*sigh* Federer. What a match. It’s the end of an era, I have nth against Nadal, but he’s just mere super talented, hardworking mortal next to the effortless godly genius. We had a taste of how elegant and effortlessly artistic tennis can be, but now we’re back to gritty non-whimsical reality. Yes, Federer = godliness in tennis. *sigh**sigh**sigh*

I wont even bother with the fasination with Matsuhima Nanako as an actress, so Masami’s holiness is very beyond me. She is wholesomely beautiful, but that’s almost the bulk of her talent. Read she’s considered the next very revered Sayuri Yoshinaga… um…She’s at best a wallflower that we know was going to just get beaten literally and figuratively in LF. LF was promising at first, lost me by the middle. Ueno, Eita firmly established themselves as promising actors, no surprise. But the drama was lacking for me, watching it, I was in a mix of frustration, boredom and restlessness. it tried to dealt with DV, homosexuality but like many characters in the show, it was treated like some icing or ornamentation and dealt without any thought provoking depth. It’s still a decent drama, but when it just missed being endearing, it’s a shame.

P can never ever be Kimura. Never. I do find him fr a better gene pool physically, but he’s like a piece of glossy cardboard on screen. He totally gave up on honing on his acting. In Code Blue, he’s chipping in his posing as some model cosplaying a doc, so though I’m a med drama nut, I stopped and delete after 10 min. It may be good, but not that good for me to endure posing as a substitute for ‘acting’. Kimura, he’s aged not as fine as wine and currently with instant noodles as hair, still commands your eyes to be on him, and hypnotizes you enough to not really be critical as to whether he’s that great an actor to begin with. (my jury’s still out, but I watch on) Who cares, he’s Kimura.

Absolute Boyfriend was my guilty pleasure (with very unexpected tears). Monster Parent may be my next guilty pleasure, Tomorrow for my first love Yutaka.

Yeah, I mean, Federer was like the Kimura Takuya to Nadal’s Tomoyo Nagase. Nah, not at all, but I just wanted to put the words “Nagase” and “Takuya” in the same sentence.

Yeah, I’m actually one of the people who support the “Pi is next Kimataku” brigade. But I think that expectation kinda got to him too, because he nowawdays self-consciously tries to be cool and uhm . . . cool that it’s physically painful to shed a tear. Or really smile. It’s physically not possible to be as cool as Takuya. The dramaverse cannot handle two of him. Also, I’ve had to get off the “Masami Nagasawa is the next Matsuhima Nanako” army (not bad in Last Friends, but it’s like she stopped developing as an actress when she turned the ripe old age of 18!), so I needed to find another cause. (Seriously, I think Nipon is so deeply in love with Matsushima that any actress who vaguely looks like her or gives off the same vibe becomes the Next It Girl.)

I like medical dramas and Code Blue looks Iryu-ish, so I’m looking forward to it. But, uhhm Erika Toda as 26 year old medical doctor? Yamapi as 29 years old? As they say in Taiwan, n****a please!!! O_o

I’m looking forward to Maou. I don’t think Ono is really in Uhm Tae Woong’s league as an actor (could be wrong, I know he prefers stage acting), but I kinda prefer Toma over Joo Ji Hoon. Actually when Lucifer/Devil came out, I was waiting for Joo Ji Hoon to be like reincarnated dead man or a warlock (you know, like the Korean version of Charmed!) It kinda disappointed me that JJH was really just starving for somebody to feed him.

Federer is my current favorite player too, both on and off the court. He is the perfect gentleman and a great role model to the young uns. It must really hurt him to lose this final, what with his recent thrashing by Nadal in the French Open final just 4 weeks ago, and losing the chance to surpass Bjorn Borg’s 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles (Borg must be happy with Nadal’s win). Somehow Fedex seems to have an inferiority complex when he plays Nadal (can’t blame him though – Nadal beat him in 12 out of 18 meets. Ouch!) and he made so many unforced errors. He should’ve won the second set….*sigh* I really hope he can hold on for awhile and win two more grand slams to equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 career slams. It’s getting harder and harder for Federer to do, with young players like Djokovic, Murray and Davydenko fast catching up on hard court and Nadal reigning supreme on clay, and now even grass. o_o

Juri as the next Shinohara Ryoko? I can see that…heh. Ryoko caught my eye when she played Nagase’s sister-in-law in Mukodono. She definitely has acting chops and that something extra which appeals her to women. Did you see Unfair with Ryoko and Eita? Eita is wonderful in that too.

I heard there might be a Gokusen movie in the works. The only way I’d watch that is if they brought back Sawada Shin from Gokusen 1 for some rabu rabu sessions with Yankumi. hehe. Yup, even the Kat-Tun boys in Gokusen 2 were nicer looking than this new JE batch in Gokusen 3. Though I think the main draw in Gokusen 2 is Miura Haruma and not those JE boys. haha. Did you catch Rookies? It’s also choked full of pretty boys with a pretty (boy) teacher, but the humour is fresher than Gokusen. It’s my mindless fun Jdrama this past couple months, and Zettai Kareshi. The ending for Zettai Kareshi was fitting….Night and Riika had more amorous action in the manga than in the live-action. lol

About your earlier comment, I have to agree with you about the acting drainage in the JE staples. They’re never going to find another SMAP with such overwhelming such for more than a decade. Well, Arashi may come close to their senpei’s in future but still….those are big shoes to fill. At least 3 out of 5 SMAP boys can actually act, and they have their own charisma. I’ve always like Matsujun since his Momo-chan days, lol. Nino can act too, he’s proven that. Now let’s see how Ohno fares in Maou.

As for Yamapi, uggh. The boy is pretty bad in the acting department. He was horrid in Kurosagi, quite cute in Nobuta, hopelessly outclassed by Tsumabuk Satoshi and Yamada Takayuki who played fellow students in Long Love Letter. Now with Code Blue’s 21% opening rating, Yamapi’s fangirls are hailing him as the second coming of Kimura. Yikes. Pi, Erika Toda and Gakki look like high school kids playing dress-up. If they were acting as nurses, it’d be more believable. But doctors? Nah. They don’t even look old enough. *roll eyes*

Federer’s my current favorite player, so I definitely felt like this was really end of an era. And apparently so did McEnroe, who gave him a big hug as Mighty Fed was about to start crying. And it was really poetic that it was about 15 minutes from darkness when the match ended. Federer was just clouded in darkness . . . It’s also a defining moment in the world of clay court tennis. Now every junior who grew up on clay knows they too can win at Wimbledon. Oh and The Heath Ledger of Tennis (Marat Safin) decided he wanted to take tennis seriously again.

“By using her dainty smiles to charm the powers that be?”

Of course not. She will use her dainty *crooked* smiles to charm the (lunatic) powers that be!! Hime fighto!!

Yeah there was healthy discussion about Last Friends over D-addicts, and I think it was largely agreed that Sousuke got off WAY too easily. He wasn’t a Contradiction (*cue* best opening sequence ever!); he was more like a Violence Bot preprogrammed to beat up poor Michiru whenever he was let out of the house. Well at least Nagasawa seemed to lose her double chin in the process . . . Ironically, it’s also agreed that Ryo’s regular uhhh MMA sessions with Nagasawa were what drew the ratings in the show (not Ruka’s quiet anguish, Takeru’s love declaration, ), and that Sousuke wasn’t “that bad.” Fangirls of Japan, I know you love your Johnnies, but how can love be so blind?!?

Juri’s brilliant performance is going to change her career; she’s going to be promoted as the next Shinohara Ryoko (i.e. an actress who is a draw because she can act.) She’s really the first drama actress from her generation that’s broken out of the idol game.

Did anyone watch the Wimbledon finals? Dang, King Federer lost his thrown to Nadal. Does this signal the dawn of a new era in tennis?

@belleza

Yes, the Bakamatsu is a very good piece of history to cover, turbulent times. Makes for good drama…on paper, but Atsuhime seems to move at a snails pace that makes me want to tear my hair out. I blame the writers for not having a well thought-out plotline. So how is Atsuhime going to bring about a revolution in shogunate Japan? By using her dainty smiles to charm the powers that be? It feels like I’m watching a Disney heroine rather than a true-to-live charismatic influential character in history. Dae Jang Geum, she is not. Aoi Miyazaki is alright for me. She’s more suited to play cute bubbly characters like Nana but Aoi lacks the conviction, or rather steely reserve and wily cunning to play a woman of substance that will change history.

Haha, you’re spot on about the magic formula of Gokusen. Why fix it if it ain’t broken? Gokusen’s high ratings just highlights everything that is wrong with Japanese tv industry these days. The tv dramas are targeted primarily at teens or those with mentality of teens. Formulaic dramas with no fresh creativity like Gokusen scores mid to high 20s ratings easily, so why bother trying something new? *rolls eyes* All we need is more JE boys + gratuitious yaoi scenes + slaptick situations and there we have another runaway hit – ala Gokusen/Hana Kimi!!

Yes, isn’t Eita wonderful in Last Friends (hehe, you called him wonderful twice in your post)? I love Juri Ueno’s performance too and I think she is one of the brightest young stars of this generation (yes, I think she’s even better than Eun Hye). Even though the second half of Last Friends failed to resolve the issues of each individual character and the ending felt too pat and neatly tied up to be realistic (like in real life, will every important person close to Ruka be so accepting of her condition? I don’t think so), it is still one of the best dramas to come out of Japan this year, IMHO. The topics covered were daring and envelop pushing…I don’t even see US tv programming showcasing a same-sex relationship so prominently with a main lead role being genderqueer (except for ‘The L word’ maybe). If only the writer Asano had the nerve to follow through with the resolution we all were looking for, instead of going the safe way. Bleh. Sousuke was not so much a contradiction. Rather, he was a flat, boring character and Nishikado Ryo wasn’t the main highlight of the show (despite what the Ryo fangirls may tell you, lol). Juri Ueno and Eita stole the show, hands down. Whatever relationship they had, it was the most endearing relationship/chemistry and they kept me watching through to the end. The scene of Eita holding little Rumi and going “papa desu yo” and Juri beaming at him just makes me laugh. I kinda wish Michiru died while in labour so that our Will & Grace can raise up baby Rumi together. lol

Thanks dramabeans!!

too bad “BOTH” wasn’t an option on the poll. I read before and after especially if I like the drama. There’s a lot of nuances that Sarah points out which makes the drama even more enjoyable to watch like Who Are You, Dal Ja Spring and Coffee Prince. And for the snarkfest alone in Strongest Chil Woo and WItch Amusement he he!!
Sometimes I wish you did recaps on J-dramas. I would love to hear your take on Nodame Cantabile and My Boss My Hero, among others. But I know you’re blogging your KDRAMA obsession he he…..maybe once in a while? Please?

Oh I love love love Atsuhime! I think I got tired of recent taigas covering sengoku (though never tired of Gackt “playing” a samurai . . .) Atsuhime seems very, very slow paced for a taiga, but they’re covering the Bakamatsu, and I like how they’re blending a girl’s coming-of-age story with the end of the Tokugawa. (Uhh Atsu is going to have a rough time . . . ) My mum and I debated over Aoi Miyazaki’s performance. I think we both agree that she’s not a bad actress, but I think sometimes I find her grating. Eita is just wonderful though . . .

Yeah, when Gokusen 3 debuted with a 26.4, I think all of us went “EHH?!!?” It’s also baffling because these JE idols weren’t as “hot” as Arashi or Kat-Tun when those other shows debuted. Gokusen 3 finished first, but it ended up scoring mediocre-to-low on approval polls. I actually like Gokusen 3; it’s like the Law and Order of J-drama. At 35th minute, Nakama cries over her poor student of the week. At 45th minute, Nakama beats everybody up in a warehouse. At 50th minute, Nakama runs through the fields with her JE boys. Fighto!!!!

Last Friends . . . I think about halfway, I accepted that the DV melodrama/thriller bits would dominate the coming-of-age narrative. And that it wouldn’t be this spring’s Bara No Nai Hanaya . . . I loved Ueno Juri’s performance, just as I did Eun Hye’s in Coffee Prince. But in both shows, it’s really the male leads that carry the emotional weight of the story. Eita was just wonderful here. I liked the ending. It’s a bit of a cheat, yes (guess they couldn’t get Ueno Juri to agree to testosterone therapy . . ), but it was already clear a few episode before that Last Friends wanted a pat solution to everything. I wanted them to be happy.

I haven’t started on Change yet (uhhh backlogged with too many K-dramas. . . ) I like that Kimura’s still improving his emotional range and even showing humility (I really liked him in Bushi no Ichibun) in his roles now. I think one thing that bothers me is, after Arashi, there’s a major acting drainage among the JE staples.

As for summer . . . Arakagawa Yui and Toda Erika as doctors? Really? I mean, seriously?!?

@belleza

*gasp* I know! Poor Takuya Kimura, his reign has ended it seems. Then again, politics is hardly an easy topic to attract high viewership i.e. teens – the main tv watching demographic in Japan nowadays. So maybe it’s too early to write Kimutaku off yet….he deserves some kudos for attempting a new genre at least, instead of sticking to his Kimura ‘cool-romantic-hero’ schtick. lol

Also, the highest rated dramas of this Spring season- Atsuhime and Gokusen 3 -are not really worth their hype. Atsuhime is sorely lacking a gripping storyline, while Gokusen 3 is just a rehash of Gokusen 1 & 2, only with new pretty boys. Yawn. And Last Friends turned out to be lukewarm for me. It could have been so much better.