Iryu Team Medical Dragon (医龍 Team Medical Dragon, 2006-2007)

Season One
Starring:
Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryuutarou
Inamori Izumi as Katou Akira
Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
Natsuki Mari as Kitou Shoko
Kitamura Kazuki as Kirima Gunji
Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keishi
Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Keno
Ikeda Tetsuhiro
Mukaichi Mion
Kanai Yuta (ep5-6)
Shimizu Koji (ep8-11)

Ryutaro Asada is enjoying his peaceful life in the countryside, when he is visited by Akira Kato, assistant professor of the Faculty of Cardiac Surgery at Meishin University Medical Hospital.

Ryutaro is a genius surgeon who used to lead "Team Medical Dragon," a world-class NGO medical team. In harsh environments that lacked medicine and electricity, Ryutaro witnessed many lives pass away. At the same time, he saved many other lives, helping his matchless skill overwhelm other doctors.

As a female doctor, Akira managed to become an assistant professor. She has ambitions to be promoted to professor by succeeding in a surgery using the Batista technique — an extremely difficult type of heart surgery — and also by writing a paper on it. A year ago, Akira witnessed Ryutaro's skills when he was an NGO doctor. That's why she recruits him and asks him to use the Batista technique. Since Ryutaro's arrival, urgent patients who would have been abandoned in the past, are miraculously saved by the "hands of God." --Fuji TV


Season Two
Starring:
Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryutaro
Uchida Yuki as Kataoka Kazumi
Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
Otsuka Nene as Kodaka Nanami
Kitamura Kazuki as Kirishima Gunji
Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keisuke
Natsuki Mari as Kito Shoko
Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Takeo
Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Kihara Takehiko
Sato Jiro as Matsudaira Kotaro
Shiga Kotaro as Zenda Hideki
Takahashi Issei as Toyama Seiji
Nakamura Yasuhi as Nomura Hirohito
Supporting Cast
Ryo as Togashi Yukari (ep1)
Tanaka Minoru as Togashi Tsuyoshi (ep1)
Itao Itsuji (ep1)
Kawahara Sabu (ep1)
Kikuchi Kinya (ep1-2,10-11)
Nakamura Keiko (中村慧子) (ep1,10-11)
Umishima Yuki (ep1-2,10-11)
Yoshino Maki (吉野真希) (ep1,3,10-11)
Aoki Hajime (ep1,10)
Asari Shogo (浅里昌吾) (ep1,4,10-11)
Okamoto Ryuta (ep1)
Tawaragi Tota (ep1)
Utagawa Shiko (歌川椎子) (ep1)
Otake Koichi (大竹浩一) (ep1,6)
Watanabe Kouhei (渡邉紘平) (ep1,5-7)
Minami Shuhei (南周平) (ep1)
Kobayashi Setsuko (小林節子) (ep1)
Nakazawa Junko (ep1,3-9)
Tsuchiya Fumiko (土屋史子) (ep1,3-9)
Nozaki Kazuma (野崎数馬) (ep1)
Hida Koji (飛田晃治) (ep1,5)
Fujita Sasami (藤田三三三) (ep1-5)
Imamura Koichi (今村公一) (ep1)
Komori Kotoyo (小森琴世) (ep1)
Kato Masato (加藤雅人) (ep1)
Michael (ep1)
Hershel (ep1)
Manfred (ep1)
Takeda Yuko (武田祐子) (ep1,6)
Muta Teizo (牟田悌三) as Nishizawa Takafumi (ep2-3)
Yamamoto Yusuke as Nishizawa Eita (ep2-3)
Kodama Raishin (児玉頼信) (ep2)
Tokunaga Atsushi (徳永淳) (ep2,6,11)
Saeki Arata (佐伯新) (ep2)
Hoshino Akiko (星野晶子) (ep2)
Miyashita Tomomi (宮下ともみ) (ep2)
Fujimoto Itaru (藤本至) (ep2)
Ogura Terukazu (小倉輝一) (ep2)
Hamachika Takanori (浜近高徳) (ep3-4,6)
Ichikawa Chieko (市川千恵子) (ep3)
Mitsue Takashi (三枝貴志) (ep3,5-8)
Hofuku Norihiko (法福法彦) (ep3)
Tsutsumi Masataka (堤匡孝) (ep3,10-11)
Ryu Raita as Onda Tetsuzo (ep4-5)
Kurokawa Tomoka as Ogata Miu (ep4-5)
Ono Ryo (ep4-5)
Yanagida Erika (柳田衣里佳) (ep4-5)
Yoshino Yoshiko (よしのよしこ) (ep4)
Otsuru Gitan (ep4-5)
Uchikura Kenji (内倉憲二) (ep4,10-11)
Haneda Yoichi (羽根田陽一) (ep4)
Okuwa Maimi (大桑マイミ) (ep4)
Ninomiya Satoshi (二宮聡) (ep4,7)
Deguchi Takashi (出口高司) (ep5)
Inaba Daisuke (稲葉大助) (ep5)
Hashimoto Chieko (橋本智恵子) (ep5)
Yamauchi Kumi (山内紅実) (ep5)
Kusamura Reiko (ep6)
Kawashima Umika (ep6-7)
Hiyama Takekazu (樋山剛一) (ep6)
Yamada Goichi (山田吾一) (ep6)
Sugiyama Ayano (杉山あやの) (ep6)
Kurana Rin (くらなりん) (ep6)
Kubozono Junichi (窪園純一) (ep6)
Takehatsu Shiro (武発史郎) (ep6)
Takahashi Hitomi (ep7)
Sunaga Kei (ep7)
Kugasawa Toru (久ヶ沢徹) (ep7)
Nakamura Keita (中村圭太) (ep7)
Inoue Ko (井上康) (ep7)
Nomura Hironobu (ep8)
Hongo Kanata (ep8)
Nakagome Sachiko (中込佐知子) (ep8)
Okazaki Hiroshi (岡崎宏) (ep8)
Arakawa Fumiko (新川史子) (ep8)
Kikawa Junichi (木川淳一) (ep8)
Takagi Ryo (高木涼生) (ep8)
Nagano Satomi (長野里美) (ep9-11)
Tanaka Oga (田中碧海) (ep9-11)
Shimazu Kentaro (島津健太郎) (ep9)
Mukai Osamu (向井修) (ep9)
Hisamatsu Nobuyoshi (久松信美) (ep9,11)
Nakamura Seiya (中村星哉) (ep9-10)
Kishibe Daisuke (岸部大輔) (ep9)
Kojima Yasushi (小島康志) (ep9)
Sugimoto Hitona (杉本妃音奈) (ep9)
Nakamura Makoto (中村まこと) (ep10-11)
Kumabe Youhei (隈部洋平) (ep10-11)
Mori Kouko (森康子) (ep10)
Nishiyama Shugo (西山周吾) (ep10)
Ishikawa Yasuko (石川泰子) (ep10-11)
Sugimoto Jyunya (杉本潤哉) (ep10-11)
Yasuoka Sunao (安岡直) (ep10)
Miyanari Ryuji (宮成竜二) (ep10)
Kishi Hiroyuki (ep11)
Hiwatashi Shinji (樋渡真司) (ep11)

In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan's medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren't independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region - issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable.

OMG! This drama rocked my freakin' socks off! Sakaguchi Kenji is so damn fine. You will know why in the first scene of the first episode in the first season. Naked + godlike body + sex scene = hentai thoughts. OMG!

From there on in, the drama was simply amazing. Both seasons. The second was more repetitive but that was okay. Really. I thought Code Blue was cool until I came across this and decided that Code Blue was a pansie-ass drama. Same idea but this drama was more indepth. OMG! A definite must see. The comedy was just right. You'll know why when you see Ikeda Tetsuhiro's character and Koike Teppei's character intermingle. Go Harry!! (You'll know what I mean by that once you see it......)

Truly touching drama! Truly. Truly!

Blood and Bones (Chi to hone / 血と骨 -2004)

Starring:
Takeshi Kitano - Joon-pyong Kim
Hirofumi Arai - Masao Kim
Tomoko Tabata - Hanako Kim
Joe Odagiri - Takeshi Park
Kyoka Suzuki - Yong-hee Lee
Yuko Nakamura - Kiyoko Yamanashi
Jae Baxley - Fight Spectator
Mari Hamada - Sadako Toritani
Atsushi Ito - Yong-il / Young Joon-pyong
Shuuji Kashiwabara - San-myung Jang
Kazuki Kitamura - Yoshio Motoyama
Jun Kunimura - Yong-sang Jo
Yutaka Matsushige - Nobuyoshi Ko
Naoyuki Morita - Young Masao
Mami Nakamura - Sanae Otani
Takashi Nishina - Yong-su Kim
Kozo Sato - Tae-su Kim
Sansei Shiomi - Sung-ki Kim
Miako Tadano - Chun-mi Kim
Susumu Terajima - Hee-bom Park



Blood and Bones painstakingly describes the life of infamy lead by Kim Shun-Pei, an unskilled laborer from Cheju, an isolated island in the far South of Korea, from his arrival in Osaka in 1923, full of dreams and ambitions, for lack of more distinctive qualities, to his unmourned death in North Korea. Expatriated into Japan during the era of its colonial rule over the peninsula, he seems to be seeing/seeking (as do his compatriots) a land of opportunities for fortune, fame (to a lesser extent) and prior to these fantasies, work.

But unlike his fellow immigrants, Kim is a man who knows no law but the one dictated by his own iron will, and hardly any other means of expression than his two fists and his rage, with which he will establish his authority over the small community of his peers, a silent diaspora scattered in a few alleys that will remain their horizon for the rest of the film.


This was an excellent movie! Kitano Takeshi was awesome as the abusive, controlling father.

I've read that this movie was critiqued for the "abuse" towards Koreans in Japan during Japan's occupation of Korea. I didn't see that in this movie. What I saw was a normal reaction to how ANY ethnicity would react if a father who was the way he was would respond. Black, White, Asian, Mexican, Persian, etc...if were put about in those types of conditions, I would believe, would react the same as the Koreans did during that time.

I didn't even see a "Japanese" person depicted (even though the Koreans were actually Japanese actors) in the movie. It was all about the Koreans and how a family and the people involved in that family lived, loved, and learned and reacted to the man who took what he wanted and gave nothing back.

It was definitely a sad movie. There wasn't a single happy moment during the whole movie. I would hope they would have a part two of the movie because I'd like to see how the rest of the "children" became and how Masao lived after his father moved back to North Korea.

Oh yeah, Odagiri Joe was in it!! His part was quite big for the only 20 minutes he had in the whole movie. He was the first born son who was conceived out of rape. He was actually the most loving of the children especially towards Masao.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone. Some serious mature scenes in this movie (yeah, I mean sex!) that was kind of gross since it was of the "old man". Ick!

Arai Hirofumi

I cannot believe I have not a single picture of Hirofumi-kun in any of my other previous posts of his movies. WTH? So here I go. He doesn't have the classic idol looks but he's cute in his own right. That Korean in him gives him a distinctive look that I really like. He can play tough guy or sweet guy...it works both ways for him. *muah!*

14 Sai No Haha (１４才の母-2006)

Starring:
Shida Mirai as Ichinose Miki (14)
Tanaka Misako as Ichinose Kanako (43)
Namase Katsuhisa as Ichinose Tadahiko (45)
Miura Haruma as Kirino Satoshi (15)
Muroi Shigeru as Kirino Shizuka (48)
Yamaguchi Sayaka as Endo Kyoko (Homeroom teacher, 25)
Koumoto Junichi as Mitsui Makoto (Miki's uncle, 33)
Kitamura Kazuki as Hatano Taku (Chief of editor, 38)
Sorimachi Takashi as Doctor Tsuchida (ep10-11)

14-year-old Miki Ichinose becomes pregnant with her boyfriend's child. After struggling with the fact that she is pregnant, she decides that she will keep the baby and raise it by herself. The drama follows what this means for her, her family, her school life, the life of her boyfriend and his family, and the society in which she resides.


I don't know what to say about this show. It disturbed me beyond no end. Shida Mirai looks younger than her 14 years in this show, almost 11-12 years in fact. Teaming her up with Miura Haruma who is actually in reality 3 years older than her in real life made it seem unreal. Should have had another actress for the role. Nothing against Shida Mirai, she did really well it was just hard to watch with her childlike face. I guess they chose her for that reason. Reality is....girls that young are getting pregnant. Ugh.

It had a happy ending though. That made it seem better when my heart cried out in pain to see such a young girl grow up in 9 months immediately. To my happy surprise, Sorimachi Takashi, played her doctor after giving birth. I about peed my panties out of sheer happiness. So I had two hotties to make my morning.

I must admit I watched all the episodes in 4 hours time. "How?" I'm sure you are asking. Well, there was too much melodramatic music, reminiscing, and boring adult talk. All I cared about was the relationship of Satoshi and Miki...so I fast forwarded through most of it. And to my complete surprise, they didn't dwell alot on their relationship. It was all about Miki and her family which royally pissed me off. Satoshi's relationship and responsibilities were tossed on her throughout the series. I think they should have thrown in more on his side...so that sped up the process a bit for me as well. So 11 episodes cut down to 4 hours.....that says alot.

The series could have been better like I said especially on this tough subject and not have left it on the girl. It takes "two to tango" as they say.

Sorimachi Takashi

*faints*


Miura Haruma

Galileo

Starring:
Fukuyama Masaharu as Yukawa Manabu
Shibasaki Kou as Utsumi Kaoru
Kitamura Kazuki as Kusanagi Shunpei
Shinagawa Hiroshi as Yuge Shiro
Watanabe Ikkei as Kuribayashi Hiromi
Maya Miki as Jonouchi Sakurako
Hayashi Tsuyoshi as Murase Kensuke
Aoi as Taniguchi Saeko
Fukui Hiroaki as Kobuchizawa Takashi
Takayama Miyako (高山都) as Watanabe Miyuki
Ito Takahiro as Mori Eita

In "Galileo," Fukuyama Masaharu plays a genius physicist and university associate professor, Yukawa Manabu, who solves difficult mysteries. Affectionately known as Tantei Galileo ("Detective Galileo"), Yukawa is brilliant, an all-round sportsman, tall and handsome but eccentric. Yukawa's partner is a rookie cop, Utsumi Kaoru (Shibasaki Kou), a hot-blooded woman with a strong sense of justice.

FINALLY! The Japanese have done it again. A refreshing new concept to television drama. This show was a class act, top rated, mind-engaging rollercoaster ride. This sort of reminded me of the U.S.'s CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) blended in with Japan's Hero drama series.

The show begins out with Galileo reminding us (almost every episode) that emotions are illogical. Where as, Utsumi derived her detective skills on intuition and emotion. Throughout the show, we watch both characters begin to blend their knowledge and strengths and learn to relatively trust each other to a fault. And both begin to learn the value of the other's aptitude....Galileo showing emotion and Utsumi using logic.

Against Korean drama, this show moved relatively fast and didn't leave me with want to run to the last episode to find out the conclusion. Korean's are good about making you suffer through episodes and dragging out the story until you are shaking with an insane amount of curiosity for the end. In this case, Galileo leaves you spellbound and looking forward to the next episode.

Fukuyama Masaharu


Kitamura Kazuki