Without the movie it's great but unfinished, with it it's half ruined

I haven't read the manga this dorama is based on, but considering that 99% of times Japanese adaptations from manga are very faithful (sometimes even too much for their own good, but that's another story), I bet the original was a real "page-turner"!
The premise is as catchy as they come, the constant twists and turns keep the viewer's interest Everest-high, all the superb cast does - bar one notable exception (*) - a great job (particular praises to Oguri Shun who's very good, to Shibasaki Kou who's a wonderful tsundere, and to the always great Nishida Toshiyuki), and the production level is absolutely top notch. I wasn't enthusiastic about the use of modern music at first (also, not being a fan of recent music - unless it's made to sound like it's older), but I have to admit it kinda works after all.
Honestly, I would've given this a 10, hadn't they decided to scr*w it all up by wrapping the story up lousily in a mostly poorly written, boringly diluted, obnoxiously hollywoodian movie. Without it, the dorama is great but feels unfinished; with it, it's half ruined. What a bad decision!

(*) Horibe Keisuke is plainly terrible as the Shogun (quoting myself from another review: "...compared to him, even Dick Dastardly from "Wacky Races" was a credible, realistic and sober villain!!! >__<")

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It doesn't happen that often - heck, almost never! - but this time I'm at a loss for words, seriously. How am I supposed to review this "Metro ni Notte"? I *adored* it from the very first minute and got drawn in right away (the fact that I've always been fascinated by the maze-like quality of subways - and the fact that the übergorgeous Okamoto Aya stars in it! - may have had something to do with that, actually). Up until the last 20' or something, I seriously thought I was gonna review this as a *masterpiece* and put it in my personal "top10 of all times"...but then - no spoilers, don't worry - those last 20', well...let's just say they really didn't sit right with me. At all! >____< (like a huge bowl of jambalaya eaten right before going to sleep, if you know what I'm saying, LOL)
Too bad, 'cause everything had been top notch until then: the script, the acting, the photography/directing/editing/etc....
I normally shun remakes, but if this were to be remade, say, by Tom Tykwer (the director of "Lola Rennt" and "Der Krieger + die Kaiserin" - movies that have something in common with this one, imho) and if, while remaking it, they changed the ending...well, in that case I'd very much like to watch said remake! ^__-

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Has it ever happened to you that a friend or a colleague asked you: "How 'bout a beer down at McGinty's (Arnold's, Rollo's, or however you call the joint you get your booze from) after work? We could grab a burger and watch the ball game afterwards!" to which you replied: "Buddy, you had me at 'beer'!"...you know, right? Well, in the case of this "Shindo / Prodigy", they had me at 'Narumi Riko' and 'classical music', LOL! Which is why I didn't take a look at who the writer was - something I usually do when in doubt whether to watch something or not. Had I checked beforehand, I would have known what to expect from the same guy who gave us "Camouflage" and "Ueno Juri to Itsutsu no Kaban" ('nuff said...URGH!). I really loved the music, as well as Narumi Riko (I got the feeling she's the kind of actress you either love or hate; me, I adore her). The rest of the cast did also well. The plot was okay. All in all, I could've given this an 8, a 9 or even a 10. BUT. But...the writer - who I'd bet has watched too many "Nouvelle Vague" flicks and read too little about scriptwriting in his youth - gave us a story with more holes than your regular swiss cheese. Minor characters without the slightest function (Kanjiya Shiori's, for example; but also Narumi Riko's classmate), weird scenes that aren't the least bit explained (like, the "ending"), and basically the viewer is supposed to do the writer's work in his stead and imagine all the untold story - which is, like, half of it! Now, if I were more objective in my reviews (something I'm not, I always point out just the opposite, that my reviews are to be taken as VERY subjective!), then I'd probably give this a 5 or even less (as I think I would if it had been about, say, origami - or anything else I'm not interested in - instead of classical music, and if the FL had been portrayed, say, by Naka Riisa or Fukada Kyoko instead of by Narumi Riko). As it is, I give it a 7.

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If I had to comment on this "Tsui no Sumika" using only one word, then I'd totally say: "thought-provoking"! From the first to the last minute of this 2-part SP dorama, the viewer is overwhelmed with questions, one deeper and more complex than the other. And those doubts - existential ones at that! - linger on even after the end of the dorama. What should we do in order to assist our elderly? How should public care function? What should the goal be? What would the best solution be? Very well-written script, good acting (not so sure about the FL though, as I have the feeling some other actresses might have performed better). Nice music as well.

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Half-baked SP dorama, with some good/funny moments but also some very weak ones. Actually, at times I couldn't help but feeling like the writer had sort of totally run out of new ideas, so for example she thought it was ok to make the leads behave almost as if they had gone back to square one and the whole series just hadn't happened, and I personally found that pretty annoying. The acting was once again good, but the leads couldn't shine as they had done in the series because of the less appealing script. P.s. Ishihara Satomi's the only one who managed to speak English with a decent, mostly understandable accent; the others were just embarrassing, sorry...

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I must confess I haven't watched the dorama "Tokyo Airport" of which this "Tokunoshima Airport" is a spin-off, so I've possibly missed a few references here and there (though I got the baseball one in the last episode, LOL). Still, this very short dorama (4 episodes, 15 minutes each) is in my very humble opinion enjoyable just the same, with the kind of humor you might find in a 4-koma manga, if you know what I'm talking about. Last but not least, Koike Eiko is - as always! - superbly gorgeous (and also pretty scary, portraying this crazy control freak, LOL). All in all not a masterpiece, ok, but still a totally watchable, funny miniseries ^__^

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I had watched this, like, 15 years ago and back then I had liked it. Upon rewatching it some 15 years later (and most of all: HAVING READ THE BOOK MEANWHILE!!!), my judgement is now different (after all, I'm not the same person I was 15 years ago, I think it's just normal that my tastes have also changed). The movie is not too bad, it still gets the passing grade, but the production made too many bad choices: instead of adapting the brilliant novel faithfully, they changed and/or cut too many details, thus crippling the story. The cast was also just so-and-so (the best actress - Takeuchi Yuko - only had a minor part with a few lines). Watchable, but nothing special. I remember I originally liked the sequel "Rasen / Spiral" much more, one of these days I'ma watch that one as well so as to see if I still think so or what, LOL

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I often say that one of the (many) reasons why I like J-dramas so much is the incredibly vast variety of genres and of topics they address, and the great freedom the writers have. Now, this dorama is a perfect example of that! Where else could you have a whole series depicting banks for what they really are (the portmanteau "banksters" immediately comes to mind!) and thus having a bank's big gun as the villain, all the while having as the totally improbable heroes an old guy, a young and inexperienced fellow and two incredibly funny yakuza? Nowhere else, ne? ^_^;
Particularly worthy of praise, as always, Nagase Tomoya's performance, but also Kohinata Fumiyo's and Matsushige Yutaka's - who add some much needed comic relief moments (plus, one of the most tragic and romantic scenes ever!) - and last but not least, Okamoto Aya's; besides, she's to die for in this, period. The only reason why I don't give this beautiful dorama a full 10/10 is that I'm a bit dissatisfied with the ending; after having built up all that tension with such a despicable S.O.B. of villain, I'd personally want said villain to be utterly crushed, disgraced, humiliated, destroyed at the end (Kusturica's "Black Cat, White Cat" comes to mind, if you know what I'm saying, LOL). This "let's give the guy a hand" just doesn't sit right with me...

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This isn't the first "regional dorama" I've watched, and just like the others, this one too is set in a beautiful scenery and has a deep, heartwarming story. Another big plus, at least for me - I love the Tōhoku accent, seriously! - is that this "Watashi no Ao Oni" is set in Yamagata Prefecture. But the biggest plus, as far as I'm concerned, is that the main role is played by the lovely Murakawa Eri (I found her positively radiant in everything I've seen her in so far, and I keep asking myself why they don't cast her more often!) - oh, and I also like a lot Kamishiraishi Moka! Anyway: a solid plot, with flashbacks intertwining with a fairy tale written by a local author and ending up with a poetic story and a lovely message; some very good acting; last but not least, some nice music. What more can you ask for?

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Hitsudan Hostess is a short dorama which brings on the screen the life of Saito Rie, who managed to become Ginza's (and therefore, Japan's) number one hostess despite being deaf since age 2, wrote a bestselling autobiography and later (though this has happened after the dorama was made) became the first hearing-impaired person ever to be elected as a local assemblywoman in Tokyo. The story is really moving, the acting very good (particular praises to Kitagawa Keiko, the late Tanaka Yoshiko and Sasano Takashi - plus, it's always a pleasure to see Toda Naho) and the message conveyed so heartwarming.

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Wakui Emi (as soon as she cuts that dreadful "ramen hair" she sports at the beginning of the series ^_-) goes back to being the same, absolutely adorable actress who had previously graced the audience in "Pure", and she delivers a solid performance throughout the entire dorama. Talking about great performances, Takeda Testsuya's would deserve a standing ovation, period. The problems lie with Sorimachi (who seems a bit out of place here, imho), with Hosho Mai (I liked her a lot in "Shomuni", but here she's just irritating, sorry), and most of all with the scriptwriting, which has its moments but also many faults - particularly the last episodes which are imho plainly silly. Too bad, it could've been much better than this...:/

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One of the best doramas I've seen, unfortunately partially tainted by an unispired last episode; without giving anything away, let's just say that after a 10-eps-long emotional rollercoaster (you laugh, you smile, you think, you cry...the whole 9 yards, really! Huge congrats to the writers!), the ending feels suprisingly plain, flat and dull. Too bad, 'cause it would have deserved a full 10/10 otherwise. Who does deserve a perfect 10 anyway is the lead (seriously, Nakayama Miho could make even reciting a shopping list an interesting watch; when, instead of a shopping list, there's a beautifully written script, the result is just superb of course) as well as the supporting cast (those adorably funny scenes portraying the trio of brother+kohais!). Solid score, great scenery. A must watch! :)

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