Sengyou Shufu Tante - Watashi wa Shadow Episodes 3-7 Screenshots

Warning: Possible spoilers ahead

Sengyou Shufu Tante has turned into the surprise of the season so far. What started out to be a run of the mill drama about character development of the main character (played by an actress who gets mixed reactions from fans no less), has developed quite an interesting plot. The main character, Serina, is not only trying to grow stronger through being a detective, but she is also trying to hold onto her husband Takefumi. Takefumi is being persued relentlessly Chihaya, her boss. However, Takefumi and Chihaya are caught up in a power struggle for the company they work with, that involves Chihaya's husband and Serina's father being the main villains of the show. So far, Fukada Kyoko's acting has been mixed. Sometimes she overacts, but she does fit her character well. She does an ok job of portraying her character's struggles and nuances. Fujiki Naohito's acting has also been mixed, but that's mostly because he's playing a character that seems to be intentionally flat. The supporting cast in general, has been pretty solid, with an excellent performance by Kiritani Kenta. But what makes the show interesting is the storyline, with all the behind the scenes drama. This drama is expected to have 9 episodes altogether, so that would leave about two episodes left over.

Sengyou Shufu Tante - Watashi wa Shadow Screenshots

I've checked out the first two episodes of Sengyou Shufu Tante~ Watashi wa Shadow, a drama staring Kyoko Fukada, Naohito Fujiki, Kenta Kirtani, and Yuriko Ishida. This drama is about the main character, Serina (played by Fukada), growing from a weak and clingy housewife to becoming strong while working as a detective. The first episode was kinda meh. Kyoko's character was annoying, although intentionally meant to be annoying. The case was just about Kyoko finding a lost dog. On an intersting note, the dog used in the episode looks a whole lot like Kyoko's real-life toy poodle, although I don't know her dog's name. The second episode, however, was much more interesting. We got to see the beginning stages of Serina's character development, which really helped me to like her character more. While trying to grow out of her comfort zone, Serina is also trying to hold onto her husband, Fumi (played by Fujiki), who's boss (played by Ishida) is trying hook up with him. I think the second episode set up things nicely to make the show potentially interesting. Hopefully it will continue to get much better.

Actresses Best Fit to Play the Role of a Young and Rich Lady?

Recently, goo ranking did a survey on whom the audience thought would be best suited for the "young and rich lady" role. Coming in at #1 was Kyoko Fukada, followed by Keiko Kitagawa at #2. I thought this was really cool, since Kyoko and Keiko are my two favorite Japanese actresses. Kyoko played this role in Fugoh Keiji, a drama I really don't care about. Keiko is playing the role in her newest drama, Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de. Also making the list was one of my other favorites, Gakky at #10, whom I actually think would be best suited for such a role. Here's the full list.


1. Fukada Kyoko
2. Kitagawa Keiko
3. Takei Emi
4. Ayase Haruka
5. Horikita Maki
6. Ishihara Satomi
7. Toda Erika
8. Sasaki Nozomi
9. Karina
10. Aragaki Yui

Source: Tokyohive

A Look Ahead to the 2011 Fall Drama Season

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de.



Starring Keiko Kitagawa and Arashi member Sho Sakurai. Kitagawa plays the part of Reiko Hosho, a rich detective whom lacks detective skills. Sakurai plays Kageyama, Reiko's buttler whom helps her solve the cases. The synopsis sounds a bit cheesy but I'll watch it anyways, since I'm a Keiko Kitagawa fan.

Sengyou Shufu Tantei ~ Watashi wa Shadow




Stars Kyoko Fukada and Naohito Fujiki. Fukada plays the part of Serina, a bumbling housewife turned detective who is suppose to grow stronger throughout. Sounds like there might be some interesting character development for Kyoko's character, and may be interesting to at least check it out. Hopefully it will get subbed.

Kaito Royale




This drama will be a late night drama (Fridays at 24:20), which means that episodes will likely be only 30 minutes long. It stars a trio of talented new and young actors: Tori Matsuzaka, Aya Oomasa, and Seiji Fukushi. I've seen in the tokusatsu series Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, in which he played the main character, Takeru. He did a fine job in that series, and I've been looking forward to seeing him in something else since. It's ashame that Gold hasn't been fully subbed yet, because I would like to see Matsuzaka in it. I've also seen Aya Oomasu and Seiji Fukushi in minor roles in other dramas. Oomasu I've seen in Buzzer Beat, playing Yamapi's younger sister. I've seen Fukushi play Keiko Kitagawa's older brother in Hitsudan Hostess. Both were ok in their respective roles, so they should be ok to watch here. As for the plot itself, Matsuzaka plays the character Rei, who's hired to steal an expensive ring called "Alexander's tear." This drama has an attractive cast and I'll probably try to watch it, but it may take me some time to get around to it.

Nankyoku Tairiku




This one is likely to be a ratings getter, with vastly popular actors Takuya Kimura and Haruka Ayase. Just about any Kimutaku drama draw at least an average 15% rating. The drama itself celebrates TBS' 60th anniversary and seems to be based on a true story. It's about a group of 11 people whom were sent to explore Antartica on a national project. It does sound interesting, but this is a drama that I probably won't pick up until after it's finished. I may be hard pressed to watch the first three I have listed.

Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake J-Drama Review (1998)

Warning: Spoilers Ahead



Info
Title: Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (Japanese: 神様、もう少しだけ)
English Title: God Please Give Me More Time/Precious Time
Episodes: 12
TV Station: Fuji TV
Broadcast Time: July 7, 1998 to September 22, 1998 on Tuesdays at 21:00
Genre: Drama, romance, disease/disability
Average TV Rating: 22.5%

Synopsis
A touching love story about a girl Kano Masaki (Fukada) who contracted HIV after selling her body in order to earn money for the concert of a famous composer Ishikawa Keigo (Kaneshiro). After the concert, Keigo saw Masaki chasing after his van. She was drenched, and thus Keigo took her to his apartment, where they spent the night.

Cast
Kaneshiro Takeshi as Ishikawa Keigo
Fukada Kyoko as Kano Masaki
Kato Haruhiko as Hibino Isamu
Nakama Yukie as Kaoru
Yazawa Shin as Oda Asami
Hirata Mitsuru as Kano Nogiro
Tanaka Yoshiko as Kano Yaeko
Masuoka Toru as Arida Yoshikatsu
Tonesaku Toshihide as Kubo Takashi
Tanaka Yukimi (田中有紀美) as Tamura Kana
Takeshita Kotaro (竹下宏太郎) as Isawa Hiroyuki
Nagahori Taketoshi (永堀剛敏) as Noguchi Takaaki
Isayama Hiroko as Hiratsuka Ishi
Miyazawa Rie as Takimura Lisa
Katsurayama Shingo (ep3)
Kohinata Fumiyo (ep10)

Awards
Television Drama Academy Awards:
Best Drama
Best Actor: Kaneshiro Takeshi
Best Supporting Actress: Fukada Kyoko
Best Theme Song: I For You - Luna Sea
Best Scriptwriter: Asano Taeko
Best Director: Takeuchi Hideki
Best Cast
Best Opening

My Review
Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake is one of my all-time favorites. It has everything you would want in a drama. A touching story, great cast, awesome soundtrack, and a very good romance. It's as close as you can get to being a masterpiece.

The story circles around Masaki (played by Kyoko Fukada), whom contracts HIV after trying prostitution to get enough money to go to a concert. The concert she goes to is set up by the music producer Keigo, whom Masaki is a big fan of. Later on, the two develop a friendship that starts out of Keigo's sympathy for Masaki and eventually turns into a romance. On paper it does sound a little far fetch but to be honest almost anything on TV (rather it's J-Dramas or Hollywood) has some unrealistic parts. The plot is daring, tackling controversial subjects like HIV, prostitution, and social attitudes. What really makes the story great is the depth that it has. It's more than just about AIDS and prostitution. Other issues tackled in the drama included school bullying, having kids, social attitudes towards AIDS patients, and child-parent relationships. This makes for an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions, and you can really sympathize with the characters. It's a tearjerker, yet very beautiful.




Fukada's role as Masaki is generally agreed by most to be her best acting performance. She won a J-Drama academy award for best supporting actress in the drama, though it makes absolutely no sense why she won the award for supporting actress since she portrays the main character in the drama. Indeed, Kyoko was excellent in her role as Masaki. It was a vastly mature role for Kyoko, especially considering that she was only 15 at the time of filming the drama. She's able to bring a lot of depth to her character and shows a wide range of emotions. Her character is somewhat on the immature side initially, but looking from a teenager's point of view you can't really blame her. Besides having to deal with the virus, she's bullied at school once her classmates find out. On top of that her mom is having an affair and her dad neglects his own responsibilities as head of the household. Masaki's also unable to take the medication given to her due to the strong side-effects. Masaki's attitude does change throughout the drama, and matures tremendously. Later on there's some really good moments that bring out the best of her character. A couple great examples are the speech she gives at her school where she confesses to having HIV, and in the last episode where she's willing to sacrifice her life to give birth.



One particular part of the story I really enjoyed was Masaki's relationship with her parents. The process in which her relationship with both her parents changes leads to some good character development for both her and her parents, as well as some touching moments. She struggles to tell them that she contracted the HIV virus. Besides that, both of Masaki's parents have their own issues. Masaki's mom is having an affair, and after finding out Masaki is even more reluctant to talk to her. Despite her affair, Masaki's mom is deeply worried about Masaki after noticing a change in her. Eventually Masaki opens up to her mom after realizing that she does care for her. Meanwhile, Masaki's dad is pretty much your stereotypical father. He neglects his family's needs, and yet is overprotective and overreacts to anything he doesn't like. Eventually he changes and admits his own faults.



The male lead is Keigo, played by Takeshi Kaneshiro who is more well known for playing in a handful of Chinese wuxia films such as House of Flying Daggers and Red Cliff. Keigo is a cold and emotionless character due to his dark past. His character balances out Masaki, who's younger, bubbly, and cheerful (before learning she has HIV). Like Masaki he has his own issues to deal with, such as his dark past and his dwindling music career. Like Kyoko, Takeshi won a J-Drama Academy Award, winning the Best Actor award. He's just as strong in his role as Kyoko is.




Eventually, the two leads develop a romance. Both lead characters help each other to develop. Takeshi and Kyoko have fairly good chemistry, and are a likable couple, with many good kissing scenes throughout. However, it's this romance where the only real flaws exist. First is the character Kaoru played by Nakama Yukie (Trick, Gokusen). Kaoru is the annoying, jealous woman whom tries to steal Keigo from Masaki. The other flaw is an idiot ball plot over the last three episodes. Keigo willingly has offscreen unprotected sex with Kyoko, and it's implied in the lead-up. Yet Masaki gives birth to a child and somehow neither Keigo nor the child get infected. Admittedly it is possible and Masaki's child birth did make for some really good drama and touching scenes later, but the writers didn't need to go as far as they did to imply that they had unprotected sex. It just makes the scene somewhat disturbing to think about.

The only other issue I had with this drama is that the ending is bittersweet. Masaki dies, which is expected since she had HIV. I wasn't really upset about her dying since it was inevitable throughout. The bigger issue I have was Masaki dying at her wedding, which is what made it bittersweet. Still, it's not as painfully bittersweet as other dramas, like Summer Snow, and everything before Masaki's death does feel like a happy ending and leaves you satisfied.





A major bonus that this drama has is the OST. The soundtrack is one of the best among J-Dramas, filled with many great songs. Highlighting the soundtrack is the opening theme song, I For You by Luna Sea. The intro itself is fun to watch. There's other great songs as well, including a beautiful piano piece, Wishes by S.E.N.S. and In The Sky by Kudo Shizuka.

My Rating
9.5/10- This drama has the complete package. The cast is great, the music is awesome, and the emotional yet beautiful story outweigh the flaws.

Remote J-Drama Review (2002)

Info

Title: Remote (Japanese: リモート)

Episodes: 10

TV Station: NTV

Broadcast Time: October 12, 2002 to December 14th, 2002 on Saturdays at 21:00

Genre: Comedy, mystery, cop show

Average TV Rating: 10.7%

Cast

Domoto Koichi as Himuro Kosaburo
Fukada Kyoko as Ayaki Kurumi
Konishiki as Bob Kato
Nagura Jun (名倉潤) as Otaguro Keibu
Tamaki Hiroshi as Shingo
Sakai Miki as Sakaki Naomi
Kimura Yoshino as Sakaki Yuka
Takasugi Ko (ep5,6)
Waki Tomohiro as Fudo Shinichi (ep6)
Matsumoto Rio as Karen Chikumagawa (ep8)
Kinouchi Akiko
Eita as Sawamura Keisuke
Inoue Yoshiko
Maeda Ken (ep8)

Synopsis

Locked away deep in his home and hiding a secret that keeps him there, Detective Kozaburo Himuro remains ever vigilant in his duties of police work. But how does the wunderkind detective investigate crime scenes without ever stepping out of his home? Enter traffic cop Kurumi Ayaki. She's a young lady who's about to marry and resign from the force when tasked with being Himuro's eyes and ears on the beat. While on the scene of the crime their only means of communication is via mobile phone. Together they investigate a series of mind-boggling murder mysteries that put them, particularly Kurumi, in constant danger. Can Kurumi keep up with Detective Himuro, and the fast-paced and dangerous work of criminal investigation?

Awards
35th Television Drama Academy Awards:
Best Supporting Actor: Domoto Koichi
Best Theme Song: Solitude "Shinjitsu no Sayonara" - Kinki Kids

6th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix:
Best Supporting Actor: Domoto Koichi

My Review

This show I think is pretty darn good. It manages to mix well executed comedy with some really serious and heartwarming moments. The combination of comedy and mystery is really entertaining and interesting in this drama. The two main characters have very contrasting personalities, which makes it even more fun. Domoto Koichi plays the role of Himuro Kosaburo, a genius and stoic detective. Himuro-keiji (Detective Himuro), however, is a shut-in due to his dark past. Fukada Kyoko plays Ayaki Kurumi, a simple minded and ditzy traffic cop who only gives out parking tickets and is getting married soon. Yet Kurumi's life changes when she's picked to be Himuro's eyes on every case. Seeing these two work together and often butt heads is pretty funny, they make a really good combo. I felt these two couldn't be more suited for their respective roles. Domoto Koichi won two awards for best supporting actor in this drama and they were well deserved. Fukada Kyoko overacts but it's appropriate for her character and for the comic relief. I felt her comedic timing was well done and she put on a good performance, one of her best IMO. Konishiki, an American actor, was funny as well in his role as Bob Kato. However, the comedy isn't the only thing that's good about this series. Most of the cases are well done, and there's some really touchy moments, particularly with the school case and the revelation of Himuro's dark past. My favorite case was in Episode 8, with the character called "hungry man." This case was chillingly creepy. I also loved the ending of the series. I won't spoil it, but I'll say it was pretty funny and was a fitting ending for this drama.

Pros

* Combination of well executed comedy, mystery, and heartwarming stories make this drama really entertaining.

* Both leads put on good performances and their characters contrasting personalities make for some really funny interaction.

* Episodic but episodic done really well with well written cases and stories.

* Well-directed series.

* The Kinki Kids theme song was ok.

Cons

* Some people might find Fukada Kyoko's character a little annoying, but I personally thought she was really funny.

My Rating

9/10- Not the best show I've seen but definitely a fun watch. Highly recommended.