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.

Watashitachi no Kyokasho (わたしたちの教科書 -2007)

AKA: Our Textbook

Starring:
Kanno Miho as Tsumiki Tamako (lawyer)
Ito Atsushi as Kaji Kohei (substitute teacher)
Tanihara Shosuke as Seri Naoyuki (Tamako's boyfriend, lawyer)
Shida Mirai as Aizawa Asuka (2nd year student)
Maki Yoko as Oshiro Saki (social studies teacher)
Fubuki Jun as Amagi Masumi (vice principal)
Sakai Wakana as Yoshikoshi Nozomi (English language teacher)
Ohkura Koji as Toita Atsuhiko (physical education teacher)
Sato Jiro as Kumazawa Shigeichi (Japanese language teacher)
Mizushima Hiro as Yahata Daisuke (Math teacher)
Maekawa Yasuyuki as Uda Masashi (Tamako's junior, lawyer)
Igarashi Shunji as Amagi Otoya (vice principal's son)
Ichikawa Miwako (ep7, 8) as Misawa Akiko
Yajima Kenichi as Judge
Haru

Class 2-3
Tomiura Satoshi as Kaneyoshi Riku
Tanimura Mitsuki as Nishina Tomomi
Suzuki Kasumi as Yamada Kazuko
Itoh Sairi as Sansei Mai
Yanagita Erika as Suto Ayaka
Ikeda Jun as Kobayashi Yuki
Ikeda Koshin (池田晃信) as Honda Masaki
Yamamoto Hikaru (山本ひかる) as Nobe Chiharu
Tonoshiro Yuma (登野城佑真) as Yamafuji Takumi

Tamako, an elite lawyer with a promising future, works for a reputable law firm. She is recently given an opportunity to take a case involving a young child who has been bullied at a local elementary school. Fully aware of the difficulties uncovering the truth in cases involving schools, Tamako is reluctant to proceed with her new client. Tamako is romantically involved with one of her colleagues, Naoyuki, and is hoping to further develop their relationship. However, Tamako's seemingly happy life comes to a sudden halt when she learns the news of an accident involving a young female high school student named Asuka. Asuka had apparently fallen from a classroom window on campus and suffered serious injuries. Tamako takes a strong interest in Asuka's case and immediately launches her own private investigation. --groink

What is it with me this week and tear-jerkers? I just seem to be all over them lately. LOL!

I decided last night that I was going to hit a drama series this time. This one seemed different plus it Hiro-kun in it. LOL! I'm so glad I did. I knew from the very first episode that I was in for a heart breaker but I trudged on.

This series was fascinating stuff and should be shown in the classroom everywhere. It might or might not change a life but it would definitely be worth trying. I guess you could say it hit a hot spot concerning the bully's side of things and how a bully's actions can forge a new life of despair for their victim.

Yes, this was sad in so many ways. Not only can the bully be a student but also a teacher and/or parent. No love triangles. This was all about the school system, the legal system, and the human heart.

This drama can in so many inspire you to talk with your kids and students. In many ways, we have all been bullied once in our lives. Thumbs up for this whole entire series!!

Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (Tôkyô tawâ: Okan to boku to, tokidoki, oton/東京タワー オカンとボクと、時々、オトン -2007)

Starring:
Joe Odagiri - Boku
Kirin Kiki - Okan
Yayako Uchida - Okan
Takako Matsu - Mizue
Kaoru Kobayashi - Oton
Tamae Ando
YosiYosi Arakawa
Akira Emoto
Junko Emoto
Chisako Hara
Hiroyuki Hirayama - Isoyama
Itsuji Itao
Ayumi Ito
Ryo Iwamatsu
Ryo Katsuji
Asako Kobayashi
Kyoko Koizumi - Property agent
Hijiri Kojima
Hitomi Kurihara
Mariya
Miyuki Matsuda
Ken Mitsuishi
Aoi Miyazaki
Toru Nakamura
Tsubaki Nekoze
Seiji Rokkaku
Sumie Sasaki
Noriko Sengoku
Sansei Shiomi
Tomorowo Taguchi - Mailman
Rena Takeshita
Tetsushi Tanaka
Susumu Terajima
Satoshi Tomiura - Boku - adolescent
Kumiko Tsuchiya - High school teacher
Osamu Tsuji
Nahoko Yoshimoto
Mieko Yuuki

For Masaya, the last happy memory with his parents together, is his hopelessly drunk Dad forcing him to eat yakitori chicken bars… and being hit by Mom… Masaya was 3 years old at that time. Mom andMasaya left Dad and started living in a town famous for coal mining.Mom worked in her sister’s small diner and raised Masaya by herself.The life was peaceful there, free from Dad.

After graduating from high school,Masaya successfully entered an Art University in Tokyo, the place he has always longed to be. However, life never really goes on as a person wishes. His life was rotten. Life was all about fooling around with his friends and killing time.He could not dare call Mom to tell her his situation.

It is now 1990, and Masaya is working just to return the debt, which were mounted while just living in Tokyo and doing nothing. He did whatever he was asked to do, and without really expecting, somehow earned his living as an illustrator/columnist. One day he gets a call from his aunt informing that his mom has cancer.Masaya makes up his mind and calls Mom, to invite her to live with him.

Mom arrives in Tokyo. After living apart for 15 years,Masaya and Mom start living together in Tokyo. Masaya's life seems to have finally started moving once again. Soon, people around him started to frequently gather at his house to eat her delicious food. The house is always filled with happy faces and laughter. However, nothing lasts forever.As they have feared,Mom’s cancer has relapsed.

“The day”Masaya is most afraid of draws close…


Omg! I am writing this now before all of the feelings and words escape me.

Please, please, please....sit down with your mom and watch this. I don't care how old you are or young you are. This is a must see for all. I'm still crying. This was the most beautiful story ever shown. Did Joe-san get an award for this? I don't know. If he didn't, well screw all the academy for this. This movie is one of the most greatest movies I've ever freakin' seen. (Side note: Just looked it up and Joe-san DIDN'T win an award but the movie, director, screenplay, supporting actor did!)

On a personal note, I was so related to Joe-san's character, Masaya. I'm not terribly close to my father either. My mother has tried to support my siblings and I for as long as we can remember and still does so. My mother hasn't died, yet. Thank God! But the feeling of bereavement and sadness made this steal heart of mine crack in places it would probably never have done so before.

I can't wait to see my mother again to hug her and thank her!

This movie moves slowly but every moment has a certain touch that all of us should or would understand growing up. Even if the roles are reversed and it was the father instead of the mother. Either way, you will be touched in some form or fashion.

My Joe was, as usual, freakin' outstanding! I'm telling ya to watch that man cry......OMG! You will fall to your knees.

This movie was a 10-star movie out of 4-stars!!!! This went way beyond exceptional...........