever* could *ever* come from that. To even imagine such an idiotic development is total BS, sorry.
If you treat people like this, some bad sh*t is bound to happen instead! Just like with Sergeant Hartman and Private "Gomer Pyle" in "Full Metal Jacket", you know...?
Approaching the end of the series, each episode unfortunately confirmed my suspicion, and I was more and more disappointed, and then really *disgusted* by the lousy, idiotic last episode (*every single scene* of it felt like an insult to my intelligence: the commercial-like family scene, the fight with the punks - nani sore?!? Where the hell did those crawl out from? A Chuck Norris movie maybe?!? And then again, the 180° U-turn from monster to ideal teacher / hero, even lecturing the kids on how it's wrong to hurt others - true, of course! But....how dare *she* say that?!? You gotta be f***ing kiddin' me, c'mon! And I could go on and on but I guess you got the picture...in one word: "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!").
After watching Arimura Kasumi no Satsukyu" I had felt...cleansed, that's the word!
After watching this series to its end...I feel like I desperately need the soul equivalent of a long, warm, scrubbing-all-over shower! Such a terrible feeling it has left me with!!!
The acting was good (I mean, the kids' acting, as Amami Yuki's character being the expressionless monster she was, the poor actress couldn't show her acting skills, unfortunately. And the rest of the cast, alas, were little more than extras, so it's hard to judge them - except to praise Kaho for her adorable "onee-san"). The music was okay. I'll go with a 4/10, also considering that to correctly asses the "rewatch value" I'd need negative numbers...

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It took me ages to finish it 'cause I stopped watching it after a major plot twist in the middle of it (no spoilers, I'll just say I really disliked it and was at the same time shocked and pissed off). I picked it up again after a few weeks and slowly watched it until its conclusion, but by then the magic had gone, as far as I'm concerned. The cast did just great throughout the whole series (BTW, Natsukawa Yui and Yamada Maiko, each in her own way, are both to die for - though I realized I've become older and wiser, as I'd have chosen Nagasaku Hiromi's character instead! ^_^), and the directing and photography are also top notch. Too bad for the plot, otherwise this would've been a perfect 10...:/

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Have you ever seen a picture of a lit-up candle on a pitch-black background? Well, that visual image came to my mind as I was looking for the best way to describe this dorama without giving away any details: at first (and for the biggest part of the episodes), the darkness is so thick it's almost unbearable; but then, slowly but surely, a faint light can be seen and, as we approach the ending, the light shines bright and warm and the darkness is vanquished. Heartwarming story, great performance - as usual - by Kanno Miho, very good direction and script, nice and catchy soundtrack and score. Oh, and a special mention for Fubuki Jun: she's always excellent!

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