pash
Italy
In Japan it's been pretty successful (leading to two more seasons and a movie!), but unfortunately only this first season got subbed so far.
Of course this is partially explainable with the fact that it's quite hard to translate dramas like this into another language, so full as it is with cultural references, inside jokes, quotes etc.
But I'm afraid that the biggest "problem" is the average age of the leads - and that's particularly sad, specially for "oji-sans" like me! T_____T
If you wanna take my advice though (and take a break from the more usual dramas and their mostly "ageists" casts, give this a try, as it's really very good! ^___-
A meta-drama with a cast filled to the brim with great Japanese actors (both as leads as well as the weekly guests), most of them playing themselves, though of course in fictional situations (you know the "...no Satsukyu" series? A bit like that! ^___-)
A great declaration of love for dramas and the people working on (and mostly, IN) them!
The acting was superb, as expected; the script really brilliant; the music, imho, spectacularly good!
What's not to like? Perfect 10! ^___^
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The Cast
I've watched this because of Izumi Rika, and she didn't let me down at all: she's the very definition of GORGEOUS, and she did a very good job portraying the schizophrenic FL! But the rest of the cast did well too. with a particular praise for Kanon.
The "Packaging"
Music, photography, directing, editing...in a word, the "packaging", was absolutely OK.
On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of the premise, sorry - way too absurd and even a little disturbing, honestly (I mean the fact that the FL is attracted by a ML who is made to look and behave like a primary school kid - seriously, the only thing missing was the yellow cap, and the illusion would've been complete! With inverted sexes, I could only imagine the sh*tstorm it would've provoked!!! >__<)
But this is not to criticize the writer too much, as at least he took that silly premise and made a decent drama out of it, with a script that, albeit not being perfect, still had its moments (some very funny scenes, and some surprisingly deeper ones).
All in all, not a masterpiece, allright, but definitely an enjoyable watch just the same!
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This review may contain spoilers
Plasticky...watch it only for the cast (they did a good job!)
Were I to use only one word to describe this "Please Classmate", that word would be "plasticky".Fake and shallow as a tv commercial. But at least, those last 30", tops. This, instead, 24 looong episodes.
But, first things first - what I DID like, i.e.:
The Cast
True, a coupla actors were below par imho, but overall, the whole cast did a good job (heck, in some cases even a very good job, given the material they had to work with!). I have watched this for Dai Lu Wa and she didn't let me down. Honorable mentions also for Siwaige and Gao Xuan Ming.
The Music
Not really my cup of tea, but I'll admit it's mostly catchy, and it goes well with the genre, so all in all it gets the passing grade.
And now on to what I did NOT like:
The Story
Sorry to sound so harsh, but to me the writer didn't do a decent job, like, *at all*. It felt like an Asian-drama version of the meta-soap from the movie "Pleasantville". Take all the clichés of the genre, mix them together, and what you get is a cheesy, obnoxiously unoriginal, indeed plasticky yawnfest.
The "Packaging"
Photography, editing etc. contributed highly to that "tv commercial" feeling. The always tremendously fake lighting most of all!
In all fairness, though, even without the packaging, it would have given the same fake vibes, due to the script's faults. Again, if you've watched "Pleasantville", this is really like that "meta-soap": everything feels fake, whatever problems the characters face, they're not realistic at all. A coupla examples? (spoilers ahead, consider yourselves warned and jump to the conclusion if you want to avoid those)
In this drama the characters have to face the Gaokao, but it's all done in a few minutes with a few scenes edited together, and boom! they all got good grades apparently, like that, magically.
The FL thinks she might be suffering from leukemia, like her late father? Don't worry, it's just anemia.
The ML bombs the race upon which lies his future? Don't worry, someone retires last minute and he'll get another chance.
The SML misses his programming contest, gets found out, and is set to change schools? Don't worry, everything sorts out, his father does a U-turn and becomes suddenly reasonable, and a "flash-mob" by his school-mates will convince his icy mom too.
The love triangle isn't enough to run for 24 episodes? Don't worry, the lousy scriptwriter will add a third male lead who's a long-lost childhood friend of the FL and a teen idol on top of that.
Seriously, 24 episodes of this. It took me *ages* to finish it. I should've dropped it and forget all about it (matter of fact, that's precisely what I've done with many dramas; my "Dropped" list containing but a tiny minority of the dramas I actually dropped - normally, those that I felt were so bad that they deserved a mention for future reference) but I kept hoping it would get better at some point. It didn't.
Conclusion
I noticed that my opinion differs from that of basically everyone else here, so take it for what it is: my humble opinion an nothing more. Perhaps I'm too old for this kind of things (if the world doesn't end in the the next coupla years, I might even turn 50, LOL). Or maybe it's just that I really dislike dramas giving these überfake, plasticky vibes (hence my lack of interest for K-dramas, for example: I tried watching a few, they all gave me that feeling, I dropped them all and didn't even include them in my list - sorry K-fans, that's my personal experience and opinion - although I might not be absolutely alone there, as I've read several comments of people who've abandoned K-dramas and moved on to C- and J-dramas, apparently for precisely that reason - but anyway, as I said, only my humble .02, which might not mean much - if anything at all! - to most of the rest, so take no offense, peace! ^___-)
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Give it a try, guys, it might surprise you!
As soon as I found out about this "Imadoki no Wakai Mon wa", it came totally natural to me to compare it, on the one hand, to the famous UK/US show "The Office" (both being comedies set in an office environment), and on the other hand to another dorama also airing right this season, "Shoujiki Fudousan" (both having Fukuhara Haruka as the FL - and "OL").Regarding "The Office", we could say that the two series are at opposite ends: that one portrayed the typical Western office in all its idiocy, obtaining a comedic effect by exaggerating some characteristics and aspects which, albeit to a less inflated degree, do actually exist in such working environment (I speak out of personal experience); on the contrary, this J-drama portrays a kind of idealized Japanese office where the (light) comedic effect isn't done at the characters' expenses (we're not made to laugh AT them, but rather to smile WITH them) and where the office environment isn't depicted AS IS, but rather AS IT SHOULD BE. The result is a delicately humane story filled with nice characters that we'd all love to have as colleagues and/or bosses (and even one like me who's normally pretty wary of office-themed shows can find this really likable - as I did!).
As for the comparison with "Shoujiki Fudousan" (of which I've watched over half the episodes so far), that one as well portrays things as they should be, rather than as they are (I mean, an honest realtor...ehm...'nuff said! ^__^;...) but in my humble opinion this show wins hands down, due to a more original, wittier script, and a more talented male cast (ok, I know, Yamashita's fans will jump at my throat...but sorry, guys, I tell it as I see it, and I personally find Sorimachi to be a much better actor - peace!).
(BTW, now that I'm thinking about it, another comparison came to mind, and that is to "Futari Monologue": once again for having Fukuhara as the FL, but also for the constant presence of the "voice over" technique ^___-)
The music, meant both as credits song and as commentary, is a pretty nice touch too; and although the production value might not be anything really worth calling home about *per se*, it's still absolutely ok, so it's all good, as far as I'm concerned.
All in all, a little gem of dorama that might end up being unfortunately overlooked by many.
My humble suggestion therefore is: give it a try, guys, it might surprise you! ^___-
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Why don't I rate it higher, then?
Well, in all honesty, the subs are a bit of a hit or miss (some episodes are well done, but some are of rather poor quality, to the point that several lines are barely comprehensible, unfortunately) and this, alas, hinders a bit the viewing pleasure. And the same can be said of the script: some episodes are little masterpieces, seriously...but others are just "meh". Generally speaking, I mostly found the last third of the series to be of lower quality, compared to the previous two thirds (and also a bit too dark and depressing - whereas one of the strong points of this drama had been, until there, its humor).
The cast did a very good job, with honorable mentions for Chen He among the main cast, and Charlene Chen and Maggie Lee among the guests.
The music is top-notch, and so are direction, photography and editing.
Not *absolutely* perfect, but still very enjoyable. 8/10
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But guys, believe me: to say that this drama has surpassed my expectations would be an utter understatement; it's been a tremendously brilliant watch that I thoroughly enjoyed from its very first minute to the very last!!!
Fabulously written (you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think, you'll smile....the whole nine yards, seriously!) and so aptly acted by the whole cast! Hard to choose only three "special mentions" among this star-studded cast, but I'll go with Katori Shingo (I'm normally no big fan of former SMAP members' acting, but he's the exception to this personal rule: always superb imho! BRAVO!), Maya Miki (again, always absolutely marvelous!) and Yahagi Honoka (the junior cast was also very good as a whole, with some better than others though, and imvho she simply was the best of the lot).
To complete the package, a beautiful OST (I particularly enjoyed the ending credits samba!) and a very good production value.
Perfect 10, as far as I'm concerned! ^______^
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OK, in all fairness, I'm really NOT a fan of the "tokusatsu" genre, so the premise was *completely* wasted on me.
That said, the script wasn't too bad, all things considered; but at the same time, it's not like they could've come up with a masterpiece, either. More like, "some decently written dialogues" and "a coupla surprisingly good scenes" drowned in a sea of silliness.
The acting was much better, particularly thanks to Shiraishi Sei and Ohara Yuno (who are, incidentally, two of the three reasons why I've watched this in the first place - the third one being Tanabe Momoko, whose role is, alas, a very minor one with tremendously little screentime).
If you're a tokusatsu fan (or an action figure otaku) you might appreciate this much more than I did.
If you're a fan of the afore-mentioned actresses, like I am, it might be still worth a watch after all.
Otherwise, I'd humbly suggest you steer clear of this and invest your precious time more proficuously...^__^;
All imho, of course! ^___-
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But it was a good type of quirkiness (heck, for the most part, the best type - more on that in a jiff), and it made the watch a very pleasant one.
The cast did very well, not only the leads (Odagiri as the weird detective, Ishibashi Renji as the old boss of the agency, and the voluptuos Koizumi Maya as the secretary providing, at the same time, comic relief and eye candy), but also the guest stars and supporting cast.
The music was, imho, the best part of the drama; opening and closing credits songs by the great EGO-WRAPPIN'...need I say more? ^____-
Direction, editing and photography were also very nice and contributed as well to the great atmosphere.
The only problem I have with this dorama is that, story-wise, not all episodes were at the same, tremendously high level; some were absolute masterpieces, seriously (I'll name #3, 6, 8, 11 and the first half of #10 - it's the only episode containing two different stories), but a coupla episodes were just so-and-so, and a coupla more were actually quite bad, imho. Had they avoided those, I might have given this a perfect 10. All things considered, it's more like a solid 8.5 though; not using half grades, I'll be generous and rate it a 9. ^___-
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This review may contain spoilers
Although I won't go too much into details, so as to avoid major spoilers, I have to say that right until literally just a few minutes before the end of the last episode, I was pondering within myself whether I was gonna give this a 9 (or more probably an 8, 'cause it did have its faults anyway - more on this in a while), but then imho the writer decided to ruin everything just for the sake of a silly, shallow, "hollywoodian" final scare. If I ever rewatch this, I'll make sure to stop watching before that point (just as with an American TV series I liked as well, but only except the very last minutes, "Point Pleasant" - but that's another story).Too bad, 'cause otherwise this dorama could've been a much better one, more coherently Japanese (in that horror is used also to convey deeper moral messages), despite the fact that it still had some script problems (most of all, the inconsistence in some characters' behavior - namely, the FL's BF and the mom - but also the fact that it had too much going on for only 7 episodes, and the writer wasn't able to wrap everything up nicely anyway).
Acting wise, another great performance by the lovely Shiraishi Sei and Kuroki Hitomi, whereas the rest of the cast was ok but nothing to call home about, imho. Direction, photography and music were also OK.
All in all, if you're a fan of Japanese horror, a pleasant watch.
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The script, just as expected, was really very good (maybe not *absolutely* perfect, but pretty close); the cast was great (kudos also to the female leads: I knew I was gonna get a good performance by Arimura Kasumi, but I must confess not knowing well the other two, Furukawa Kotone and Yoshine Kyoko, and they were a nice surprise, both really beautiful AND talented - particularly the former, playing that marvelous character!), and the "packaging" (directing, editing, photography, OST) was, as I consider totally key, perfectly supporting the script, rather than trying to stand out so as to cover its faults (as it is, alas, the case of many modern series, all form and too little substance).
All in all, highly recommended! ^___^
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1) The GREAT ones, stuff like the "Kazoku wa Tsurai yo!" trilogy, or "Umimachi Diary", or many many others, all magnificent examples of what makes Japanese culture so unique and fascinating
2) The SILLY ones, titles like "The World Sinks Except Japan" or "Oppai Volleyball" and many others; in a decent portion of these, the silliness is actually pretty funny, making such movies still enjoyable
3) The YAWNFESTS, or what I tend to refer to as "Victims of the nefarious influence of French 'Nouvelle Vague' and 'Cahiers du Cinéma'..."; pompous and artsy, painfully slow, with horribly thin (or even non-existing!) plots, unappealing dialogues etc.
4) All those which cannot fit in any of the previous (hey, I did warn you I was oversimplifying it! ^___^;;;.....)
Unfortunately, this "Bread & Bus Etc." fits in the third category. It took me FOUR DAYS to finish it, because I literally couldn't stand watching more than half an hour of it in one go (and usually my eyelids would start feeling horribly heavy already after ten or fifteen minutes...>____<).
The whole plot could fit on the back of a postage stamp, and if it had been done as a short movie (like, five minutes, tops) it might have been okay. But at close to two hours, it's almost unbearable.
Too bad, because Fukagawa Mai (the reason why I've watched it!) possesses a pretty nice acting talent. But it just couldn't shine in this yawnfest, alas.
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This review may contain spoilers
After the first episodes I thought I was gonna give this "Shimobee" a pretty high grade, 'cause it started very well, managed to be really hilarious here and there, and was altogether very entertaining.The second half of the series, though, was more or less the fair of déjà vu (the "terminal illness" trope can produce gems like "1 lt. no Namida" or "Neko", but it can also result annoyingly trite and cheesy, as it was the case here, imho) and that made me lower the rating considerably.
Still, both Shiraishi Sei and Yasuda Ken deserve a standing ovation: the former is not only a gorgeous woman, but also a marvelous actress; and the latter is simply amazing, I honestly don't know many actors who would've been able to pull this off!
The music was also really nice.
Overall, and despite the not-so-great script, a pleasant watch.
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What a lovely gem!!!
Right from the first few seconds of this "Nihon Boro Yado Kido", I was captured by the tremendously interesting concept: enough with the Tokyoite settings, filled with skyscrapers and modernity, let's show instead a much lesser known Japan, one more true to itself, with all its small towns and its "shabby hotels/pensions" filled with memories of the past and personality!What followed was a delightfully written, masterfully acted, and very aptly directed little masterpiece!
The music added some more value to the enchantingly catchy atmosphere, and I'm not referring exclusively to the wonderful enka song "Traveler", but to the whole musical score that so nicely accompanied the entire watching experience.
I think even Fellini would've been totally satisfied by the profound humaneness that oozes from every scene!
A particular praise to the leads: Takahashi Kazuya reminded me a lot of a young(er) Takenaka Naoto, so good and funny he was! And as for Fukagawa Mai, well, what can I say? I desperately fell in love with her already at the first episode! Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, but she possesses such a great acting talent!!!
The only thing I'm unhappy about? LOL, that's that I wish I could give this more than 10, seriously! ^__^;
Instant top10 of all time, as far as I'm concerned!!!
Arigatou, Nihon! ^_____^
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Just as good, if not honestly even better, than the first one!
It doesn't happen too often that a second season (second installment, sequel or anything of that kind) ends up being just as good, if not honestly even better, than the first one. As a matter of fact, a lot more frequently it's just the other way around and the quality declines (more or less drastically, depending on the case) with time.Luckily, though, there *are* exceptions, and this is exactly one of those, since "Yappari Oshii Keiji" was, imvho, even better than the original "Oshii Keiji".
Having twice the number of episodes as the original series might have had something to do with that feeling, since the tremendously good writer, Uda Manabu, had more room to have fun with continuity, inside jokes etc. etc....whatever the reason, it was a true viewing pleasure from the first to the last minute.
A great script with nicely intricate mystery plots and lots of seriously hilarious comedy, a very convincing performance by the whole cast (with particular praises for the brilliant Kazama Shunsuke, for the lovely Shiraishi Sei and - although she guest-starred only in one episode - for the simply wonderful Kurosaki Reina ^___-), a nice and catchy score, good direction and photography...well, what's not to like?
Perfect 10! ^___-
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