100 Man Kai Ieba Yokatta (2023)

A good murder, mystery, romance, friendship drama with a whole lot of pain

This is a drama that raises the oh so important question:

Is it worth finding out who murdered your soulmate , if it means you may have to let go of his presence as a ghost?

It is also a drama that beautifully portrays love and loss, and is defiantly one of those dramas that you start watching while knowing you are in for a whole lot of pain...
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Going in to this you are also probably fully aware of the pretty faces and good acting that will a company that pain, at least if you look at the cast list before you start watching it. Making it just that much more painful, because, if the acting would have been meeh you would probably not feel as much pain, but then again meeh acting and pain are just not really worth it anyway.

This on the other hand is so worth it, as you not only get a painful romance, you also get a bromance, a murder mystery and a ghost seeing male lead without to much second hand embarrassment. Though the ghost seeing male lead had some over acting moments I actually really liked him the rest of the time. As he did bring a whole lot of heart in to this character and was probably a perfect fit.

As for our female lead she was just so human, perfectly imperfect, sweet, and a great at showing whole range of emotions. She embodied the not wanting to let go just so perfectly. She was lovable, relatable and bad ass all at once.

Our ghost male lead was also really well casted, a cold guy with a few hot spots the few shows of emotions became that much more powerful.

So what can I say the pacing is decent, the predictability pretty high yet it still managed to keep me interested. I love the way the story unfolds, with spots of excruciating pain but also a lot of fluff, love, bromance, romance between the painful moments.

As for the OST we do get both the piano, the guitar and some shout out pain rock, the type that I think only J-dramas can offer. And I loved it.

So if you can handle some pain, this is a great place to find it, if not then move a long there is nothing to see here...

Also I did not like the last episode, it did not go well with the rest of the drama, but I am personally act like it never happand... So I did not let it affect the score.

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Ditto

Somewhere a screenwriter was watching the movie Ghost for the fifth time and decided it would make a great drama. Just trade out a police officer who can see ghosts for the clairvoyant Whoopi Goldberg and Satoh Takeru for Patrick Swayze. The title I Should Have Told You a Million Times was even reflected in the 1990 movie. If you've seen the movie, nothing in this drama will come as a surprise. Having said that, the characters were all likeable enough to keep my interest throughout the drama.

The story opens with a Sixth Sense beginning, but if you've read the synopsis, the suspense fell flat. Thankfully, they didn't drag it out. Yui and Naoki were childhood friends who reconnected and began dating. On her birthday, he disappears. Along comes Detective Uozumi whose latent spiritual sight evolves just in time to see Naoki. Uozumi works to figure out what happened to Naoki while he's embroiled in another murder investigation. The three become friends as they dig through the past to see how old relationships and old crimes are playing havoc with the present. There were also some Ghost Whisperer moments where they helped a couple of wandering ghosts with their regrets.

Despite some repetitious scenes and obvious borrowing from other sources, I enjoyed the story as it unfolded. The bromance that developed between Naoki and Uozumi helped cover over some of the weaker writing. The suave Satoh Takeru and nerdy Matsuyama Kenichi had a nice chemistry. Inoue Mao showed how hard it is to let go as Yui held on tight to a man she couldn't see. With all the extra time they were given and a translator as well, it was frustrating that Yui and Naoki didn't work through their emotions and regrets. In some ways, their relationship came across as fairly shallow instead of an intimate love---words matter.

The supernatural murder mystery came to its natural ending in episode 9, but then they decided to tack on a wish fulfillment ending for the last episode that almost completely ruined this drama for me. With one little tweak they had the opportunity to showcase the perfect ending for a tearjerker drama but by dragging it out, took all of the emotional punch from the previous episode. In time, I will block out the last episode, grind through the five stages of grief and remember the other episodes and engaging characters fondly.

7/5/23

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Even the superhuman efforts of Satoh Takeru couldn’t save this one.

After a rough week I was just wanting something relatively brainless to drop into and when Netflix offered me this I conceded that Satoh Takeru is more than just a good actor, he’s a very pretty face and was seduced into trying it.

It was 6 episodes in that I found out, to my disappointment, it was a 10 episode drama rather than an 8. You may wonder at this point if I am simply incapable of dropping a show. Well, Black Knight went down the tubes 10 minutes in… But this was one of those compulsively bad dramas you just have watch to the end. Boiled frog syndrome. There’s a totally perverse pleasure, or perhaps it’s a morbid fascination, in seeing just how valiantly good actors will struggle to put on a show as the writing progresses from almost passable, to unfortunate, to cringeworthy, to bad, to embarrassing, to execrable, to finally arrive at the only remaining destination—hysteria. Wah, the professional pride of this cast was impressive!

There’s something about Satoh Takeru that makes virtually anything he takes seriously totally believable, but even this superhuman quality of his was unable to save the farce of episode 9 (Thunderbolts and lightening, very, very frightening me…) and the sentimental quagmire of episode 10. And btw who the hell thought of adding that jaunty song into the mix? Wtf were they thinking…

The idea was marginally interesting and could have been made to almost work in the hands of a writer who could have taken the theme of death and relinquishment and given it some pathos. But I’m afraid Adachi Naoko either doesn’t know what those experiences are made of, or is just unable to write an insightful account of it. I suspect the former (forgive me if it’s the latter but it really has no impact on the end result). At first I thought it was going to be a whimsical approach but then it gradually became clear that keeping everything “nice” and above the murky waters of real feeling was the driving factor.

The character of the policeman was bordering on nauseatingly sickly and he was forced into that profession by the writer’s necessity for someone to solve a crime. In fact I swear he’d been training for the priesthood before she hijacked him for the part. And that’s the core of the problem really, the conveniences and problem-solving adjustments just got more and more ridiculous as the drama progressed. Everything was halfhearted and superficial, from the romance to the crime, which sort of lurked in dark corners. Well, I suppose I got what I wished for - something brainless.

What my rating means: 4+ I forced myself to go through to the end of it, but only because I was committed to writing the review. It annoyed the hell out of me. Actively avoid.

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Il ne faut rien remettre à plus tard, la vie est courte !

j’ai beaucoup aimé !
Bon, je reconnais que je ne sais pas résister à une bonne histoire de fantôme ! Ici on est servi, car, en bon Japonais, le scénariste a inclus vraiment le principe fantomatique dans la vie, il n’y a pas que le héros, mais qu’élues autres qui se promènent parmi nous, et la famille de Yuruzu qui les voit depuis toujours, ça ne paraît pas si extraordinaire que ça ! Ici, le fait que Yuruzu doive toujours servir d’interprète donne lieu à des scènes parfois drolatiques, ou quelques fois touchantes et à une jolie bromance assez originale ! . L’enquête sur l’assassinat de Naoki sert de fil rouge et elle est bien faite, écrite avec assez de soin pour ne pas devenir trop insignifiante par rapport à la romance Yui/Naoki. J’avoue que j’ai deviné assez vite qui était l’assassin, mais ça ne m’a pas dérangée !
Les acteurs sont très bons, notre chère Makino (INOUE Maou)toujours à la hauteur, et j’ai retrouvé avec plaisir après « first love » SATOH Takeru qui, en plus de bien jouer, est quand même très beau ! MATSUYA Kenichi est excellent dans le rôle du policier au cœur tendre ! La fin est très jolie, je m’y attendais aussi mais elle est traitée avec suffisamment de finesse, de délicatesse pour rester dans le ton doux-amer (spécialité japonaise) du drama.
J’ai passé un excellent moment, j’ai avalé les 10 épisodes en très peu de temps !

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"Death is a sad thing."

"Why didn't I tell you a million times?" has a great cast who bring their best performances. The premise is familiar (and kind-of a retread of the movie "Ghost"). Despite that, I enjoyed the drama for the emotional performances of the cast of the mystery aspect of the main character's death. I will say that 10 episodes feels a bit too long. They could've shortened it to 6-8 episodes. I do appreciate that the mystery wraps up in the ninth episode and the final is dedicated to finishing up the character's storylines.

I recommend the drama for those who like emotional stories and are ready to cry. It is a bit slow going so keep that in mind.

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Exceso de irrealismo que da risa.

Yo también como muchas personas, decidí ver este drama por los 3 roles principales y porque está en netflix.

Leyendo la sipnosis te das una idea de que sí, en efecto va a a tener su toque de fantasía pero con el paso de los capítulos ese irrealismo se vuelve de lo súper incómodo hasta que llegue un punto de risa loca (y peor aún, el episodio 10, que es el final pero eso es otra cosa que me niego a contar para evitar spoilers). Además de lo anterior, es una historia que tiene muchos huecos en su historia y algo tan importante como eso hace que la historia sea mucho más difícil de digerir.

Nunca pude llegar a empatizar con la protagonista ni su dolor, con Naoki (Satoh Takeru) tuve una relación de amor-odio (me gustaba muchísimo más la química que tenía con Uozumi que con Yui). Y sobre Uozumi (Matsuyama Kenichi), para mí lo fue TODO en esta historia, el personaje clave, el más simpático, noble, interesante y solo por él me terminé de ver los 10 episodios, esperando que terminara siendo un personaje con un buen final. Los personajes secundarios son buenos a secas, la única que me pareció interesante fue la doctora que es Coreana, pero la historia que envuelve a Naoki con Rio (Karina) trató de ser algo único y diferente para un Jdrama que simplemente nunca me terminó de convencer.

Me da pena que teniendo esa calidad de actores todo se haya ido por el retrete por tan mala y ridícula historia, me extraña, porque Adachi Naoko es la misma que adaptó y seguirá adaptando mi Jdrama favorito de la vida que es Kinou Nani Tabeta?.

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thanks to the unexpected twists

The drama 10 episodes featuring Takeru Satoh delivers a captivating performance by the lead actor. The plot, though a classic one with a somewhat predictable trajectory, manages to maintain its intrigue throughout, thanks to the unexpected twists.

However, it's worth noting that the series could have concluded effectively at episode 9. The final episode, while providing a satisfying closure for some, may feel somewhat superfluous for those who prefer a more open-ended conclusion.

In summary, this drama is a captivating watch showcasing Takeru Satoh's talent and offering an interesting storyline with unexpected twists. Whether you choose to watch episode 10 for closure or stop at episode 9 for a different experience, it's a worthwhile addition to your watchlist.

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Amo mucho a los tres protagonistas.

Bueno, este era uno de los doramas que más estaba esperando porque amo a los tres protagonistas. O sea, ya fangirleaba con solo pensar en que iban a trabajar en algo juntos, así que estoy feliz de decirles que, si bien no es la mejor serie del mundo, vale bastante la pena (sobre todo si aman a los actores tanto como yo, porque los tres mostraron una química increíble).

La trama, para que se den una idea, tiene muchísimas similitudes con Ghost, pero con toques un poco más oscuros y un misterio mucho más presente. En general me gustó cómo se desarrolló todo, sobre todo porque hubo cosas que no se me hicieron tan obvias, pero siendo sincera, por momentos la parte "policial" perdía mi interés. Me entretenía muchísimo más ver flashbacks de cuando Naoki estaba vivo o simplemente ver interactuar a los personajes, porque genuinamente me gustaron un montón (Takeru Sato me gusta de por sí, pero Naoki es su personaje con el que más me encariñé, es divino). Eso sí, el final fue un golpe bajo directo al cora.

Otra cosa a destacar es que no hay un claro triángulo amoroso (gracias Japón por tener tres protagonistas en una serie "romántica" y esquivar ese cliché). De hecho, todo el rol que juega Yuzuru en la historia me gustó muchísimo, al punto de haber querido abrazarlo en más de una ocasión (tengo debilidad por la gente buena, torpe y adorable, así que él ganó desde que apareció).

En otras noticias, la producción es muy buena, los actores son todos geniales y la música me gustó un montón. Nada que decir por ese lado.

En fin, no esperen la gran cosa, pero yo los aliento a darle una oportunidad, es muy entretenida.

•IG DE RESEÑAS CORTAS: @altoplottwist

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At a loss to describe this

This drama left me flabbergasted.
I was just beginning to up my ratings on J dramas and viola this comes along on Netflix.

Was it an undying romance?
Was it a mystery thriller?
Did it want to depict the existence of truly kind hearted foster parents or make underage abuse the thematic issue?
Why did the ghost come back again?

Truly nerve racking story with no focus, too many critical story lines, no idea what was the intent, purpose and genre of this drama.
It spilt water all over the floor and took a soaking wet mop to clean the mess but instead ended up with a soggy damp confusing wreckage.

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