Saikou no jinsei no owarikata ~Ending Planner~ (2012)

Country: Japan
Format: drama in 10 episodes
Genre: drama, family, life&death, detective
Cast: Yamashita Tomohisa, Eikura Nana, Maeda Atsuko, Chinen Yuri, Ono Ito, Sorimachi Takashi, Mikami Kensei, Yamazaki Tsutomu, Kanie Keizo, Quests: Tamamori Yuta, Anne,
Synopsis: Ihara's family business is rather unusual - for 4 generations they have worked as funeral parlors. Second son Masato hated this job and left home some years ago. On one unlucky day Masato's  life is turned up-side-down, when he is close to losing his former job and receives a call from home - dad has passed away. Since older half-brother Kento is on one of his unknown trips and three younger siblings - cripple Haruka, university student Hayato and highschooler Momoko - still growing up at home, Masato takes the responsibility and takes over the household and continues 5th generation at funeral shop. At the same time, he befriends with local police, especially with young rookie Sakamaki Yuki, and co-operates with them in investigations.
Rating: 5/5
I did not think that it is going to be that interesting. It actually is not that sad as you might think from the synopsis and it is definitely much more interesting than usual detective dramas.

Masato has many different sides. As a manager he did his job, which made him bitch. In love he is playboy and cheater as his girlfriend (only mentions and photo) is in England. Other than that, he is very reliable, honest, caring, soft-hearted and loves his family the most. He also acts like the eldest son when Kento is not at present. It is very different role from Yamashita's previous roles and his acting is more natural. To my surprise, he was the first and only one from the main cast who knew how to act crying and I have a feeling that his amazing crying-scene was not made with fake tears..

Eikura Nana plays the part of Sakamaki Yuki. I liked Yuki's character. Despite being a detective and being surrounded by crime and murders, she keeps her positive way of life. She drinks much and most of the time ends up drunk as a fish so that Masato must push her home in cart. She has a special nickname for Masato - Masapyon, which was actually the nickname how Masato's girlfriend called him, which made me think if it is really suitable for a friend to call with same nickname as girlfriend does? She also proved that even police uses Google to search information - professional, ne?

There has been much comments about Maeda Atsuko. She almost got ban from acting together with Johnny's and her screen time was cut down, because ratings showed that viewers changed channels on when she was on screen, literally she was made into reason of  low ratings. I think it is unfair  accusation, because I find her acting bearable, well if we look that it was her 10th acting role, then it is slightly bad. At the same time, Haruka's character was partly in fault - she was too sensitive about her leg, time to time too emotional and annoying. I do not understand why they had put so much of her love story into drama, because others had only one episode about  their love life, so her continuing story was almost out of context. My complaints for Maeda Atsuko are that her acting of disabled leg

was horrible and too fake, also she should have opened her mouth more to have clearer pronunciation - her words were hard to understand. I hope that now on solo career she takes up some acting and singing lessons to improve herself, because otherwise she will be forgotten with some years.
Because Hayato and Momoko were the youngest and they were kinda similar, I am going to talk about them together. They both were more selfish and thoughtless then others, it might have been due to the fact they grew up without mother longer than Masato and Haruka. Momoko has an ability  to eat in every possible situation or if she does not eat the food, it ends in her face after she has again insulted Haruka. Neither of them has much screen time, so I cannot comment their acting much, I feel just sad that they beat up Chinen Yuri -.-

Kento, more referred as Ken-ni or Aniki (older brother), is very caring, but many of his actions did not seemed to be for the sake of others, more they were easier ways for him. He always left without saying goodbye and never revealed where he was or what he was doing. He also had serious doubts as, in the end, he still was only a half-brother to others. Well, later he has some other problems too, but about that in Spoiler review. The Ihara family had serious communication problems - they all loved and respected their dad, but their family life lacked in solving problems and helping each other. It is interesting to see how they are rebuilding the trust and family ties with each other. There is a saying that critical situations do two things - they break up people or grow stronger together.

I should mention Iwata-san too, but I bet any extra word about him, might be a spoiler, so you know where to find information about him ;)
In conclusion, it is a heartwarming drama, which combines family life, detective and even a bit supernatural. The star of the drama is Yamashita Tomohisa - he has made a great comeback since starting solo career. And this drama is watchable for all viewers as it is not that big tearjerker.
(The starting clip actually reminds me NEWS Bathday commercial some years ago..)

SPOILER review: The thing about Kento is that he has a tumor - a fast paced brain tumor, but I must say that the saddest scenes are when Masato finds out about it. Even Kento's dying is not that sad as drama shows long and clear his last moments. But more spoilers are attached to Iwata-san. As you might understand since one episode - he does not eat or drink anything and since another episode you start to think why anybody else has not seen him? At first, I thought he is like some kind of Masato's conscience. It would have been a good idea, ne??  I think it was in 8th episode where it comes out, that actually he was Yuki Grandpa's soul. Which is the reason why the drama is also supernatural. In a weird way it was not annoying at all. From all the episodes, there was only one thing I hated from the bottom of my heart - why Nagamine (Yuki's partner) had to die? He had just married and was becoming dad -.- It is way too unfair. 

Sensei wa Erai (2008)

Country: Japan
Genre: school
Format: movie
Cast: Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Arioka Daiki, Chinen Yuri, Yusuke Santamaria, Karina, Abe Tsuyoshi
Synopsis: Souta (Nakajima Yuto), Wataru (Chinen Yuri) and Rin (Arioka Daiki) are students, who of public junior high school. They find their teacher Uzaki (Yusuke Santamaria) really annoying (His nickname is even "Uza-Ken", which literally means "You´re annoying"/ "You must be kidding"). As they get in contact with their old classmate Hayato (Yamada Ryosuke), they start to change the teacher into more appealing person. 
Rating: 1/5
To start with, the junior high students are not cool at all, but they understand it much too late. (Maybe it is just the system, that everybody who are older than yourself look cool to you, but when you reach to that point, you realize that actually it is nothing like that?) At the same time, I understand that their (high school students) life is hard too. The part of "growing up, but still being a child" is harsh for everyone, ne?

Souta (Sou-chan)- I find him the most foolest and childish ones! xD He was just so epic in everything he did - cool clothes? buying underpants from Shibuya (there's nothing wrong with that, but you'll understand what I mean if you watch it xD), studies, room0. He was like most comical character in it.  I liked the brothers relationship in it.
Wataru (Wata) - it was funny that Souta and Wataru were bestfriends - it seemed like they were the tallest and the smallest in the class =) but Wataru was such a mamaboy O.o Everything was like "mama will do!".

Takekura (Takeshita/Rin) - Arioka Daiki was the star of the movie for me =D His face expressions were so funny and all his character was cute. I think that knowing the "7 wonders of Uzaken" brought him really bad luck. yeah, bad luck with girls. He is the only character who is dragged into love-triangle, which is soooooooo sweet :) Ahh I wish that there would be not that rare to find that honest and brave guys in real world.

Gunjou (Hayato) - He was just annoying character. Yamada Ryosuke is all cute and totally idol-like in it, but the character was really like WTRamen!??? O.o (I am going to finish high-school in spring and even for me it was hard to understand what he was saying) Gunjou was the type of "Let's make the world a better place!" Yaaaaay!!! -.- not.... His overhelming kindness was actually annoying, because it seemed so fake.

now to the teacher... he totally deserved his nickname, but I think that he was the same as my written school-policy: Teacher and human are not the same. He/she can be the best person in the world, but totally suck in teaching. At the same time, there is a saying that "If a students really wants to learn, then he/she do not need any teacher at all, so there is not great or bad teachers. (Oh there are bad teachers - like languaege teachers, who teach you wrong pronounciation and wrong language rules. I have many teachers in my school /mostly older women/ who are like grannies in personality, but as a teacher no one respects them.). I liked that Uzaken was not a puppet and tried to make them the real thing themselves. It was cute how the 5th wonder was true, but in the other way xD (Watch the movie, to find out :P)
I like that it actually combines the really funny scenes with sad scenes. Just like school is all about - funny things, love-scenes, jealousy, giving your best and sad parts, which might make you cry in future too.   

AAHH! NOW I REMEMBER!! For some seconds it shows a scene, where there is a magazine on the table! /XD Yeah, on the cover of it was Yamashita Tomohisa.. It was a great surprise ^^





SPOILER review!: the end was really sad. It must have been mentally hard for guys when Uzaken collapsed. I know that once in my school a teacher collapsed in front of the class and was taken to the hospital. I think that a experience like that will remain to the memory for a long time, especially when you do not know what is wrong with other person. In the end I still started to cry, because when Aoyama-sensei (nurse) said, that she loved the sound of Uzaken's slippers, I reminded some personal issues, so if you really want to say something to other person, then just do it, before it is to late. even if it is just something about their slippers.