First Kiss (ファースト・キス -2007)

Starring:
Inoue Mao as Fukunaga Mio
Ito Hideaki as Kano Kazuki
Hiraoka Yuta as Yuki Akio
Matsuyuki Yasuko as Takagi Renko
Gekidan Hitori as Shindo Ichiryu
Abe Sadao as Nikaido Masaru
Takenaka Naoto as Banba Dai
Natsuki Mari as Fukunaga Rieko
Sakai Wakana as Saito Haruna
Warabino Tomoya as Shohata Takeo

Guests
Gashuin Tatsuya (ep1)
Marie (ep1)
Endo Yuya (ep2)
Kashiwabara Shuji (ep3)
Daito Shunsuke (ep5)
Watanabe Izumi (渡部いずみ) (ep5)
Iketani Nobue (池谷のぶえ) (ep6)
Shiba Toshio (柴俊夫) (ep6-10)
Sugawara Eiji (ep7)
Saito Yua (齊藤夢愛) (ep7-8)

A bitter-sweet and uplifting comedy drama about a young girl Mio and her brother Kazuki. To treat her illness overseas, Mio has been living away from her older brother Kazuki for the past ten years. After learning about the upcoming surgery, which she has only a fifty percent chance of survival, Mio decides to fly back to Japan to spend time with Kazuki. Looking forward to seeing his sweet younger sister, Kazuki anxiously awaits Mio's return in Japan. However, their reunion is nothing but full of surprises as Mio has transformed from the innocent sickly girl Kazuki remembers from ten years ago into a sassy woman with an attitude. Kazuki has difficulty dealing with his wickedly selfish younger sister, but soon learns about the truth of her medical condition and has a change of heart. --groink

Ya know, I've skipped this drama a thousand times. The synopsis didn't intrigue me one bit. Well, I'm coming to the end of all the dramas I can find so I'm scoping crunchyroll.com for something I might have missed. I sit at the computer and squint my eyes in thought...."Do I really want to watch this?" Okay, the girl has a heart problems which usually means that the drama will be some sort of tearjerker and I'm not really into watching a half of a romantic duo die. So I contemplated. I read the crunchyroll.com reviews for this drama. Nobody mentions death. Hmm? Maybe this'll be good?

So I get a wild hair up my butt and clicked on the first episode link. I'm hooked. Ohhhhh, am I hooked. I cried in the first freakin' episode. Hello?? Next thing ya know...I can't stand it. I'm practically rushing through all the episodes. Does Mio and Dr. Yuuki make it? To hell with the rest of the cast.....

Hiraoka Yuta....to die for!! I've seen him a countless times. Guess what I'm searching movies and dramas that I might have missed with him in them. Oh......I'm so hooked on this guy. He's so freakin' kawaii!!! I'm in "suki" with him..........*must find my Japanese book and translate that fully into Japanese and not half-assed.*

I loved, loved, loved this drama. God Bless the Japanese and their romance dramas because, and yet again I say this, they don't torture you till you've bled your last drop of blood like the Korean dramas. This was so sweet.........

I'm sooooo downloading the bittorrents for this drama....I must have it!!

Hiraoka Yuta

Nodame Cantabile (のだめカンタービレ -2006)

Starring:
Ueno Juri as Noda Megumi aka Nodame (Piano)
Morisako Ei as young Nodame
Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki Shinichi (Piano/Violin/Conducting)
Fujita Reo (藤田玲央) as young Chiaki
Eita as Mine Ryutaro (Violin)
Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi (Timpani)
Mizukawa Asami as Miki Kiyora (Violin)
Saeko as Saku Sakura (Contrabass)
Uehara Misa as Tagaya Saiko (Vocal)
Takenaka Naoto as Franz Strezemann (Milch Holstein by Nodame)
Akiyoshi Kumiko as Momodaira Minako
Endo Yuya as Okochi Mamoru (Conducting)
Iwasa Mayuko as Ishikawa Reina (Piano)
Takase Yukina (高瀬友規奈) as Tanaka Makiko (Piano)
Kondo Kouen as Tamaki Keiji (Clarinet)
Sakamoto Makoto as Hashimoto Yohei (Oboe)
Matsuoka Rinako as Suzuki Moe (Flute)
Matsuoka Emiko as Suzuki Kaoru (Clarinet)
Yamanaka Takashi as Iwai Kazushi (Contrabass)
Kobayashi Kinako as Kinjo Shizuka (Viola)
Fukada Aki as Inoue Yuki (Cello)
Kojima Tenten (小嶌天天) as Kanai Kento (Horn)
Inoue Yoshiko (井上佳子) as Suganuma Saya (Vocal)
Ibu Masato as Mine Tatsumi
Nishimura Masahiko as Tanioka Hajime
Toyohara Kosuke as Eto Kozo
Shiraishi Miho as Eto Kaori
Fukushi Seiji as Kuroki Yasunori (Rising Star: Oboe)
Mukai Osamu as Kikuchi Toru (Rising Star: Cello]
Hashizume Ryo as Kimura Tomohito (Rising Star: Violin)
Namioka Kazuki as Katayama (Rising Star: Horn)
Sakurai Chizu as Aizawa Maiko (Rising Star: Flute)
Kimura Ryo as Takahashi Noriyuki (RS: Violin - new concert master)
Kuroda Chieko as Miyoshi Seiko (Chiaki's mom)
Hatano Hiroko as Kawano Keeko
Oikawa Mitsuhiro as Sakuma Manabu
Kichise Michiko as Elise
Ito Takahiro as Segawa Yuto (Nodame's childhood piano classmate)
Ogawa Koki (小川光樹) as young Segawa
Zdenek Macal as Sebastino Vieira
John Hesse as Kyle Dune (Kiyora's professor)
Manuel Doncel as Professor Auclair (Judge in Maradona Competition)
Iwamatsu Ryo as Noda Tatsuo (Nodame's dad)
Miyazaki Yoshiko as Noda Yoko (Nodame's mom)
Betto Yuki (別當優輝) as Noda Yoshitaka (Nodame's brother)
Eto Kansai (江藤漢斉) as Noda Saburo (Nodame's grandpa)
Ohkata Hisako (大方斐紗子) as Noda Shizuyo (Nodame's grandma)
Yashiba Toshihiro as Momogaoka teacher
Masuda Keita
Nagaoka Mami (photo stills)


Based on the hit comic book by Tomoko Ninomiya, this is a fun-filled quirky romantic story of two very opposite people.

Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy, he feels mired in Japan because of a childhood phobia.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Because of Nodame, Chiaki got the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible.

I'm crying right now. This is my second time to watch this drama. I finally got the nerve to download the series and specials associated with NC. I'm not crying because this was sad because it had to end. I'm not crying because I'm so happy for Nodame and Chiaki. I'm crying because I remembered that feeling I had when I first watched this. The music, the actors, the story. *The tears won't stop......* I'm crying because I fell in love............

This drama will always be my first love. It really wasn't my first "drama" because the Coffee Prince was the first ever. But it was this drama that sucked me in hook, line and sinker. I was captivated. Tamaki Hiroshi was just the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. This drama was so entertaining. I wanted more and was so happy they made specials to finish it off even though the manga is still being written. *Which reminds me that I need to read the latest chapters........*

My heart aches. I've moved on to new drama's and movies. And when I decided to go back and watch this again I didn't realize all the famous actors and actresses that were in this. Yes, I new Hiroshi-kun, Juri-chan, and Eita-kun were in this but as the faces flashed by my mouth opened and dropped, then closed and smiled. Going back to the day when I decided to watch this drama, I was a newbie to Asian culture and the language. My only reference was the anime Naruto. LOL!

I cry because this drama will never tire me out. This was a masterpiece in my heart. There will never be one that can top this. Oh, there have been several close calls but nothing will overtake this one.

Everyone should watch this drama....over and over and over and over again. The music is breathtaking. I can sit and listen to it for hours and dream of Chiaki-kun. *sigh*

I dearly hope that they will make a second season because Nodame and Chiaki's story isn't over yet.......................

Medaka (めだか-2004)

AKA: Night School

Starring:
Mimura as Meguro Takako
Harada Taizo as Shiina Ryousuke
Eita as Sakuragi Taku
Sudo Risa as Kawahara Yukiko
Yamamoto Taro Yabe Hiroki
Kinouchi Akiko as Kawashima Taei
Hiraoka Yuta as Takasugi Junpei
Kuroki Meisa as Yoshizumi Asuka
Izumiya Shigeru Kariya Rokuro
Yamazaki Shigenori as Oyamada Osamu
Ichige Yoshie as Meguro Mizue
Kohinata Fumiyo as Taneda Naofumi
Asano Yuko as Kunimi Shouko
Hayashi Ryuzo as Morimura Seiji
Kato Koki as Takei Kou
Asahina Eri as Yamamoto Eri
Endo Yuya as Nemoto Yuuya
Sato Megumi
Sato Kazuya
Izawa Ken (ep1)
Kaku Tomohiro (ep3)
Koide Keisuke (ep3,5)
Sakai Wakana as Kariya Keiko (ep7)
Katayama Reo
Yanagisawa Takahiko
Masana Bokuzo


Takako Meguro's dream has always been to get married and quit her job. But one day, she finds herself working as a teacher at a night school. At first, she is unmotivated and doesn't take her work seriously. But she soon finds out that work at night school is tougher than she thought. There's a high-school dropout, a businessman, a cabaret girl, and many others—every student is either strange or extraordinary in one way or another. Half of the students are older than Takako, and she discovers that one of the students was her classmate in elementary school.

Now that she sleeps during the day and works at night, Takako is unable to attend drinking parties to meet guys. She starts to think that's how life is, and she should go with the flow.

But one night an incident ignites Takako's passion for her job, which explodes into an angry scolding of her students. --Fuji TV

OMG! I found a drama with Eita! I love him! He's just so my type! Tall, dark, and....oh, so gorgeous! HEHE!

I have to say that the Japanese like to shove down your throat school-life morality! I don't know how many shows that I've seen the teacher teaching hard-to-teach kids. Let's see....Gokusen and GTO are some examples. This one is a bit different as the "kids" are a mosaic of drop-outs of different ages.....a few older than the teacher herself. The setting....night school. Definitely different....but as the "kids" learn about themselves the teacher learns as well.

I've never heard of this drama until I literally fell upon it. This one is totally underrated. This one needs to be pushed to the masses!!

Endo Yuya


Hiraoka Yuta

Just had to add a few guys that you don't normally see up front and in leading roles but their supporting characters make major impacts....and they're cute too!

Isshun no Kaze ni Nare (一瞬の風になれ Become a Moment of Wind-2008)

Starring:
Uchi Hiroki as Kamiya Shinji
Fukuda Saki as Taniguchi Wakana
Nishikido Ryo as Kamiya Kenichi
Hasegawa Jun as Ichinose Ren
Igarashi Shunji as Kagiyama Yoshito
Endo Yuya as Negishi Yasuyuki
Tanimura Mitsuki as Torisawa Keiko
Hojo Takahiro as Moriya
Nakamura Tomoya as Momouchi
Uchimura Teruyoshi as Miwa-sensei
Tajima Ryo

The story is about, Shinji, a freshman in high school who has found his calling in track and field, especially sprinting. Once a soccer player who idolized his brother enough to want to surpass him. Realizing this wouldn't happen, he quit soccer and joined the T&F club. The coach realizing that Shinji had potential has regarded him. Later Shinji was asked by the former captain of the team to replace him as captain as Shinji was a special motivator and asset to the team. As the years pass, Shinji finds friends, strength, and love while out on the field. Will he be able surpass his brother and accomplish his goals?



I've only seen the first 3 episodes of this...since the fansubbers haven't released the 4th and final part which is driving me crazy. I've put it in my favorites to keep a lookout for it.

This show is based on a short novel which I haven't seen yet but have read that it's way better than the drama itself. If that is true, then I'd better go and find an English translated version quick. This drama is good. I love sport stories that leave you uplifted and hopeful. I like this one especially because I AM A RUNNER. I totally understand the feeling of wanting and loving to run. (Just 30 minutes ago I ran over 7 miles.*smiles*) Just watching this drama inspired me to get off my ass and move! And I did..............

Tanaguchi: I can't become a hare, but I'll become a fast tortoise. *ahhhhhh!*

Uchi Hiroki


Nishikido Ryo


Igarashi Shunji


Endo Yuya