Some of them may not have started yet, but Japan's Spring dramas are finally here! Check 'em out, there's plenty!
Bitter Blood
Sahara Natsuki is the new rookie at the Ginza Police Department First Division. His father, Shimao Akimura, is a veteran in the same division, and Natsuki is assigned to be his new partner.
Starring:
● Sato Takeru
● Watabe Atsuro
● Kutsuna Shiori
Airs: Tuesdays at 9:00pm on FujiTV
Thoughts: Bitter Blood is a little over the top, a little serious, and surprisingly engaging. The first episode alone includes thieves, children in need of saving, women in labour, destruction of evidence, and the attempted shooting of a police officer. Exciting, right?
Sahara Natsuki is a do-gooder, and the first episode shows this spectacularly. He connects easily with other people and their feelings, and can't leave injustices alone. His father, on the other hand, thinks the most important thing to a detective should be their jacket (and maybe rules, but definitely the jacket). Natsuki's recklessness leads them to butting heads on more than one occasion, and their dynamic is more snarky than friendly, but they make a good team.
I might just not be watching enough crime dramas, but the partnership dynamic in Bitter Blood reminded me a lot of Mike and Harvey in Suits (though a lot of it may have been because of Akimura's emphasis on suit jackets, and the opening theme focusing on them putting them on). The idealistic young rookie, and the older (better dressed) mentor... where have I seen this before? Probably many places actually, it's a common trope... still a good one though.
Either way, this drama is over the top situations, a dash of family angst, and a little hilarious. It's definitely worth a watch.
Sahara Natsuki is a do-gooder, and the first episode shows this spectacularly. He connects easily with other people and their feelings, and can't leave injustices alone. His father, on the other hand, thinks the most important thing to a detective should be their jacket (and maybe rules, but definitely the jacket). Natsuki's recklessness leads them to butting heads on more than one occasion, and their dynamic is more snarky than friendly, but they make a good team.
I might just not be watching enough crime dramas, but the partnership dynamic in Bitter Blood reminded me a lot of Mike and Harvey in Suits (though a lot of it may have been because of Akimura's emphasis on suit jackets, and the opening theme focusing on them putting them on). The idealistic young rookie, and the older (better dressed) mentor... where have I seen this before? Probably many places actually, it's a common trope... still a good one though.
Either way, this drama is over the top situations, a dash of family angst, and a little hilarious. It's definitely worth a watch.
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Alice no Toge
Mizuno Asumi is a doctor at the University Hospital. Her only objective in life is to avenge the death of her father, a death caused by immoral and negligent doctors. She wants to reveal to the world their mistakes and corrupt behaviours, with the hope of preventing them from furthering their practise as doctors.
Starring:
● Ueno Juri
● Nakamura Aoi
● Odagiri Joe
● Kikuchi Asumi
● Kikuchi Asumi
Airs: Fridays at 10:00pm on TBS
Thoughts: Alice no Toge begins with an idea very similar to Revenge (so similar, in fact, that many people have already drawn comparisons between them): a young woman working to destroy the lives of the people who killed her father.
Episode one starts out with a lot of talking, but never fear two people get tormented before their lives get ruined and isn't that just grand? Although, to be honest, these two are so awful it's amazing that no one's gotten revenge or filed a complaint about them before. One of them wants to perform a 30 hour surgery on a woman who probably wouldn't make it through the operation (and lied about it!), and the other's just a generally awful human being. Yeah, totally justified torment.
The shining lights of this episode (other than how amazing and pretty Ueno Juri is and how awesome the vengeance scenes are) are Yumi (Nakamura Aoi) and Yusuke (Odagiri Joe). Why, you ask? If you ignore how Yumi's probably going to get screwed over in the future, his interactions with his patient is the cutest thing since Maru Maru Mori Mori. Yusuke was once Asumi's childhood friend, now he's a photographer who hangs around the university hospital for some reason? Okay, I admit I wasn't paying attention to his profession, but watching Asumi trying to maintain her cover around him was gold.
Episode one starts out with a lot of talking, but never fear two people get tormented before their lives get ruined and isn't that just grand? Although, to be honest, these two are so awful it's amazing that no one's gotten revenge or filed a complaint about them before. One of them wants to perform a 30 hour surgery on a woman who probably wouldn't make it through the operation (and lied about it!), and the other's just a generally awful human being. Yeah, totally justified torment.
The shining lights of this episode (other than how amazing and pretty Ueno Juri is and how awesome the vengeance scenes are) are Yumi (Nakamura Aoi) and Yusuke (Odagiri Joe). Why, you ask? If you ignore how Yumi's probably going to get screwed over in the future, his interactions with his patient is the cutest thing since Maru Maru Mori Mori. Yusuke was once Asumi's childhood friend, now he's a photographer who hangs around the university hospital for some reason? Okay, I admit I wasn't paying attention to his profession, but watching Asumi trying to maintain her cover around him was gold.
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BORDER
Ishikawa Ango is a detective with smarts and a keen sense of observation. He's in a great physical shape and also highly ambitious. Ango also only focuses on his work and his personal life is pretty much non-existent.
One day, a former police officer is killed by a gun shot. Ango goes to the scene of the crime, but is shot in the head by the killer who is lurking at the crime scene. Ango hovers between life and death. At that time, he thinks to himself "where do people go after they die?" and then "I don't want to die." A miracle then happens. Ango survives with the bullet still lodged in his head. He goes back to work.
A new murder case takes place. When Ango goes to the crime scene he notices a boy who looks like he is about to cry, but only Ango is able to see the boy. The boy is the one who was killed. Since Ango was shot, he can now see and talk with the dead.
Starring:
● Oguri Shun
● Aoki Munetaka
● Haru
● Endo Kenichi
● Endo Kenichi
Airs: Thursdays at 9:00pm on TV Asahi
Anna's Thoughts: Hana Yori Dango, Hana Kimi, Detective Conan, Tokyo Dogs, Rich Man Poor Woman, and now BORDER... man, does this guy get around! Oguri Shun is no stranger to the detective roles, but in his newest drama "BORDER" he plays a bright, young detective with a bit of a twist; he can see ghosts! This unique ability to communicate with the dead helps him solve a variety of difficult cases and murder investigations.
The supernatural element, and the obvious advantage that Oguri Shun's character has as a detective was what first got me interested in this particular drama. I was curious about the ghost victims, and if some would lie about how they were initially killed. After watching the first episode, I noticed very similar elements between BORDER and the American TV show "Hannibal". BORDER can be very gruesome at times, and has a dark tone to it from very early on in the series. (More like the first minute of episode one!) If you're a big fan of Hannibal, you're bound to like this one. Hannibal's Will Graham and Ishikawa Ango often suffer from misunderstandings due to the things that they are able to see.
The supernatural element, and the obvious advantage that Oguri Shun's character has as a detective was what first got me interested in this particular drama. I was curious about the ghost victims, and if some would lie about how they were initially killed. After watching the first episode, I noticed very similar elements between BORDER and the American TV show "Hannibal". BORDER can be very gruesome at times, and has a dark tone to it from very early on in the series. (More like the first minute of episode one!) If you're a big fan of Hannibal, you're bound to like this one. Hannibal's Will Graham and Ishikawa Ango often suffer from misunderstandings due to the things that they are able to see.
Shinigami-kun
Shinigami-kun, alias grim reaper #413, is a rookie who pronounces the death of those scheduled to die and brings souls to the nether world. He would appear with the signature phrase “Congratulations! I’m here to call on you” although it is hard to say how this can be a happy occasion, and watch over the dying. To a grim reaper, persuading people attempting to commit suicide and preventing unforeseen deaths is also an important task. But because #413 is new to this grim reaper work, he has a tendency to lean towards humans in his judgments, break the rules of the nether world and get reprimanded by his superior.
Starring:
● Ohno Satoshi
● Kiritani Mirei
● Suda Masaki
● Matsushige Yutaka
● Matsushige Yutaka
Airs: Fridays at 11:15pm on TV Asahi
Rin's Thoughts: "What genre is this going to be?" That was the first thought which came into my head as I read the plot summary. Dark comedy? Heartwarming? The answer is a bit of both.
In the drama, grim reaper #413 tells a schoolgirl she has only a few days left to live, and follows her around until her death.
Human society is completely alien to him, which makes for amusing scenes as he defines things as simple as the act of crying in an almost scientific manner.
There is certainly a dark comedy aspect to it, as grim reaper #413 greets those who are doomed to die with "Congratulations!", but what left the greatest impressions on me were the scenes where the main character urges those doomed to die to make the most of their final days.
At first I thought grim reaper #413's delivery was a little too plain. Shouldn't he have a bit more gravitas or something? However as the episode went on he became more endearing, and one of the reasons his character works so well here is precisely because he is so un-grim reaper-like.
In the drama, grim reaper #413 tells a schoolgirl she has only a few days left to live, and follows her around until her death.
Human society is completely alien to him, which makes for amusing scenes as he defines things as simple as the act of crying in an almost scientific manner.
There is certainly a dark comedy aspect to it, as grim reaper #413 greets those who are doomed to die with "Congratulations!", but what left the greatest impressions on me were the scenes where the main character urges those doomed to die to make the most of their final days.
At first I thought grim reaper #413's delivery was a little too plain. Shouldn't he have a bit more gravitas or something? However as the episode went on he became more endearing, and one of the reasons his character works so well here is precisely because he is so un-grim reaper-like.
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First Class
Chinami works at a fabric shop, dreaming of one day working in the fashion industry. By accident, she begins work in the editing section for a fashion magazine. Chinami believes her new job may open doors for her to new opportunities, but it turns out her new job is like working in a war zone with daily fights and competitiveness between the women who work there. Can Chinami survive in such a cutthroat environment?
Starring:
● Sawajiri Erika
● Nakamaru Yuichi
● Sasaki Nozomi
● Nanao
● Nanao
Airs: Saturdays at 11:10pm on Fuji TV
Thoughts: The one drama we're going into that hasn't aired yet, hopefully I don't go completely off track.
Sawajiri Erika is back after an almost eight year long hiatus, and she's battling women! Sadly, it's not exactly a battle anyone likes. This drama's advertised as a 'battle only women would understand', and as much as I don't want to agree with the stereotype I guess that may be true. The trailer begins with Chinami being told that her only friend will be herself in this job even if she doesn't want to believe it.
The drama looks to have some of the 'typical' female roles (the girl who loves cute things, the oujo-sama type, the angel, etc), but I'm sure they'll develop in actual episodes rather than a couple of minutes of trailers.
I'm actually really looking forward to this drama. It may be because everyone's really pretty, or it may be because of Chinami having to battle her way in her new job, but I'm really looking forward to how this drama plays out.
Sawajiri Erika is back after an almost eight year long hiatus, and she's battling women! Sadly, it's not exactly a battle anyone likes. This drama's advertised as a 'battle only women would understand', and as much as I don't want to agree with the stereotype I guess that may be true. The trailer begins with Chinami being told that her only friend will be herself in this job even if she doesn't want to believe it.
The drama looks to have some of the 'typical' female roles (the girl who loves cute things, the oujo-sama type, the angel, etc), but I'm sure they'll develop in actual episodes rather than a couple of minutes of trailers.
I'm actually really looking forward to this drama. It may be because everyone's really pretty, or it may be because of Chinami having to battle her way in her new job, but I'm really looking forward to how this drama plays out.
Dramas not mentioned:
● White Lab (TBS)
● Gokuaku Ganbo (Fuji TV)
● Naruyouni Narusa Season 2 (TBS)
● Black President (Fuji TV)
● Silent Poor (NHK)
● Yowakutemo Katemasu (NTV)
● Sailor Zombie (TV Tokyo)
● Yowakutemo Katemasu (NTV)
● Sailor Zombie (TV Tokyo)
● Kuu Neru Futari Sumu Futari (NHK)
● TEAM ~Keishicho Tokubetsu Hannin Sosahonbu~ (TV Asahi)
● Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai (NTV)
● SMOKING GUN (Fuji TV)
● Ore no Dandyism (TV Tokyo)
● Keiji 110kg Season 2 (TV Asahi)
● Gin Nikan (NHK)
● MOZU (TBS)
● Zoku. Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi (Fuji TV)
● Tokubou (NTV)
● Maruho no Onna (TV Tokyo)
● Kamiya Genjiro Torimono Hikae (BS Premium)
● River's Edge Ookawabata Tanteisha (TV Tokyo)
● Long Goodbye (NHK)
● 55-sai Kara no Hello Life (NHK)
● SHARK 2nd Season (NTV)
● Roosevelt Game (TBS)
● Coffee-ya no Hitobito (BS Premium)
● Platonic (BS Premium)
● Tokusou (WOWOW)
● Mosaic Japan (WOWOW)
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