Taiyo to Umi no Kyoshitsu (太陽と海の教室 -2008)

Starring:
Oda Yuji as Sakurai Sakutaro
Kitagawa Keiko as Enokido Wakaba
Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Akagi Yasunori
Kichise Michiko as Mayama Haruka
Imai Yuzo (今井ゆうぞう) as Yoda Norihito
Kobayashi Susumu as Makimura Hajime
Yashima Norito as Shibakusa Shuhei
Toda Keiko as Hasebe Kyoka
Kohinata Fumiyo as Kamiya Ryunosuke
Class 3-1
Okada Masaki as Negishi Hiroki
Kitano Kii as Shirosaki Riku
Hamada Gaku as Tabata Hachiro
Yoshitaka Yuriko as Yashima Akari
Tomiura Satoshi as Kusunoki Yamato
Kagimoto Akira (鍵本輝) as Higaki Moichi
Tanimura Mitsuki as Sawamizu Hana
Yamamoto Yusuke as Kawabe Eiji
Kurose Manami as Takabayashi Yuna
Nakamura Yuichi as Misaki Masayuki
Omasa Aya (大政絢) as Tsugihara Yukino
Kaku Kento (賀来賢人) as Banno Keigo
Maeda Atsuko as Funaki Mayu
Kutsuna Shiori as Fujisawa Risa
Hiiragi Ko (柊子)
Saito Ryo (齋藤遼)
Ito Miki (伊藤未希)
Tokano Erika (戸叶恵梨佳)
Genzaki Tomoe (源崎トモエ)
Owada Kensuke (大和田健介)
Wakana (和香奈)
Nakagawa Shota (中川翔太)
Goto Kazuo (後藤和雄)
Saiki Risa (彩木里紗)
Komatsubara Akinori (小松原明紀)
Natsuo Sachi (夏生さち)
Matsunaga Kazuya (松永一哉)
Okawa Masahiro
Kinomoto Minehiro (木ノ本嶺浩)
Guests
Matsushige Yutaka as Negishi Masahiro (ep1)
Nakamura Tomoya as Suekichi Haruomi (ep1)
Miki Takako (未來貴子) as Shirasaki Tamami (ep1,4)
Ichikawa Chieko (市川千恵子) as Obasan (ep1)
Kaname Jun as Kawabata Shogo (ep2)
Hoshii Nanase as Mai (ep4)
Watanabe Bambi (渡辺万美) as Sayaka (ep4)
Kusaka Yumi (日下由美) as Hana's mom (ep5)
Dankan (ダンカン) as Mayu's dad (ep6)
Miho Jun as Mayu's mom (ep6)
Kobayashi Natsuko (小林夏子) as Nonomura Miyu (ep7)
Kimura Yasushi (木村靖司) as Yukino's dad (ep8)
Akimoto Naomi as Yukino's mom (ep8-9)
Umezawa Masayo as Hachiro's mom (ep9)
Takemoto Kazumasa (竹本和正) Hachiro's dad (ep9)

Oda Yuji plays a teacher who guides a group of seniors at a prep school in Shonan, though his character is described as "stupid."

OMG! The cute boy factor was really there. That was the only good thing about this show. I held on but the end just died. The beginning of the story was quite hopeful and inspiring but to me the show lost it's touch midway. And damn it! Did they really have to kill off Hachi? I really didn't need to cry through two episodes straight.

I don't really think the show was realistic after Hachi's death. I don't know of any human being who would be "friendly" with the person who tormented him through guilt. Yeah, he was a nice guy and all but he really deserved what he got if he was to get on a boat with freaky girl gone suicidal. Then afterwards, the "gang" forgave her for her craziness and Hachi's death to me became meaningless.

And because of Hachi's death, everyone decided to go their own ways? WTF? I don't think that was it. Maybe I lost something somewhere in translation? Ya think? I was really hopefull through this show but it left me high and dry.

Lemon no Koro (檸檬のころ-2007)

AKA: The Graduates

Starring:
Nana Eikura - Kayoko Akimoto
Mitsuki Tanimura - Megumi Shirata
Naojiro Hayashi - Kazuya Tsujimoto
Tasuku Emoto - Tomizo Sasaki
Hoshi Ishida - Takumi Nishi
Yasuo Daichi - Megumi's father
Takashi Hamazaki - Mr. Tanba
Masanori Ishii - Shinpei Kaneko
Mami Nakamura - Sakiko
Junkichi Orimoto - Kaneko

Kayoko Akimoto, a senior student in high school, adept at practically anything she does and makes good grades. She has her mind set on entering a university in Tokyo. Takumi Nishi, who is a member of the baseball team, can’t keep his eyes off her. He is unable to get over his feelings for her that he has harbored since junior high school. One day after school, the ace pitcher of the baseball team, Tomizo Sasaki, says to Takumi in a joking way, “I like Kayoko.” Takumi’s feelings for Kayoko are unrequited, and the distance between her and Tomizo becomes closer.

Meanwhile, Kei Shirata is always listening to music in the corner of the classroom. Her dream is to someday become a writer specializing in music. One day, she becomes aware of Kazuya Tsujimoto’s presence, a boy in her class who plays in a rock band at school. She senses a similar vibe from him as herself, of someone who “feels” the music. By chance, they end up spending some time together, and have a great time chatting about their favorite music. “I’ve never hit it off so well with someone,” says Kazuya, and suddenly, the world looks like a much brighter and more vivid place for Kei. Their final school festival is coming up. Kazuya asks Kei to write the lyrics for a song that he has written for the first time, and this triggers various dramas in the seniors’ lives.

The seasons change as the feelings of these five seniors intersect each other. Their graduation day, the day they say good-bye, is drawing near.

MV by Hayashi Naojiro (Kazuya)~"Hikari"


Same song but sung during festival in movie (rock style)~

I fell in love with this show. Yeah, I'm easily pleased.

I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was. And Kazuya, played by vocalist/guitarist of the duo Hirakawaxhi Iccho-me, gave a totally wonderful performance for his first acting gig.

I have to say it threw me back into the 1980's and had to recall my graduating experience. It's sad but true that we lose most of our friendships as we all part and go into our adult lives. We are lucky to keep at least one friend throughout that experience.

This was a totally commendable performance. Many reviewers claimed this was boring or too slow. I think most of them haven't experienced graduation yet and haven't connected yet to that sorrowful existence.

I have only one complaint with this movie. They didn't explain Kayoko and Nishi's relationship was before high school and why Kayoko blew him off during their high school years. That had me quite confused. But other than that....this movie gave a few tugs to my heart strings.