I just finished the J-Drama
Slow Dance last week, in the span of 3 days. It really struck a chord with me for a few reasons. First of all, I liked all 4 primary actors, which is pretty uncommon for me:
Tsumabuki Satoshi (
Dororo, Tenchijin, Lunch Queen);
Fukatsu Eri (
Saiyuuki, Koi no Chikara);
Hirosue Ryoko (
Beach Boys, Shotgun Marriage); and
Fujiko Naohito (
Gal Circle, Hokaru no Hikari, Antique, etc.). Secondly, the opening sequence is pretty cool (if you've seen it, you'll know what I mean). I wonder how long it took to set that up. And I already loved, loved, LOVED the lovely waltz of a theme song, "Tokyo" by
Fukuyama Masaharu (star of
Galileo, btw); and since I'm already predisposed to melting whenever I hear that song, hearing it used so prominently in a romantic drama I'm also otherwise enjoying is pure bliss. I realize I haven't said anything about the plot, and that's because it's pretty standard romance-drama fare. It's really the casting and music that "made" this drama for me (speaking of music, the bgm also gives me a
Long Vacation vibe, so that worked in its favor too).
Besides that, I've also started on 2
Katori Shingo dramas--
Hito ni Yasashiku (Be Nice to People) and
Saiyuuki. This is primarily because I've been watching a lot (and I mean A LOT) of
SMAPxSMAP (some subbed, but mostly raw), which is sort of my latest pet obsession. I blame it on JCD-- because if he never recommended
Long Vacation, I may never have fallen under the spell of KimuTaku and consequently launched myself headfirst into the maw of the SMAP juggernaut. Thanks, JCD!
(no, seriously,
thank you). Anyway, watching
SxS made me realize how dang
funny (and attractive) Katori is, so I had to see some of his dramas. So far,
Hito ni... is pretty amusing. I went in expecting some kind of
3 Men and a Baby set-up but it's not like that at all. And
Saiyuuki-- well, it's definitely different from any other drama I've seen, what with all the special effects and such. It's more like a live-action anime. As long as I keep that in mind, I think I'll find it enjoyable enough.
Last but definitely not least, I'm also
very much looking forward to the new Kimura Takuya drama,
Mr. Brain, which starts airing May 23rd. The plot sounds sort of
Galileo-ish (crime-solving, socially-awkward genius-- hmm...) but since I loved that series, and I love KimuTaku, it's frankly not a very hard sell for me. Throw in co-stars
Ayase Haruka (
Hotaru no Hikari, Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi) and
Mizushima Hiro (
Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Zettai Kareshi, Hana-Kimi) and I'm there with bells on.