Best couples in dramas I've watched

No ranking, like children, I love all of them equally ;)

Kamiya Naoki & Shirakawa Riko, Buzzer Beat

portrayed by Yamashita Tomohisa and Kitagawa Keiko

They're both nice and honest people, and passionate about their chosen professions. Friends first, they encourage each other when they're feeling down. They care a lot for each other. There is cute, angst and romantic chemistry. Riko is a bit more outspoken while Naoki is quieter. She helps him feel more confident and he helps her feel secure. Their growing connection, the obstacles they face, everything is so good.

This drama made me fall in love with Shirakawa Keiko (I was already in love with Yamashita Tomohisa ^^).

"Love makes me stronger."

Kim Joo Won & Gil Ra Im, Secret Garden

portrayed by Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won

Unlike the other couples on that "best" list, I've only watched the drama in which this couple appear once (it's been twice for Coffee prince and My Lucky star, around three times for Autumn concerto, and countless times for Hotaru no hikari and Buzzer beat) so it may be harder for me to talk about them.

Anyway, they left a strong impression on me.

They're both headstrong people and start as "I can't stand this person but I'm kinda falling for them and always end up ingratiating in their lives."

They can be cute and hot, separately and together, sparks fly. Their connection is intense real fast and only goes deeper.
[2020 July 18th edit : So. I decided to to do a rewatch, to find which defining "quote" to give them. As I was watching, I wondered what I was smoking in 2012 and considered taking them off this list because for a good part of the runtime, these two are definitely not couple goals. However, for the last stretch, they work very well and are so cute that I decided to keep them.
Now, the quote, I have to go with the references to the Little mermaid. I tried to resist and find another one but the drama really leans on it, so here it is.
"... disappear like foam on the sea."]

Amemiya Hotaru & Takano Seichi, Hotaru no Hikari (season 1)

portrayed by Ayase Haruka and Fujiki Naohito

"Forced to live with my boss" ? Yeah, in theory, this is all wrong. There is a part of "opposite attract", with Amemiya being an absolute slob in her private and home life while Takano is very neat and worldly. And maybe some Pygmalion/My Fair lady vibes with Takano helping Amemiya, but in a good way, in order to build her confidence and improve herself without betraying who she is. As for Amemiya, she brings out his playful and joyful side which had been buried for some time. He also appreciates how dedicated she is when she puts her mind to it.

But, though I love them dearly, there is some kind of imbalance in their couple, with Takano being more invested and Amemiya gaining the most ? Something that unfortunately worsens in season 2 and becomes unbearable in the movie. Let's ignore the "ever after" and appreciate the quasi perfection of the first season. Oh, fair warning, this is a verrrry slow burn, if there is even a burn. They are the lost low-key couple of this list.

"AMEMIYAAAAA!!! BUCHOU!!!"

Liang Mu Cheng & Ren Guang Xi, Autumn's concerto

Portrayed by Ady An and Vanness Wu

Sorry, it was hard to find a relevant non spoilery picture. But it shows that this couple goes through very rough times.

Guang Xi is a spoiled heir but he becomes impressed by Mu Cheng's quiet strength and resilience. He helps her and for maybe the first time in her life, someone is on her side, fighting with her. She helps him take down his cynical walls, showing him that there are honest and kind people. The circumstances conspired against them, there is a lot of angst (!) and when they have their happily ever after, it's so satisfying.

Air on the G string

Go Eun Chan & Choi Han Kyul, Coffee Prince

Portrayed by Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo

These two are full of chaotic energy. Their banter is funny and cute. They're both looking for direction in what to do with their lives. They help and support and encourage and care for each other. They're so natural together that it seems that they're a couple even before they're actually a couple.

"It’s so warm and great that I almost forgot that I’m in a lie."

Xia Zhi Xing & Zhong Tian Qi, My Lucky Star

Portrayed by Yoo Ha Na and Jimmy Lin

They both are outspoken and confident people, who need a new start. They start as enemies but they work so well as a team. They have great chemistry (obviously or they wouldn't be on this list).  They also go through many harships together, which shows how strong their bond is.

☆⭐☆

5-ji Kara 9-ji Made

Japanese title: 5時から9時まで
English title:  From 5 to 9

10 episodes

Aired on Fuji TV
From 2015 October to December

Main cast:

Ishihara Satomi as Sakuraba Junko

Yamashita Tomohisa as Hoshikawa Takane

Tanaka Kei as Kiyomiya Makoto

Takanashi Rin as Yamabuchi Momoe

Hayami Mokomichi as Kimura Arthur

Furukawa Yuki as Mishima Satoshi

Yoshimoto Miyu as Ashigaka Kaori

Ono Takehiko as Terada Kouei

Kaga Mariko as Hoshikawa Hibari

Shison Jun as Hoshikawa Amane

Saeko as Mouri Masako

Nagatsuma Reo as Hachiya Renji

Takada Hyoga as Satonaka Yuki

Tsunematsu Yuri as Sakuraba Nene

Toda Keiko as Sakuraba Keiko

Ueshima Ryuhei as Sakuraba Mitsuru

Production credits:

Original work: Manga 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made by Aihara Miki

Screenwriter: Koyama Shota

Producer: Goto Hiroyuki, Kinjo Ayaka

Director: Hirano Shin, Tanimura Masaki

Music: Dewa Yoshiaki, Habuka Yuri

Review: +/-

Title: Girl teaches English at a language school. I guess, the timetable for her classes is from 5 to 9.

Girl: She's passionate about her job and her dream is to go to New York. She's pretty, kind and self-willed. I can believe that several men are in love with her.

Boy: He's a Buddhist monk, in charge of a temple, which is a kind of family "business". He's serious, earnest but lacks some social skills.

Other boys: As I said, there are two other men in love with Girl. I can't say much without spoilers but they are not really interesting.

Other girl: Her marriage with Boy has been arranged by her family and Boy's grandmother but she really wants to make it work.

Plots/relationships: Boy and Girl are both great characters and I believe that they can be together, that she fills something in his heart. However, the biggest problem of this drama is the pure stalking going on.

Of course, dramas have to contrive to make their characters meet again and again. I stopped counting the chance encounters in the drama I'm currently watching. Another way is to make one of the party interested. But since the other cannot reciprocate so soon, or there is no drama apparently, he (since it's usually the man) has to resort to stalking despite Girl's protests. I know I let it pass in Secret garden but the difference is that Girl here is clearly very upset to be pursued in that way. And it is upsetting to watch.

Something else I didn't like: the villains are caricatures. One of them has a motivation that doesn't make sense, as for the other, the motivation for their entire behaviour is revealed in the last minutes of the last episode... so too late.

Other characters: Families and her co-workers. There are two other relationships that are developped between secondary characters.

What the...?: Weird fakeouts.

Clichés: Embarrassing first meeting. Opposition of his family. Insta-love. Rain. Stalking.

Funny: Yes.

Bottom line: I watched it two months ago and I couldn't remember how it ended so I took it as a sign as I was unsure about the + or +/-. Once again, there was potential because most of the characters are interesting, even original, but I couldn't overlook some of its flaws.

Algernon ni Hanataba wo (2015)

Japanese title: アルジャーノンに花束を
Other title: Flowers for Algernon

10 episodes
Aired on TBS
From 2015 April to June

Main cast:

• Yamashita Tomohisa as Shiratori Sakuto
• Kuriyama Chiaki as Mochizuki Haruka
• Tanimura Mitsuki as Kawaguchi Rio
• Ishimaru Kanji as Hachisuka Daigo
• Kubota Masataka as Yanagawa Ryuichi
• Kudo Asuka as Hiyama Kosuke
• Hagiwara Masato as Takebe Junichiro
• Oomasa Aya as Koide Mai

  

Screenwriter: Nojima Shinji, Ikeda Natsuko

Producer: Han Choru, Sato Atsushi

Director: Yoshida Ken, Sakai Masahiro, Matsuda Ayato

Notes: Based on Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (which I haven't read).
Hey little sister from Buzzer beat, you're all grown up now.

Review: -

Title: It comes from the book. I like it, it's poetic and relevant. Algernon is the name of a mouse, who's been given a new substance that develops its intelligence.

Boy: He has the intellectual development of a child. He wants to be like everyone else and he is very persistent. He is good-natured and usually defuses the fights between his co-workers who are young offenders.

Girl: She is a researcher. She is impulsive and good-hearted.

Other girl: She is a student, nice and shy, but also brave.

As you can see, I'm not really inspired...

Plot / relationships: I don't know if this comes from the source material but I didn't care for the pacing. It felt like it took forever to get to the premise and then raced through the consequences. Moreover, it doesn't use that time to make the characters more dimensional. And I didn't really believe in the main love story. It got too intense too fast.

Other characters: I was more interested in the circle of friends around Boy. The character of the mother which is super important (according to the Wiki article) was not convincing. She was everything and its contrary.

Funny factor: Not at all.

Bottom line: The premise was not my jam but I went into it open-minded. I was not convinced. Though there was an interesting twist leading to a dilemma, it was not enough. It didn't even make me want to read the book.

Monsters

Japanese (Original) title: MONSTERS

8 episodes
Aired on TBS
From 2012 October to December

Main cast:

Katori Shingo as Hiratsuka Heihachi

Yamashita Tomohisa as Saionji Kousuke

Yanagihara Kanako as Takano Emi

Endo Kenichi as Kaneda Hajime

Notes:
- The official poster is so awful that I can't use it. So instead, you have this ->
- I'm more Without a trace/Criminal minds than CSI. And I don't like Detective Conan. So, if you do, don't listen to my opinion on detective series.

Review: -

Title: All murderers are monsters but this title implies more horror or disturbing whereas the drama is actually very clean. The voiceover says something about the ones who track murderers being also monsters...??? I didn't get it

Boy: He's a detective with mad deductive skills. He gathered all clues and in the third act, puts everything together. He has no consideration for anything or anyone. His only motivation seems to arrest murderers. His social behaviour is rude though he is extremely civil spoken.

Other boy: He's the Watson, the Hastings. He's an enthusiastic young policeman.

Plot: Every episode, a murder case is resolved. If the series wasn't only 8 episodes, I would have quit it because it's really repetitive. Except for the first and last episodes, there are always two suspects with one of them telegraphed as the murderer. The motive is established easily. The question is how it was done and the answer always revolve around manipulating the place or/and time of death.

Problem is I'm pretty sure the police can tell if it's a real crime scene and tell quite precisely the time of death when it happened a couple of hours ago. Especially if the victim has been stabbed... What about blood spilling?

So the structure of the episodes, the murder weapons, the motives (career advancement or preservation) are nearly identical episode after episode. Moreover, all victims are men, and only four suspects are women (including two in the first episode which have four suspects), an imbalance that I can't explain.

Other characters: Of course, the narrow minded police officer who's always wrong. Other boy's girlfriend that we only see in the first two episodes.

Most egregious cliché: Genius detective paired with naive sidekick.

Funny factor? It's trying.

Bottom line: This isn't my cup of tea. What I like in detective stories, it's being kept guessing, uncovering secrets and motivations. Focusing only on the how is intellectually interesting (superficially because it often requires suspension of disbelief) but doesn't get you as much emotionally invested as the who and why.

Nobuta wo Produce

Japanese title: 野ブタ。をプロデュース

Aired on NTV
From 2005 October to December
10 episodes

Main cast:

Kamenashi Kazuya: Kiritani Shuji

Yamashita Tomohisa: Kusano Akira

Horikita Maki: Kotani Nobuko

Toda Erika; Uehara Mariko

Ukaji Takashi: Kiritani Satoru

Nakajima Yuto: Kiritani Koji

Okada Yoshinori: Yokoyama Takeshi

Natsuki Mari: Catherine

Notes:
- Ignited my crush on you-know-who
- Seriously, everyone is in this drama!
- I rewatched it some months ago so review is from memories!

 

Review: Fav!

Title: Apt. Tells the premise.

Boy: He's popular, has a pretty and nice girlfriend but he's unsatisfied. Actually he forces himself to be nice so that people would like him.

Girl: Other people pick on her because she's weird. She always holds her head down, her face hidden by hair and talks with difficulty to people. But she really has a heart of gold.

Other boy: He doesn't care that people don't care for him. He's as weird as Girl though in a different way.

Plot / relationships: Though romantic feelings interfere as they're bound to, the main Relationship is the unlikely frienship between these three high school students. Each episode tells a self contained story that make the frienship grow.

What I really like about this drama is that under the weirdness, the emotional beats ring true, I was often moved. Also, it isn't predictable. It's confident, smart, doesn't hold back. It doesn't resort to easy magical fixes.

Other characters: It mostly take place at school though we follow Boy at home and sometimes Other Boy.

Funny factor? Yes but that's not what I liked best.

Music: I like the ending song.

Most egregious cliché: Friendship born from giving a makeover. Dream fakeout.

What the...? So many candidates for this category so let's stop at the first episode: a bookstore only allows good-looking people to read in.

Bottom line: Superficially, every character is weird but in the most important ways they behave like real people and I cared for them and their friendship. Do not watch in public.

Summer Nude

Japanese title: SUMMER NUDE
(Yeah, I know, it's not very Japanese)

Aired on Fuji TV
From 2013 July to September
11 episodes

Main cast:

Yamashita Tomohisa: Mikuriya Asahi

Toda Erika: Taniyama Hanae

Karina: Chiyohara Natsuki

Katsuji Ryo: Yaino Takashi

Kubota Masataka: Kirihata Hikaru

Yamamoto Mizuki: Horikiri Aoi

Takahashi Katsunori: Shimojima Kenji

Itaya Yuka: Shimojima Setsuko

Nagasawa Masami: Ichikura Kasumi

Note: I watched this drama mostly week to week but sometimes with two weeks in between.

Review: +/-

Title: Drama, you have disappointed me greatly. I thought I would finally be able to make fun of a title and then, you went in the 6th something episode using a voiceover reminiscent of Buzzer beat to say stuff about summer and emotions bared nude. But even with a Miley-Cyrus-like explanation, it's still a ridiculous title.

Boy: He's a photographer who lives a quiet life in a seaside little town. He is confident, very nice and always keeps his promises. Problem: He's obsessed with an ex-girlfriend to the point of stupidity.

Girl: She's a successful cook. She's nice (everyone in this drama is), energetic and strong-willed. She and Boy like to tease each other.

Other girl: She's been in love with Boy for ten years but hasn't made any moves. She is sad and hurt to watch Boy being obssessed with his ex girlfriend's unlikely return. She's a bit of a tomboy and very nice (of course). She and Girl become fast friends.

Other girls and boys: They should get their own mini description given their prominence but I'm too lazy and there is nothing special.

Plot/relationships: A new person gets incorporated into a group of friends who live in a small seaside town and have known each other almost forever. She brings change: new relationships, new endeavours.

Romantic relationships are gradual except for one ridiculous case of insta-love (You know, the dreadful "Wow, with this white shirt on/ without a beer in your hand/ riding an elephant, you're so good looking that I want your babies!")

Funny Factor: Throughout the drama, two teenagers live their own love story, quasi completely disconnected from the main characters, hitting all the hallmarks of "epic" love. It's totally WTH, and funny.

Music: I really like one of the insert piece, full of nostalgic feelings. Overall, it was good.

Bottom line: This is a quiet drama, with decent people who are nice to each other. I like that and I wasn't bored watching it but at the same time, I wasn't dying to watch the next episode. It didn't have glaring faults but I think the pacing was off.

I'm sorry, drama, but I have to come to terms with the fact that I love over-the-top too much and that I can't appreciate quiet anymore. +/-

Top 10 Drama actors Crushes

So, let's get full-on, unabashedly superficial!

But, first, because we have to do this seriously, a definition of « crushes » for the purpose of this post. Basically, all leads in drama are handsome but for reasons, some appeal to me more and make me want to check out (but not always watch in their entirety) dramas in which they appear. These crushes are based on looks and on the characters portrayed. Obviously, I don't know them. Nor do I want to. In this case, fantasy is better.

Note: I chose pictures in which I could recognise the actor, based on what I know they look like in dramas.

Hum... no surprise for number One.

     1- 山下智久 Yamashita Tomohisa.

Born in 1985.
Lead in Nobuta wo produce, Kurosagi, Buzzer beat, Proposal daisakusen, Summer nude. In his dramography, I haven’t watched Code blue past the 1st episode coz of serious real-life stuff like blood and grim surgeries. [Edit: since then, I've watched and reviewed Monsters, Algernon ni Hanataba wo and From 5 to 9, so yeah, he's still number 1, no contest].

This Google images search just killed my heart.
One hour later:

     2- 郭品超  Dylan Kuo.

Born in 1977.
Lead in Prince + Princess 2 and Borrow your love.

     3- 速水もこみち Hayami Mokomichi

Born in 1984. 

Lead in Oh ! My girl !!!, Zettai Kareshi, Rebound. Also supporting in From 5 to 9.

     4- 藤木直人 Fujiki Naohito.

Born in 1972.
Lead in Hotaru no Hikari, supporting in Proposal daisakusen.
So nice and earnest.

     5- 敖犬  Ao Quan

Born in 1982.
Lead in Brown Sugar macchiato and only guest in The legend of Brown sugar chevalries :(. 
I like his features (especially his ears! :) ) and his character is fun.

    
  6- 주원  Joo Won.

Born in 1987.
Lead in Bridal Mask (Gaksital). Based on one drama but I plan to watch more of him. [Edit: since I've wrote this post, he's played the same role as the next one on this list. Lead in Nae Il's Cantabile. Is it random or do I have a type lol ?] So intense.

Wow, it was weird to see him cheerful in the results of my Googling!

     7- 玉木宏 Tamaki Hiroshi.

Born in 1980.
Lead in Nodame Cantabile and Love shuffle.

     8- Mike He.

Born in 1983.
Lead in Love contract, Devil besides you (DNF) and Love keeps going (DNF), guest in 1 episode of Yukan club. As you see, it's because of Love contract, because he was quite terrible in Love keeps going. I couldn't get into Devil besides you but he was okay in that.

     9- 고수  Go Soo

Born in 1978.
Lead in Marrying a millionnaire.

     10- Jimmy Lin.

Born in 1974.
Lead in My Lucky Star. He's on the list based on this drama I watched years ago so it really left me an impression. After rewatching and reviewing it for this blog... yeah, he belongs on this list.

Honorary : 

(I've had a crush on you but I won't watch a drama because you starred in it.)

- 吳尊 Wu Chun

Born in 1979.
Lead in Romantic Princess and Hana Kimi taïwanais (DNF).
After I started watching Hana Kimi, I got this weird impression that he looks like my brother (He does not !) and got creeped out.

- 김범 Kim Bum

Born in 1989.
Supporting in Boys over Flowers.

And this guy: 고주원 Go Joo Won

Born in 1981.
He isn't in any dramas I've watched but coming across these pictures when I was searching for Joo Won makes me want to check them out.

 

2020 June 16th edit : I changed this list in order to remove an actor I used to like, since his turn in Capital Scandal, one of my early fav dramas. Even his terrible hairstyle in the last part of Coffee House couldn't turn me off. But I just found out he has been convicted of sexual assault so... yeah, now he's just awful and disgusting.

Kurosagi

 Japanese title: クロサギ

Aired on TBS
From 2006 April 14 to June 23
11 épisodes + a movie (2008)

 Main cast:

Yamashita Tomohisa: Kurosaki (Kurosagi)

Horikita Maki: Yoshikawa Tsurara

Ichikawa Yui: Mishima Yukari

Yamazaki Tsutomu: Katsuragi Toshio

Okunuki Kaoru: Hayasa

Aikawa Sho: Kashima Masaru

Tayama Ryosei: Momoyama Tetsuji

Kato Koji: Shiraishi Yoichi

Note: This drama is based on a popular manga that I haven't read.

Review: +

 

Title: Kurosagi is the nickname of the main character, it means "black swindler" which is to say, the ultimate swindler, the swindler of swindlers.

Boy: He's like a super hero. Dark origin story: check. Disguises: various. Super power: being incredibly clever and self-controlled. Motives: taking revenge and helping victims. He is lonely, has turned off his emotions due to a tragedy and in order to devote himself to the destruction of swindlers but you can see glimpses of kindness. Glimpses. (+)

Girl: She wants to be a prosecutor so she's at odds with Boy's occupation which consists in breaking the law. She's very normal but I found her a bit bland. It's weird because she has her own agenda and expresses herself but I didn't find her interesting. I feel like she was more a token character because someone had to point out that there are laws etc. Besides, I didn't get why she loves him, just because he's hot and mysterious. She should be intrigued, maybe attracted to him but he's so indifferent to her, she ends up acting like a doormat. (-)

Relationship: Weak. Were the relationship between the two main characters a lot more compelling, it would have been a Fav but... as I said, Girl is boring, and there is no chemistry. The romance subplot isn't organic, it seemed like they had to add it. You know there is a problem when you ship another girl with Boy. (-)

Plots: Each episode, Boy takes down a swindler. Each time, it's a different scheme, with fake(s) identity(ies). It often requires suspension of disbelief but it's entertaining. (+) I just wish it would have been a bit more serialised.

 

Other characters: - Girl's best friend: I like her though she can be mean. We have some backstory, she's lively, she’s way more energetic than Girl. (+)

 

- Foe: A policeman who wants to arrest Boy. I just can't with him. His characterization is all over the place, his backstory is the least credible thing in the drama and he laughs maniacally for no reason like a villain in a C-movie. (-)

 

- Allies: I didn't really get them. There is a old man who is very important and I warmed to him in the latest episodes but in the first ones, he's just disgusting, kind of creepy, like he was supposed to be mysterious but ended up as annoying. There is a woman who cares for him and I didn’t really get her either. (-)

One backstory is dropped for each character and then almost never heard of again, except for Boy. Even for him, we see the same images again and again and only at the end, we get some additional flashbacks fleshing out the origins story.

 

Funny factor: Hmm no.

Music: I liked it.

 

Bottom line:

 

Two things saved this drama for me and made it compelling to watch:

1) Yamashita Tomohisa is magnetic in this drama, I just can't take my eyes off him in this drama. (Corner of superficiality: his hairstyle in this drama suits him and his character perfectly. Look at the picture above! It's actually promo for the movie but I like it better -except for the tear...- and anyway, it's closer to how he looks in the drama, since his movie hair is less black.) 

2) Swindling plots: original, interesting guest characters, new and distinctive challenges.

However, I can't deny the shortcomings: Most characters are uninteresting and you feel like you don't know them and can't understand them. A romantic subplot is shoehorned.

It also feels like they wanted to keep stuff for a second season that never happened.

But a movie happened. I was hoping resolution, Boy finally taking down the big boss that ruined his family and I was disappointed. It was like a random episode of the drama stretched to two hours (so too long) only with less Girl (she has maybe 5 minutes of screen time but she doesn’t do anything), an obsession with Julius Caesar by Shakespeare I didn’t totally get and an added emphasis on Old Man which would have been interesting if I, you know, was interested and not grossed out by him.  Movie:  -

Proposal Daisakusen

Japanese title: プロポーズ大作戦

Aired on Fuji TV
April - June 2007
on Monday at 21.00

11 episodes + a Special (March 2008)

Main cast:

Yamashita Tomohisa: Iwase Ken

Nagasawa Masami: Yoshida Rei

Fujiki Naohito: Tada Tetsuya

Eikura Nana: Oku Eri

Hiraoka Yuta: Enokido Mikio

Hamada Gaku: Tsurumi Hisashi

Mikami Hiroshi: the Yosei/Fairy

Notes:
- I rewatched it for the second time and my opinion hasn't changed.
- Hello Manager and one of the coworkers of Hotaru no Hikari.

Review: +/-

Title: Like I ended up doing in most reviews, I’ll  actually use this section to give a short synopsis. In this drama, Boy attends his childhood friend’s wedding. He loves her but never confessed and is full of regrets. Every episode, he returns to a point in the past, starting in high school, to change his actions and better convey his feelings to her hoping she won’t get married to another man.

Girl: She’s nice. Though she has liked Boy since they met as kids, their relationship is based on teasing and she has never managed to confess to him.

Boy: He’s a quiet guy. His present self works hard to change the past and does really cute things for Girl but his past self was at best, totally clueless and more likely but worse, a tool. Therefore it’s too easy to understand why Girl would move on.

Other boy: He’s socially awkward but very earnest.

Friends: I talk about them early in the review because they are important in this drama. Though it’s in the background of the romance story, the friendship theme is indissociable. Girl’s best friend is energetic, joyful and she likes to go out with boys. Boy has two friends: one of them is sincerely in love with Girl’s best friend and has no shame expressing himself openly though he always gets rejected, the other is calm, mature, smart, in a word, cool.

Relationship: Ouch. This is where this drama falls apart. My opinion.

1^st: No chemistry between Boy and Girl. I buy them as friends but not as lovers. Their interactions are mostly teasing and I get that it’s hard when you grew up together to change the relationship you have but the will-they/won’t-they tension was lacking.

2^nd: There is no deep discussion between Boy and Girl, like discussing their dreams, their problems. Emotion only comes from their repressed feelings towards each other and common memories of their school years. Which is not enough to make me believe that two people are endgame.

3^rd: Past Boy didn’t seem to care that much about Girl’s feelings and she was right to move on to Other boy with whom she has better chemistry and who is a great guy.

4^th: Boy is actually quite selfish. He realises he has loved Girl for 14 years, which I’m not convinced of, and decides to win her back. But their love seem childish while her relationship with Other boy feels more mature. Indeed, their characters go better together while her feelings for Boy are kept alive in part by nostalgia.

Funny factor: Running gags. Also Boy keeps talking about events or using catchphrases before they happen, which is fun if you are really familiar with these Japanese pop culture references.

Music: Okay.

Bottom line: This is a high-concept drama. Bonus point for originality but the format of each episode gets tiring. Introduction: he goes into the past. Conclusion: he comes back. Seeing only “moments” in their lives was a bit superficial. I didn’t root for the main couple but I have to say that the returns to the past were well-handled and interesting, as a concept. I don’t know how it could have been better but it could have been way worse so +/-.

Buzzer Beat

Japanese title: ブザー・ビート

Aired on Fuji TV
July-Sept 2009
11 episodes

Main cast:

Yamashita Tomohisa: Kamiya Naoki

Kitagawa Keiko: Shirakawa Riko

Kanjiya Shihori: Ebina Mai

Ito Hideaki: Kawasaki Tomoya

Aibu Saki: Nanami Natsuki

Mizobata Junpei: Hatano Shuji

Kaneko Nobuaki: Yoyogi Ren

Maya Miki: Kamiya Makiko

Oomasa Aya: Kamiya Yuri

Nagai Masaru: Utsunomiya Toru

Review: +

Title: "Buzzer beat" is a basketball term. It is explained several times and what it describes happen several times in the drama. There is also some link to love attempted at one point. They could have called it "Love makes you stronger" because this is something expressed a lot in the drama and this slogan is prominent in the form of an ad.

Girl: I like her very much. She's passionnate about her music (and I always admire it because it requires a lot of work and perseverance). She knows what she wants and she's honest so we don't have lame misunderstandings and moping around. She's lively and charismatic. I do not really how they insisted on her not having much beauty products but still, it's a big (+)

Boy: He is a less common male lead in romance since he lacks self-confidence. He lost his mojo since becoming a pro basketball player but he is still passionnate about his sport. He isn't arrogant but on the contrary, he is very nice and doesn't speak much. However, he is not boring. (+)

Relationship: Cute and believable. The pacing is good. The only unnecessary cliché I noticed was the piggyback ride (Oops, I forgot waiting under the rain!). There are a number of it's-fate coincidences happening but the thing is that they are bonus and not used to propel the plot so they're just a nice, cherry-on-the-cake touch. One of the issues to be resolved in a drama is how to force these two people to interact and meet. Especially here since at the beginning, the two characters evolve in two parallel worlds. But they manage to find ways to slowly fuse their worlds so their meetings are not far-fetched coincidences. The obstcles thrown in their ways are common but they do not drag the story. The romance is intertwined with what is happening in their respective careers. The last act (last episode) is not as successful as the rest of the drama (I could have done without a last cringe-worthy utterance of "love makes you strong" but it's not on the mess level of the last act of Heartstrings. (+)


Other characters: As you can see from the people I chose as the "Main cast", they are many supporting characters that are quite important. I could describe and discuss at length each one of them and they have nuances with are good things. (+)

But (and this is a big but), there is a character I didn't understand at all. Like, at all. I don't understand what they want to say with her, what she's supposed to be. It's confusing. Seriously, it looks like she has a split personnality. I can't blame it on the actress, I don't know if it's a directing or writing issue. But her voice actually changes when she drops the mask/changes personnality. I know that we act different when we're alone but here it borders on creepy. Moreover, her motivations are mushy. She's not a nice but unfulfilled girl who made a mistake and then had nothing to lose. Which it sometimes looks like it should be. No, she rather appears as a mean and cold person who pretends to be warm and kind around some people for reasons that are never clear. She could have been as interesting and three-dimensional as the other characters but instead she is twice one-dimensional. (-)

Music: Very nice. Complements and enhances the drama. (+) However, I have to say that I liked the direction (some shots were inspired though sometimes a bit too on-the-nose) but that the editing was sometimes weird, like the cuts between scenes at times cuts the music in the middle (and I'm not talking scenes in which the music stops).

Funny factor: Yes! Not LOL but still nice. It's more romance than comedy.

Other points: Bonus for female friendship! It felt real. I enjoyed one conversation in the bus (first episode) in which they talked about random things like you do in a bus with a friend. There is also another moment that felt real to me when the guys are comparing their body in the locker-room... which brings me to another bonus:

Male nudity! Well, of course, not full nudity, but between the locker-room scenes, the bath ones and the beach trip, there are plenty of eye-candy.

I was reluctant to see it because I'm not into sports and I didn't want to watch endless basketball matches but it's not how it is. It's not a "sport" drama.

Bottom line: This is a Plus! I recommend it. Watching it, I wondered why it was not a Fav and I'm not sure why. I watched it many times but it just doesn't feel like one to me. I watch it with pleasure but it doesn't have that subjective thing that makes me fav a drama. I don't know if it's because of that one character. If it is, it's really too bad because almost everything else is so solid.