Whew, I’m just in time for the start of the spring season of 2015! Some spring jdramas on this list have already started airing, while others are about to start airing shortly. Here’s what I’m keeping an eye out for this season:
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For the Cast
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Dr. Rintaro
Notable Cast:
Aoi Yu, Sakai Masato, Kichise Michiko
Genre:
Medical
Network:
NTV
Short Summary:
Dr. Rintaro (Sakai Masato) is a renowned psychiatrist who is so popular that he goes on talk shows, gives lectures at universities, and has famous patients. Although he helps heal people’s hearts, he is passive when it comes to his love life. But when he encounters a well-known geisha, Yumeno, (Aoi Yu) Dr. Rintaro’s life starts to change…
Thoughts:
^Aoi Yu as Yumeno
This may sound like blasphemy to all Sakai Masato fans, but Sakai Masato’s name is not the one that jumps out to me the most on the cast list. Even though Sakai Masato is all the rage nowadays due to his roles in Legal High & Hanzawa Naoki, I feel neutral towards him. I’ve seen him before in JOKER but I wasn’t blown away by his acting or anything. To each his own, right? Actually, I’m way more excited to see Aoi Yu! This will be the first time I’ve seen her portray a geisha, so I’m curious to see how she will tackle her role . I’m also looking forward to seeing her as a geisha because she looks so different! I could barely recognize her in the stills, omg! O:
As for the story itself, I guess it will be a combination of medical + romance? I think the characters will probably be the biggest attraction of the drama…after all, it’s not too often that we see both a geisha and a doctor as the main characters. I’m wary of the medical aspect of the drama because oftentimes medical jdramas are quite cheesy. (Don’t get me wrong, there’s other amazing medical jdramas as well.)
Preview:
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Kokoro ga Pokitto ne
Notable Cast:
Fujiki Naohito, Yamaguchi Tomoko, Abe Sadao, Mizuhara Kiko
Genre:
Rom-com
Network:
Fuji TV
Short Summary:
A love square between for people. Haruto’s (Abe Sadao) life spirals downwards as he loses his job, his home, and his marriage. He finds work at a furniture repair shop, which is owned by Shin (Fujiki Naohito). It turns out that Shin is dating Haruto’s ex-wife (Yamaguchi Tomoko)! Things get even more complicated when a young woman, Miyako (Mizuhara Kiko), falls in love with Shin at first sight.
Thoughts:
Classic love square + rom-com, eh? I think this drama may turn out to be really popular because 1) It has Fujiki Naohito 2) It’s a rom-com. Japanese rom-coms tend to be super popular. I’m not sure whether the story will have enough to keep me watching because I fear that it will have all the usual rom-com tropes though. >_> The scriptwriter, Okada Yoshikazu, has a great track-record–he’s written for Zeni Geba, Flowers for Algernon (NO, not the new one with Yamapi.), and Oyaji no Senaka. So I think the writing will be decent. *fingers crossed*
Obviously Fujiki Naohito is the main draw for me in the cast. The one cast member I’m not so excited about is Mizuhara Kiko, a newbie actress. The reason I’m sorta iffy about Mizuhara Kiko in this role is that I fear she’ll be overwhelmed by the stage presence of the three other more experienced main actors. (By the way, she’s the same actress who is playing Mikasa in the Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan live action.)
Preview:
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Yokokuhan ~ The Pain
Notable Cast:
Toda Erika, Kiritani Kenta, Higashiyama Noriyuki
Genre:
Mystery, suspense, crime, live action
Network:
WOWOW
Short Summary:
The Shimbunshi is a group of vigilantes that holds mock trials for people who are accused of committing a crime. The group gives punishments for those who are found guilty. They also post videos of the trials online. Yoshino (Toda Erika), the head of the cyber crime unit, aims to hunt down the Shimbunshi…
Thoughts:
TODA ERIKA!!! Actually I almost missed that Toda Erika was even in a spring jdrama because the promo poster has a tiny little picture of her. T_T” So glad I found her name though! So obviously I’m really looking forward to seeing Toda Erika as the head of a police unit…I guess it’ll give me flashbacks to her role in BOSS, hehe. I also like Kiritani Kenta so that’s another plus.
The mystery itself doesn’t sound that compelling to me. It could get kinda cheesy…I mean, seriously? Newspaper face masks? But who knows, maybe the mystery will end up being really good?
Preview:
This is the preview for the Yokokuhan movie, which aired earlier this year. I think the storyline precedes the drama. I will update this later when the drama preview is released.
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Futagashira
Notable Cast:
Matsuyama Kenichi, Saotome Taichi, Narimiya Hiroki
Genre:
period, live action
Network:
WOWOW
Short Summary:
This is about two men–Benzo (Matsuyama Kenichi) and Soji (Saotome Taichi)–who are a part of a gang called “Akame”. Their boss tells them that he will leave the gang in their hands. But after the boss’ death, Benzo and Soji discover that Jinzaburo (Narimiya Hiroki) is actually the successor. They decide to split from the gang.
Thoughts:
I’m mainly looking forward to this for the casting of Kenichi Matsuyama, an excellent actor who has starred in several movies and the jdrama Zeni Geba. He has only been in a couple of jdramas in the past five years (he was more active in movies than in jdramas during this time), so I think it’s noteworthy that he’s coming back for Futagashira.
BUT! I think the story will also be good. Usually I’m sorta wary about live actions but this one is by WOWOW and I’ve had a good experience with the WOWOW live action for xxxHOLiC. Again, the synopsis is kinda vague so I have no idea what the main characters are going to do once they leave the gang. O_O” I will wait for the previews for more clarification.
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For the Story
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Fuben na Benriya
Notable Cast:
Okada Masaki, Suzuki Kosuke, Endo Kenichi
Genre:
Comedy
Network:
TV Tokyo
Short Summary:
A young man (Okada Masaki) is stranded in a rural town in Hokkaido due to a snowstorm. He ends up staying in town and starts working at a benriya (a business that does handyman jobs).
Thoughts:
This drama has the potential to be wacky and fun. I already love the concept of the benriya because I loved the benriya in Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi!
Preview:
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Yume o Ataru
Notable Cast:
Komatsu Nana, Kikuchi Rinko, Mackenyu, Odagiri Joe
Genre:
?? Romance? Tragedy? Novel adaptation.
Network:
WOWOW
Short Summary:
The story of Yuko (Komatsu Nana (old Yuko)/Tani Kanon (young Yuko), who enters the show business at a young age due to her mom’s (Kikuchi Rinko) wishes. Years later, she joins an entertainment company and rises to fame. However she has a conflict between her real self and her celebrity image. She meets a free-spirited dancer (Mackenyu) who freely lives his life. A tragedy starts to unfold..
Thoughts:
I give my vote to Yume o Ataru for the best promo poster, it’s so mesmerizing isn’t it? The synopsis is really mysterious–I can’t tell whether it’s supposed to be a tragic romance or a melodrama or what? Knowing WOWOW, it is bound to be a dark story. But I’ll have to wait for a preview to be released to gauge what the drama will be like.
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64 (Rokuyon)
Notable Cast:
Pierre Taki, Kimura Yoshino, Arai Hirofumi, Nagayama Kento
Genre:
mystery, suspense, novel adaptation
Network:
NHK
Short Summary:
The story of the unsolved case of “64,” which involved the kidnapping and murder of the victim. The statue of limitations for the case is going to run out soon. But then another kidnapping happens, and it is a copycat of 64…
Thoughts:
You have to see the preview to see why I think this will good. The preview is super intense and suspenseful, so I’m hoping that it’ll be great mystery! Also, it’s only 5 episodes long, which is just the right length. The Long Goodbye was 5 episodes long (also by NHK) and it was amazing. So I have no doubt that NHK could pull it off again.
Preview:
You can view the preview on the official site here.
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Etc.
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DoS Deka
I’m surprised to see Tabe Mikako in a “bad cop” kind of role. I guess it’s because I’m so used to seeing her in ‘good girl’ roles?
Algernon ni Hanataba o 2015
I can’t believe they’re making another remake of Flowers of Algernon, starring Yamapi & Kuriyama Chiaki! There’s already a 2002 jdrama adaptation of Flowers of Algernon starring Kanno Miho and Yusuke Santamaria. So I don’t think there’s a need for yet another Algernon adaptation. =_= At least the poster is pretty? And just a heads up for those who will be watching this, this isn’t a happy story.
Renai Jidai
The synopsis sounds really cute. A divorced couple decide to find each other a new marriage partner/date. I watched some of episode 1 and (*spoiler*) it’s obvious that the divorced couple still loves each other but has no idea about it. Also their relationship is the classic constant-bickering type. I don’t want to watch them bickering and being oblivious about their feelings for each other the entire time. T_T”
And for those who are instantly connecting Renai Jidai to the k-drama Alone in Love, guess what, both of them are adaptations of the same novel, “Renai Jidai” by Hisashi Nozawa.
Mother Game ~ Onnatachi no Kaikyuu
In all honesty, this drama looks like it could be a really fun and popular watch. I recognize ALL the names for the main cast members! And I love the poster! But…I doubt that I will follow this drama because it will be all about the high society of rich mothers. =_=
Bijo to Danshi
The English translation “The Beauty and the Fellow” sounds really awkward. I can see how they had trouble figuring out which word to use for Danshi which means a young guy. I thought of all the other possibilities…the beauty and the guy? The beauty and the young man? The beauty and the boy? Nothing sounds quite right.
Anyways, I took a peek at episode 1 for Nakama Yukie but…I definitely will not be watching this. >_> It takes a whole episode for her character just to get the main guy character to agree to be her talent recruit. Meh.
I’m Home
At first I didn’t recognize Kimutaku with his new hairstyle! Interesting Kimutaku will be working with Ueto Aya. I’m not interested in the synopsis because the ‘I don’t really know my family’ story has been done before. In fact, the jdrama Ryuusei Wagon, did this very concept just last season.
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Are there any other jdramas you’re looking forward to that aren’t on this list? What spring jdramas & actors are you looking forward to the most, and why? Which promo poster or trailer is your favorite?
Note: Please comment if a video link is broken, or if the video no longer exists.
Sources: Dramawiki / Jdrama Weblog / Asianwiki