It’s the first day of spring so I’ve created a TopChart full of PVs about sakura (cherry blossoms). As most of you know, sakura is major part of Japanese culture, so much so that artists release songs about sakura every year.
I’ve judged each PV on the actual song as well as the PV itself. This is the most extensive TopChart I’ve created so far, so sit back, relax and ENJOY!!!
Summary Alternative Titles: Nada sô sô, 涙そうそう, Tears for you Genre: Romance Release Date: Sept. 30, 2006 Starring:
Nagasawa Masami as Shingaki Kaoru
Tsumabuki Satoshi as Shingaki Youtaro
When Youtaro was a young child, his mother marries another man who plays at a Jazz club in Naha, Okinawa (the place where Youtaro and his mother lives). The man’s daughter, named Kaoru becomes Youtaro’s step sister. Soon after, Kaoru’s father abandons her and Youtaro’s mother dies. Before she dies, she tells Youtaro to send Kaoru to his grandmother’s place. To fulfill his mother’s last wishes, Youtaro sends Kaoru to a small island to live with Youtaro’s grandmother while Youtaro says in Naha. Thirteen years later, Kaoru returns to Naha to live with Youtaro and attend high school. However, several problems face Youtaro and Kaoru as they continue to live together.
Review After watching the trailer a few days before watching the movie, I thought Nada Sousou would be a boring movie to watch. After watching the movie, I was surprise to see myself actually enjoying some of the movie. However, I didn’t enjoyed not because of the story, but rather the superb acting by the main characters.
I thought the story was not very original. It’s just about brother and sister finding their ways through different problems. I also didn’t like certain aspects of the story. For one, there are a few “plot-holes” in the story, especially concerning Youtaro’s and Kaoru’s past . For example, we don’t really know if Youtaro went with Kaoru to his grandmother’s place, I just assumed he stayed in Naha to simplify things. Secondly, I thought that the last 30 minutes or so were absolutely unneeded. It just ruined the entire movie for me because it had no relation to any other part of the story and I felt like it was just thrown in there for no reason. The last 30 minutes also made me felt like the story had gone unfinished. I don’t want to explain this too much because I’ll be spilling out some spoilers, but if you watched the movie you might get a better understanding of what I mean.
On the other hand, although the story wasn’t very interesting, at least it was heart warming. You might get watery eyes when watching some of the scenes. Also, most of the acting was pretty good. Nagasawa Masami, who you might recognize from many J-dramas, does a superb job in this movie. The same can be said for Tsumabuki Satoshi and most of the other actors who are in supporting roles.
Last 30 min. of movie were totally unnecessary and ruined the whole movie
Story was not very original
A few elements of the story are unexplained
Recommendation If you enjoy romance movies, I would definitely recommend the first hour and half. I just can’t recommend the last 30 minutes for the reasons I’ve previously stated.
I recently browsed through all the J-dramas that are currently-airing for the winter season (Jan.-Mar.) and I was just overwhelmed by the number of dramas that seem like they're worth watching. Therefore, I thought it would be interested to start my very first real poll and find out what currently-airing dramas you are watching or plan to watch.
Please note that I couldn't fit every single currently-airing drama on the list. I just choose the ones that are generally the popular ones. If there's a drama not on this poll that you want to vote for, just leave a comment. (^_^)
Summary Alternative Titles: パパとムスメの７日間, Seven days of a Father and Daughter Genre: Comedy Episodes: 7 Broadcast: Jul. – Aug. 2007 Starring:
Tachi Hiroshi as Kawahara Kyoichiro
Aragaki Yui as Kawahara Koume
Kato Shigeaki as Osugi Kenta
Kyoichiro and his daughter Koume have a very bad daughter-father realationship. They rarely speak to each other and if they do, they’re probably arguing. One day, the Kawahara family goes to the countryside to visit Kyoichiro’s mother. When returning from the trip, the train they’re travelling on a malfunction which causes Kyoichiro and Koume to become unconscious. When they wake up in the hospital, hey find out they have switched bodies.
Review When I found out about Papa to Musume no Nanokakan, I became very interested in this drama. I expected it to have very original story and be filled with good acting and humour. After completing the drama in only two weeks, I have to say that it lived up to most of my expectations. Firstly, the story was very original and interesting. I thought that each episode had something to contribute to the overvall story. Since the series in only seven episodes, I didn’t felt that any of the episodes were just thrown in for no reason.
Each episode just deals with the various problems that Kyoichiro and Koume must overcome after having switched bodies. Kyoichiro (being inside his daughter’s body) lives the life of a high-schooler while Koume must learn the ropes of her father’s company. The parts showing Koume adapting to her father’s workplace might turn-off some people, but I thought they weren’t as bad as I originally thought because it doesn’t focus too much on business. Generally speaking, each episode had me laughing in at least one scene, but considering the story, I thought there was the potential for a lot more funny scenes. Another major aspect that I enjoyed was the background music. Papa to Musume no Nanokakan has the best background music I’ve heard in any drama. There’s absolutely no synthesized music, it’s all original orchestral pieces that fit well with what’s going on in the plot.
The only major thing I disliked was the acting by Kato Shigeaki (from J-Pop NewS) who plays the soccer player that Koume has a crush on. He is easily the worst actor I’ve ever seen in any drama. I know many female fans will like his looks, but in my opinion, he shows absolutely no emotion when acting.
