Forum Replies Created
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Great Teacher Onizuka / GTO (2012)
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll2/ttvoon/th_qcs.jpg
" /> Type: live action
Genre: school, society, comedy
Year: 2012-Jul-03 to 2012-Sep-11
Introduction:
The live action is a remake of GTO (1998) based on the manga of the same name by Fujisawa Tohru. The story is a sequel of Shounan Jun’ai-gumi and precedes “GTO Shonan 14 Days”.
Summary:
Same as GTO (1998) with different story details and other minor changes.
Critique:
There are some improvement as well as decline regarding the cast. The girls are all prettier and more in line with the manga. There’s only one returning actress. And due to previous fame this show has a very huge guest cast. Imho all these faces are overkill and distracting. The old GTO didn’t have any guests yet, imho, the old cast is better in terms of impression and chemistry. The cast here mostly pale in comparison.
Shirota Yu (Danma Ryuji)(e.g. from Hana-Kimi, Subete ga F ni Naru) seems to have been added as an extra since originally it’s a delinquent pair not a triplet. AKIRA (Onizuka Eikichi) is the perfect image of Onizuka from the manga. He’s intimidating, a delinquent at heart, seems careless and harsh yet does help his students in the end.
The stories and events are essentially the same but completely different in details. There are parts that are new and better as well as worse. All in all this show comes closes to the manga in terms of Onizuka’s character and atmosphere.
Having seen GTO (1998) I can’t come to like this version. I’ve struggled with rating it, weighting the good and bad, and for me the bad outweigh the good. None-the-less, in its own right it’s a solid show and probably good for anyone who hasn’t seen the original.
Verdict: 7
Cast 7
Cast performance 7
Great Teacher Onizuka / GTO (1998)
" /> http://2400express.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/eikichi.jpg?w=310 " /> Type: live action
Genre: school, society, comedy
Year: 1998-Jul-07 to 1998-Sep-22
Introduction:
The live action is based on the manga of the same name by Fujisawa Tohru. The story is a sequel of Shounan Jun’ai-gumi and precedes “GTO Shonan 14 Days”. An anime was made a year later.
Summary:
Onizuka Eikichi, an ex-leader of a motorcycle gang, whose lifelong dream is to become a teacher finally gets a chance to be hired by the lady director Sakurai Akira. [Her first name is really Akira.] Onizuka is assigned to a class of troublemakers. While facing a lot of opposition from the students and teachers alike, his passion for teaching and helping his students outside school matters, eventually win everyone over.
Critique:
Aside from the cast’s great acting the chemistry is pretty much perfect. Many of the actors and students from the show became famous later on e.g. Oguri Shun (Hana Yori Dango, Hana-Kimi, Gokusen). Sorimachi Takashi (Onizuka Eikichi), his acting and style sets the whole atmosphere of the GTO show.
As far as the GTO story is concerned the show is the closes version to the manga despite some difference. However, the impression and appearance of Onizuka is different from the manga and anime. He’s less intimidating and more sympathetic and social. The atmosphere and relationship is more toward that of lifelong friendship than just respect and appreciation as in the manga.
The show did more or less sets off a revolution in how Japanese school dramas are made. The only complain I have is that the truck scene isn’t realistic, but that’s rather unimportant.
Despite the years the show has remained a top favorite of mine as it does for many others. It’s not doubt a must see show.
Verdict: 9.7
Cast 9
Cast performance 10
Script/Directing: 10
Toubousha
" /> The “nice” policeman
Type: drama
Genre: crime, detective
Year: 2004-07-18 to 2004-09-26
Summary:
Nagai Tetsuo is a probation officer who’s married to Junko, a doctor, and has a son. One day, his wife is murdered and his son is injured in an attack.
Nagai comes home late and fails to hold the attacker. Nagai takes his son to the hospital run by his father-in-law, but his son is attacked again and left in a coma.
Nagai is being suspected by the police. He becomes a fugitive, and tries to prove his innocence. What he finds is a shocking revelation.
Critique:
The cast consists of mostly famed actors(actresses). Some show themselves at their best. I have no complains here.
Even though, it starts out as a seemingly ordinary family drama the tension gets build up very quickly while turning into a crime show. It’s not your typical of the mill japanese crime/police show, though. It’s a bit more like a thriller as a show than as a movie. It looks like a movie than a Japanese TV show.
It’s somewhat more complex in terms of people and relationships than your typical straight forward detective show. All in all it’s a great show.
Verdict: 8.3
Cast 8
Cast performance 8
Script/Directing: 9
Nagareboshi [Shooting Star]
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" /> Type: drama
Genre: romance, family
Year: 2010-Oct-18 to 2010-Dec-20
Summary:
Okada Kengo is an employee at the Shinenoshima aquarium, whose sister Maria only has a year to live unless she gets a liver transplantation. His fianceé Aizawa Minako breaks up with him over the issue. Makihara Risa works in the sex industry to pay off her good for nothing lowlife of a brother Shuichi. Shuichi makes her life miserable whenever he can. Risa commits suicide but gets rescued by Kengo who contracts her into a marriage. They go through various troubles including betrayal but in the end they finally find to each other.
Critique:
The cast consists of mostly famed actors(ses). Takenouchi Yutaka (Okada Kengo) with his mostly serious poker face is kind of downgrading the role. I’m also not quite happy with the under-performance of some others. I know they can do a lot better. Inagaki Goro as Makihara Shuichi is so hateful he must be doing a good job.
This drama is somewhat fickle with surprises yet the story is also predictable. It’s also slow at times. The show has potential to be a lot better. With its flaws I have to rate it less despite liking it a lot. If Ueto Aya (Makihara Risa) doesn’t convince you to watch it then I don’t know what will.
Verdict: 7.3
Cast 8
Cast performance 7
Script/Directing: 7
In the AKB48 special yesterday (recorded) they held a sudden audition for an extra character appearance. Menchi Battle! It was kind of funny. Ogasawara Mayu won the role.
Too bad the original cast that are still left didn’t get to participate. I would have liked to see Nezumi (Watanabe Mayu) and Center (Matsui Jurina) again. Well, aside from no longer being that young both would have probably outclassed the others. -_-; There’s no one Jurina couldn’t beat in anything other than Mayu’s beauty/cuteness. She was (is?) known as the pie-less queen for never having lost, hence, never got a pie smashed onto her. Even after about 100 shows and 10vs1 battle she remained untouched.
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" /> [BBvideo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0irSODvo4A [/BBvideo]
