S. Yue Michaelis

Comedy about a group of chemistry students who organize a cheating scam during their final exams. Amuro Namie, the top pop music sensation, plays one of the students. (imdb-1996)

The poster is totally unrelated to the story, but nevertheless, it was a fun movie. I love American 90's movies, and this one was very similar to them... location, jokes, life of the students, etc. The first 10 minutes or so had me giggling the whole time, it was both impressive and imaginative. It reminded me a little bit of my high school life XD Then it is all about the students trying to save their dorm, but the principal -the villain- makes a pact with them: in order to save the dorm they all need to grade 100 points. And what's the safest way than cheating on all the exams? XD

The group of students are all colorful, a bit geeky but silly. Pretty Namie Amuro is part of the gang because she has to go and fall for her dimwit classmate XD

All of them are so young! But they didn't change much, like Namie, Yamaguchi and Fujiki Naohito. They all look them same, the men even aged like wine.

A very fun 1 hour and a half movie. Short and to the point. I think anyone who likes classic American comedy would like this.

Kenji Sakuragi is a destitute lawyer and one-time member of a motorcycle gang. A failure as a lawyer, he takes a position as a high school teacher and takes on the challenge of preparing a special advanced class for entrance to the prestigious Toudai University. (asianwiki-2005)

I resisted for a long time to watch this dorama. On one hand there was YamaPi, whom I dislike, and on the other hand, is Hiroshi Abe, whom I loved. On the balance, in the NO, was Yamapi (he was winning for a long time) but with time, the side of YES won.

I wasn't into the story, tbh. I watched Ep. 2 a month after Ep. 1, and so on. The students were MEH. Like I mentioned before, I dislike Yamapi; he can't act. He is always making the same face over and over again ("I am cool, I don't care"). I don't like Nagasawa Masami, no idea why. I just don't. Gakky is OK, Teppei is OK. The only one I truly like is Saeko. Maybe because of that, their characters were the same to me. While Yamapi's and Masami's were the ones with the "tough" life and the two I should have rooted more, I didn't. I did not care for them. Specially Masami's. Her mother was soooo annoying, and because of that, Masami had to be "strong". Gakky's character was just there, in the special class, because she was Yamapi's girlfriend. And that's it. That was her main motto for like, 9 episodes. To be with her boyfriend and be the model couple in Todai campus. My, how shallow! While it is true she changed for better and wanted to improve for herself, it was so sudden it wasn't believable.

The class that I liked best was the English one, and not because their Engrish was fun XD but because I've learned that in Todai simpler phrases are better than tough ones, because of how it is graded.

So this dorama is the 3rd and last classic one among teacher-students doramas that i needed to watch. My ranking would be: 1) Gokusen; 2) GTO and last 3) Dragon Zakura. BUT... my ranking of teachers may be: 1) Dragon Zakura (I know, Sakuragi-sensei over Yankumi! WTH!); 2) Yankumi, and 3) Onizuka-sensei. Why? Because Sakuragi-sensei was truly interested in his students' education. He truly wanted them to learn and be ready for the entrance to Todai. Yankumi and Onizuka were more about heart, which, while it is nice and all, it is corny. And Onizuka wasn't really prepared to teach since he was an ignorant himself, more or less.

Dear Hiroshi Abe-san truly shined, not only because he is as good as he is in everything, but because all the other adults characters were awful. I still need to find a school dorama where teachers aren't so nasty and the Principal so useless. The teachers in this one were annoying and without interest in their students; Sakuragi-sensei's sidekick, Ino-sensei, was only there to say "Huh?" (truly, this actress overreacted so much... lots of pouts and not enough gray material in her head); and the Principal was a huge joke (literally, she was there to provide comedy relief, but I disliked her. I know she is Abe-san mother-in-law in TRICK and everything, but her role in DZ was so shallow!). ugg, and don't let me start with the parents. All of them huge idiots, and what about the Twin's parents degrading him like that??? And his brother?? Awful...

I marathoned the last 5 episodes, so I can't say this dorama was boring. But it was cheesy, and the fashion of that time killed me (Yamapi's hair... yuck!). I liked the OP song, though. It was catchy. And the ending, while disappointing, was real. Not all of them could get into Todai :(

A unique duo of a beautiful female magician and a strange physician are back! After two successful TV series, a record high DVD sales record in the newly released drama category, a smash hit theatrical movie, the best selling novelized book, etc., the show has made a come back to a weekly prime time slot.

The drama takes place at a remote mountain village bound by convention. In each episode, a beautiful female magician and a strange physician witness various supernatural phenomena far beyond their imagination. Just as the previous series, the two will try to investigate and seek what lies behind these paranormal events and logically prove what the tactful trick would be, only, if any. Now reaching its third series, the drama assures an ever more emphasis on the performance of the unique casting, stronger and original scripts, and more fun delving into the mysteries of this favorite title! (asianwiki -2003)


Second best to Season 1. Everything was like Season 1: the dirty jokes (my, I am going to miss all the "flat-chested" jokes and the "big penis" ones! Yamada's description of Ueda: "He is an useless man with a big penis", isn't it just marvelous??), a lot of interaction between Yamada and Ueda, interesting cases... I think my favorite one was the last one, with all the "Je t'aime" thing. I laughed so much! Ueda is a darling, and Abe Hiroshi is and will remain my idol.

Also, there is a moment where Yamada takes Yabe his wig, but of course everything is censored! In the cheapest way, but that is also one of the charms of Trick.

That ending... OMG, fans must have been crazy when it was aired! At least I have the SP and movies... Je t'aime... Ueda, you are killing me! <3

As children, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco comes by and chases all of them them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wings and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there a life long best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids.

Fast forward a decade later, Smile and Peco are now about to compete in a high stakes regional ping pong tournament. While Peco has always wanted to be the best ping pong player in the world, he has never had the drive to fully devote himself to the game. Rather than finding him practicing in the high school gym you would more often than not find Peco hustling other kids out of money at the local ping pong parlor. This is in contrast with Smile, who has the god given talents to actually become the world’s best ping pong player, but is to humble to destroy his opponents. More often than not he allows his opponents to win points and even entire games out of sympathy for them.

Now these two best friends try to deal with their own inner turmoils, as they move further and further into the regional ping pong tournament. Peco has to overcome a knee injury while trying to rediscover the fun aspects of the game of Ping Pong. Meanwhile, Smile now seems to have gained the killer instinct by going through a rigorous training regiment instilled by his high school coach. As the tournament progresses it becomes more likely that these two best friends will face off against each in the final match.


Not really in the mood to write a review, but I'll say that this movie was exactly what I was looking for. Friendship, coming of age, sportsmanship... All the scenes were they were playing ping pong were very exciting, good shots and the music helped.

Peco has the most ridiculous hairstyle but he was full of life and I liked that. Very different from his BFF Smile. There was a mini-reunion of Ichi. In fact, I was surprised at the cast and cameos... there are a lot of familiar faces, starting with our favorite sensei, Takenaka Naoto (Nodame Cantabile, Swing Girls). Daigo's father, from Sentai Kyoryuger has also a small role. And the biggest surprise, at the end (I had to google it when I finished the movie, just to be sure), is also a little Sometani Shota! He must have been like 5 or so, so tiny and cute, but he did not say a word.

The movie is bilingual, since one of the main rivals is Chinese and he only talks in Chinese.

It does not feel like it is old, it has a very contemporary feeling. And it is not a long movie; so the pace did not feel slow nor rushed. Very well narrated. I am very interested in ping pong since I saw in several TV variety shows (like in V6 Gakuen) how the students are trained and how the schools invest so much in it. It is a very fast, interesting sport (I have never played it in all my life).

In order to get rid of widespread doomsday fears in a small town, two residents from there asks magician Naoko (Yukie Nakama) to come to their town as a goddess. When Naoko arrives in the town she sees an a handful of other pseudo gods. Mysterious phenomenons occur in sequence.

Naoko and physicist Jiro (Hiroshi Abe) become fooled by those others. In addition, Detective Kenzo (Katsuhisa Namase) and Naoko's mother Satomi (Yoko Nogiwa) become involved. Their situation goes in an unexpected direction.


Plot wise, it was a bit all over the place. It left me with more questions than answers. Why did they hire Yamada? Why was the need to murder Ueda's friend? Why murder all these people? Why sacrificing themselves at the end? Etc, etc.

Ueda remains Yamada's biggest fan. I love how enthusiastic he is every time she performs. He is cute and funny <3 Although at the end of the meeting where he invited her to come and perform, he, like the big coward he is, denies any relationship with her and let the other mock her. Poor Yamada, she was so hurt she cried ^_^

But Ueda redeems himself at the island; he is always supporting Yamada and she lays her safety in his hands. We get the old jokes again, the sexual ones XD. There is a message that Yamada misunderstands, and I loved how at the end Ueda tries to get what could she have possibly read, but she is always interrupting him, since she is very embarrassed <3 I love these two, how they care for each other but that no one is going to give the first step <3

Stresseman Takenata Naoto has a small role, very small, I was impressed. I looked at his list of movies, and oh my! He has done thousands of movies. He is truly every where.

Riko Narumi has a small role as well, but not as Yamada as a child, which was strange. No, she has a role as the hidden daughter of a couple and possible Goddess of the Turtle. Seems like the Director truly liked her, since she is always portraying Yamada as a child, but if she is not, she still has a role in the movie.

It did not feel like a movie, but more like a long episode of the dorama.

Halu (Kimura Takuya) is the captain and star player of an ice hockey team, who is greatly respected by his teammates. For him, hockey is serious business that fully occupies his mind, while he treats romance as if it were a game.

Aki (Takeuchi Yuko) is a typical OL (office lady), and is waiting for her boyfriend to return from studying architecture abroad. At this point in time however, he shows no sign of coming back. One day, Aki's friends who are determined to find her a new boyfriend, invite her to watch an ice hockey game. There she sees Halu for the first time.

After the game, Aki and her friends join the players for a party celebrating their victory. Aki, however, is not so excited to be there. When she leaves the party, she bumps into Halu, who was slightly injured from a fight. They exchange e-mail addresses and part.

The sparks of mutual attraction are ignited in a second encounter between Aki and Halu, arranged with the help of her friends shortly after a party.

Hyodo (Sato Koichi) has come as a replacement for the team's coach who has been hospitalized. Halu has a lot of respect for the hospitalized coach. Unfortunately, he can't stand Hyodo's way of doing things. Bringing with him a lot of coaching experience from overseas, Hyodo criticizes the former coach's strategies. Whenever Halu and Hyodo see each other, they get into a quarrel; consequently influencing Halu's behavior during games.

Seeing that his game ended in a brawl, Aki visits Halu to comfort him. But he tells her that she is being too friendly with him.

Aki is hurt, Halu is irritated, and his teammate Hotta (Sakaguchi Kenji) can't stand seeing Halu like this...(dramawiki)


Another KimuTaku dorama I can scratch from my list. I think this is the dorama where he was the most handsome. He looks young and carefree, and has a nice haircut, and he doesn't smoke! One of his habits I hate to see the most in his dramas... He was very good as Halu, mostly because Halu is a cool character without a sense of humor, and well, I could see KimuTaku exactly like that in real life. I mean, he is really an IDOL, cool image but even the other SMAP members barely make fun of him.

This is the first time I see Takeuchi Yuko (Aki) acting. The first time I saw her was in a SMAP corner in SMAPxSMAP, where all members that had the chance to act with her talk about her, and Kusanagi said that he really fell in love with her. She seemed like a nice, shy girl, almost like Aki. I also know that Nino is his biggest fan. She is certainly very cute and her looks remind me a bit of Ueno Juri: you wouldn't say she is the prettiest girl at first glance, but then you slowly start to realize that she is, and that in fact, she has a very cute smile.

Anyway, the chemistry between the two of them was good. And the fact that she looks a bit like Matsuko helped a little more.


What makes this dorama almost excellent:

- The soundtrack!: Queen! I may not be their biggest fan, but I love Queen. This is the first time I listened to "I Was Born To Love You", and from the first "I was born..." I loved the song. It suited the opening sequence so good. The excitement of the play, the people, the romance... everything. Since the song has a lot of power, it made the opening sequence more powerful. But it is not only there where we could listen to Queen... in fact, the entire soundtrack was Queen's: from "We will rock you" to "Bohemian Rhapsody". And well, you can't really go wrong with Queen...

- It's Hockey, minna!: not that I am a super Hockey fan, but since I watched the movie "Mighty Ducks" when I was a kid, I love Hockey. And in fact, this Sunday I will go to my very first Hockey on Ice game! so it was very exciting the few times I got to see a game. True, there weren't much, but even when the guys were in their dressing room with their uniforms on, it was exciting.

- Friendship among the players: I think it is always nice to see friendship among the guys. In the dorama, they have their backs for each other all the time. Maybe Haru and Yamato were the best friends, but Tomo was always there for them as well. And I loved what Haru did for Makoto at the end, in the final episode.

- Scenes that could have been corny were moving: like the one with Yamato and the parents of the dead boy. It starts a bit cliche and melodramatic, but the end moved me which surprised me. The other one was with Makoto. To be honest, I was expecting to hate him. One, because it is Sato Ryuta, and he always makes the "nicest" guys to be most pathetic guys. And two, well, Makoto was a joke. Too naive, too nice, too hardworking. In the end, I was surprised to be moved by his tears. Sato Ryuta was really good in this dorama, I am not ashamed to admit it.

- Bromance: awww the bromance between Haru and Yamato. I was thinking that, even if they didn't get their girls at the end, at least they had each other....

- Development of a certain character: and that is the Coach. He begins as someone cold-hearted, an antagonist to Haru. Then, a kind of rival because Coach used to date Anzai's wife, and Anzai was Haru's former coach until he died. Until slowly, they start to become if not friends, comrades. The ending for the Coach was bittersweet (wth with his eyes!) but I am glad he gets the girl at the end, he deserved her.


What ruined a little bit:

- So the first 7 chapters were entertaining, fun to watch, romantic. Then, the last 4 episodes... .MEH. A big MEH. I know Aki's charm was that she was like a girl from the last century, but what with the whole "I am waiting for my boyfriend, who got away two years ago and hadn't contacted me at all, but I am still waiting for him"! In episode 7 he shows up, so bye Haru. Sure there were tears, but neither one of them made a SINGLE MOVE. No, both preferred to suffer, on one hand she crying and getting back to her boyfriend (a boyfriend that disappeared for TWO YEARS, not a single call, not a single email, nothing! and as if in these two years he didn't hook up!); and on the other hand, Haru, with his pride, not trying to get the girl back. It was exasperating! Her side was easier to understand: she is a traditional girl and she believed Haru was just a player who couldn't love. But him! He just stand there, with a poker face, but he doesn't say ANYTHING! His friends are the one who do all the work...

- The boyfriend: Aki was an idiot or what. She did not want to be with him anymore, but she did. He had the nerve to be "jealous" when he finds out Aki had been with a guy, and he turns violent. Seemed like Aki was scared (hello, she was bleeding and all) but then she forgives him and says she thought it was cute? Huh? The domestic violence was cute? And she was still decided to marry that guy? Huh?

- Penelope? Is that you?: Aki had to wait two years for her boyfriend. Then, at the end, Haru goes to Canada to play for the NHL, and stays there for 3 years. So, in total, Aki waited 5 years for love. (!!!!) And I am sure neither one of them "waited" for Aki -and I mean, were loyal to her-.

- Yamato and his love story: can we really say it was a love story? That girl was super shallow, and if it wasn't for his accident, she would have never come back. And how things turned out for him was so out of nowhere, especially that accident. Why make things so dramatic??

- English words: I know that Japan loves all things English, but what the hell with all the "Engrish" words? Maybe, win, etc, etc. And, I am not kidding, they say Pride at least twice every episode, it was insane.

- It is true Kimura can act, he does the "kakkoi" character very well, but he can't smile! His smile is always too fake, too forced. Besides, it lasts like, 0.03 miliseconds.


In summary, episodes 1-6 were excellent. Episode 7, ends bad, with a glimpse of "the boyfriend". Episodes 8-10, bad, melodramatic, and miscommunication (I HATE miscommunication!). Episode 11, starts MEH, what with the "boyfriend" redeeming himself (I hate last minute redeems, they are like a cheap and easy way to end things). The last scene, with all the team and Haru and Aki kissing was good again.

Although 23 year old Yamada Naoko is a "super" magician, she is continously fired and constantly hounded by her landlady for the rent being late. After being fired once again, her boss shows her an ad of a physics professor, a non-believer of all things magical, offering money to anyone who can prove to him that magic is real. Desperately needing the money, Naoko accepts the challenge, which is how she comes to meet Professor Ueda. Falling prey to her simple magic tricks, Ueda is impressed, and enlists Naoko to help him uncover the tricks behind a local cult. Their hilarious antics, along with those of police officer Yabe, leads them onto further mysteries, all with tricks needing to be solved in sort of an "X-Files" meets "Scooby-Doo"...


So far, oldies are proving to be better than newbies. Mind you, not always, but whenever I think I need to watch a really good drama, I pick up an oldie.

"TRICK" was one of those doramas that I knew I would eventually watch it, but being an oldie I resisted. It is not really THAT old, but the quality of the video is the poorest I've seen so far, and there is no luck to find a better quality. It was like watching a homemade movie or something. The show by itself did not look so old (the hairstyle, clothes and electronic devices did not look THAT old-fashioned). The angles of the camera are odd, which at first I thought was kind of awkward, but really, it suits the drama.

Another reason why it took me so long was that the reviews I've read said that the jokes were too Japanese style to understand/appreciate. Well, now I see that I was completely foolish. I love Japanese humor. It is wacky, sometimes simple, sometimes over-the-top. I was constantly giggling while watching "TRICK". Sure, it is not entirely comedy, but the few times they worked (like every time Ueda fainted... I swear, he does that in almost every episode, and it is always funny!).

The two main actors were superb. I love both of them, I knew they couldn't do anything wrong. But I was so pleased with the chemistry between them. Sometimes it felt like Nakame Yukie (Yamada Naoko), while talking to Abe Hiroshi (Ueda Jiro), was struggling not to laugh. I love every time she said "Usai, Ueda!", or "Baka Ueda!", or every time she called him Ueda, not using any honorific suffix. Ueda is a respectable Professor and physicist, but she treats him like he is her younger brother sometimes. She loves to play with his mind, and although he is a physicist, ergo, not believing in any paranormal activity, he easily falls for anything she tells him. Their relationship was so funny, light, and at the same time, you can sense their bonding.

Yamada is the one who gets the tricks in every chapter, who solves almost every thing, but Ueda is also useful (he knows some martial arts). They complemented each other. She is super tiny, with "Small Breasts", while he is huge, with a "Big Penis". It is amazing but these jokes about their sizes were funny every time, and it never gets old. They make a lovely couple (they are both very attractive as well), a mismatched couple.

There are in total like 4 cases in the entire first Season. Not all of them end satisfactorily. My favorite one may be the one were the girl "killed" people thru her "powers". It had several twists and although some questions remained unanswered, it was kind of creepy.

I don't know if I would recommend it to "anyone" (specially not to someone who is not used to a Japanese dorama), but in my case, I loved it and I would re-watch it without a doubt.

In a Japanese high school, a class of adolescent geeks joins the new synchronized swimming teacher and takes up the challenge to take part in the competition, in spite of the mockeries of the "real sportsmen". (source: imdb)

I loved the movie "Swing Girls" and this one, since it is from the same director, has the same feelings. It is light, it is funny and sweet and mostly, it is about friendship and creating wonderful memories in school with your classmates. A group of "losers", that achieve something great where all other people -other classmates- did not give them a chance.

I thought I was going to be repelled by skinny guys in tiny swimsuits. But I did not, not at all! In fact, I was not bothered by it at all. At first I admired these guys for acting at least 40% of the movie in these swimsuits. Oh and the guy in thong! Poor boy... that thong was serious business.

This is the first time I see Tsumabaki Satoshi acting. He was cute, a down-to-earth kind of guy, and so tanned! There are definitely no stunt-guys in this movie. All guys are to tanned by the end of the movie.

Sure there are cliches or lame jokes. Like when Sato, the afro-guy, caught fire in his hair. Or the gay guy and his effeminate mannerisms. But.. I don't know. I guess there was so much "heart" on the movie that it did not matter. I think it was more a slice of life than a comedy, and little jokes in slice of life stories are cute.

We have in the movie a tiny Nodame reunion! Or should I say, a pre-Nodame reunion... Chiaki and Stresseman! Looks like the Director loved working with the actor Stresseman (he has a main role in SG as well) and with Tanaka Yoyi (who has a cameo as a police man).

Did Tamaki have that mole for real when he was younger? Or was it makeup only? Because I can't figure it our why would he have a fake mole.... And as expected from this handsome man, he had the best body among the students, just saying.

The final performance was awesome. I refrained myself from clapping and cheering them while I was watching it. Good job you guys!

Computer engineer Otaku (the Japanese term for “geek”) is an average young man, dressed in unstylish clothes and dorky glasses. But as luck would have it, he encounters a pretty young woman on a commuter train and saves her from a lecherous molester, falling in love with her at first sight.

A few days later he receives a thank-you message from the woman along with a set of Hermes teacups . Having never had a girlfriend or received a gift from a girl in his life , Otaku seeks out his pals on Internet Bulletin Board (BBS) website for advice using his codename Train Man (Densha Otoko) : “How should I ask her out?” Deeply interested in Train Man’s first love, his BBS pals eagerly supply him with advice. Encouraged by their support, Train Man undergoes a total makeover for his first-ever date with “Hermess.” Little does he know that he is about to ignite an Internet phenomenon ...

I fell in love with this story after I read the manga. I am currently reading the novel (it is hilarious) so I was tempted over the weekend to watch the movie. While it was good, and it actually made me be a little bit tearful, I was a bit disappointed. I don't think people who had not read the manga/novel should watch the movie first. The good part of the story is, of course, the online community. In the book it is like a continuation of a previous thread; Densha's story begins out of nowhere. In the movie, however, he starts a new thread asking for someone to listen to his story. Seven people are his "buddies": 3 gamers, 1 nurse, 1 hikikomori, and a married couple.

I think that, maybe because the movie is shorter, but the netizen did not have a major role as I was hoping. Their advices are less, the fun (except for the 3 gamers) is also less. It is more the story between Densha and Hermes, than Densha and the online community. In that sense, it was a big let down.

Yamada was good as Densha, and Miki also as Hermes. He looks awkward and sweet, although his makeover did not feel too real (since the actor is someone attractive, they made him look "too" otaku before the change). Miki looks quiet and super nice, like Hermes would (in my imagination at least), but there was a scene in the movie I did not comprehend. Why did she run away when she saw Densha in front of the computer, before he decides they were "too different"? Since that is something that Hermes did not do (at least in the manga), it was OoC, I think maybe to make the movie more dramatic.

The 3 gamers were, no doubt, the best of all netizens. They represented how the community really behaved online, with the bombs and their cheers. It did not hurt that 2 of the actors (Yoshinori Okada and Makoto Sakamoto) are always in awesome movies and doramas. They are great! (I am currently watching Sakamoto in Nodame and in Liar Game; this guy is everywhere). Another "Nodame" character: Eita! A bit disappointed in his role, though. He shines wherever he is, but his character, since he is an isolated, gloomy boy, which did not suit him.

Not a bad movie, but I would recommend to read the story first, or the magic would be lost.

Synopsis

Kohei Kuryu is a former juvenile delinquent who drops out of junior high and goes on to earn a high school equivalency diploma. After passing the law board exams, Kuryu becomes a prosecutor. Not your typical prosecutor, which is quickly seen through the clothes that he wears, Kuryu possesses quick instincts and a kind of cleverness that only someone raised on the streets could have.

Maiko Amamiya is a shrewd public prosecutor who has her eyes set on passing the exam to become a deputy prosecutor and tries her best to be noticed by her boss. Kuryu, on the other hand, after earning a reputation for doing top-notch work, is transferred to Amamiya's division, and finally opens his eyes to the possibility of promotion. Unfortunately, his unprecedented work behavior abruptly brings things to a halt.

Although earning a reputation as a bad apple, the influence from Kuryu's strong pursuit of justice slowly begins to change things around him. This drama is filled with it all; love, laughs and lots of emotion. --Fuji TV

I was tempted to drop it after I finished the first episode. And the 2nd. And the 3rd. But around episode 4 I started to like it. By the end, I liked all characters, I laughed out loud several times, and I am glad I did not quit.

All characters have their own charming personality. The angles of the camera seemed a bit weird at the beginning, but I grew fond of it. It was very old fashioned. Not only the camera, but the presentation and introduction of the actors as well. It was like watching an old American show.

To be honest, I did not understand most of the cases, especially at the beginning, because I had to idea what was the role of a prosecutor and of a paralegal. That would be my advise to people who will watch to dorama; to read and understand the differences between prosecutors and paralegal and detectives and attorneys.

There are a lot of close-up of the faces of the actors, which leads me to one of the negative points in my case. I know that Japanese people do not have really good teeth, but when there is a close up and they talk, it is hard to not noticed their tobacco stains; mainly in Kimura Takuya and in Otsuka Nene (Nakamura Misuzu). It was very distracting.

Also, I think that Kimura is a wonderful actor, and his role in this dorama suited him perfectly. What I don't understand is why he needs to smile that fake smile and laugh out loud to become perfectly serious in a second. It was unnecessary, and I disliked every time he did that.

This is the fist time I watch Matsu Takako; she is very good actress, very pretty, and she cries so nice. Also the first time I watch Abe Hiroshi (O_O), wow he is so tall!

It is an oldie (the oldest dorama I've watched so far), but it does not feel like it -except for some clothes (Kuryu's jacket; the ladies' skirts).

I liked the soundtrack; and the ending song was really good. I will start listening to Utada Hikaru after this.

Good dorama, nothing dramatic, has some fun moments, a tiny bit of romance, good acting and forgettable cases.

My review: 6.5/10