#katori shingo

Wow it’s been a while! Thanks for being patient with me :-) I have finished school and summer has officially begun!! ….which means compiling a couple of my top dramas into a post so everyone can fangirl with me!

In lieu of an introduction (because none of these dramas really NEED an introduction…they are all fabulous!), I am just starting out by saying these dramas are all 15/10. They break my scale…which says a LOT because I have ridiculously high standards xD

Ouroboros (2015): The most recent out of all of these and definitely the BEST drama I have watched in general. It is of mystery/suspense genre and has 0 romance (well… there is something between Ryuuzaki Ikuo- played by Ikuta Toma & Hibino Mizuki- played by Ueno Juri, but very minimal), which first sounded not so appealing, but BOY do Ryuuzaki Ikuo (Ikuta Toma) and Danno Tatsuya (Oguri Shun) kick that skepticism out of the window. Even for a pretty high-level Japanese speaker, I thought the crime terminologies were more difficult to understand but it was super enlightening, super dramatic, super charismatic, super wonderful, and everything good in this world. (I have permanently fallen for Toma because of this drama and there is no turning back…!!!!)

Hana Yori Dango (2005-2008): Just by looking at the span of years, you can definitely tell that this one is like the Bible of Japanese dramas. It is the absolute classic romance story: rich guy [Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun) cracked me up so much with his developing acting skills] and poor girl [Makino Tsukushi (Inoue Mao) didn’t get annoying unlike many dramas I’ve watched with the whole ‘poor girl’ storyline] fall in love and things don’t can’t work out. There is a season 1, season 2, and a movie chronicling Domyouji & Makino’s relationship.

Nodame Cantabile (2006-2010): Nodame Cantabile looks like such a long series, but the truth is that season 1 aired in 2006, 2 specials in 2008, Movie Part I in 2009, and Movie Part II in 2010. Definitely an understatement to say it was a popular series. If you are a music lover, you are in for the biggest treat of possibly, your entire LIFE, and if you’re not, you’re going to BECOME a music lover. I think Ueno Juri’s portrayal of Noda Megumi and Tamaki Hiroshi’s portrayal of Chiaki Shinichi absolutely perfectly embodies the manga from the first second of the drama to the last second of the movie. I have nothing to say other than it is one of the best series ever!

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise (2007): I watched this one before I watched Ouroboros and didn’t think much about the Toma-Shun friendship, but WOW I even rewatched this drama once I finished Ouroboros. This hilarious story is about a girl named Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki) that disguises herself as a male to get Sano Izumi (Oguri Shun) to high-jump again. Another important character is Shuuichi Nakatsu (Ikuta Toma) who becomes Ashiya’s best friend & confidant about Sano. This one’s about gr9 friendship, hilarious Nakatsu moments, and pretty irritatingly predictable story line (but super great nonetheless). ***Not to be confused with the new Hana-Kimi that aired with a different cast in 2011.

Rich Man Poor Woman (2012-2013): This drama includes season 1 and a special. You can probably tell by now but I have a very happy bias towards Oguri Shun. I think he’s a very talented actor. Anyways, Rich Man Poor Woman is a romance story about Hyuga Toru (Oguri Shun), who is a very wealthy and successful IT CEO, and Natsui Makoto (Ishihara Satomi), an elite Tokyo University graduate who struggles to find a job along with millions of recent Japanese Todai alumni. Natsui somehow begins to work for Hyuga’s company (there will be an explanation as to how she ends up working there) and the relationship takes its tumbles but is a happy ending? You tell me ;-)

Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013-2015): Another one of those classic dramas!! This ItaKiss has a spinoff because of the Tokyo setting, but follows the same story of Aihara Kotoko (Honoka Miki) falling in one-sided love with a popular guy at school, Irie Naoki (Furukawa Yuki). Honoka is hilarious- sometimes a teeny bit TOO much, but I enjoyed both season 1 and 2!

Hotaru no Hikari (2007-2012): Okay this is another one of those seemingly long series but the first season was in 2007, the second season was in 2010, and the final movie hit the roads in 2012. I started watching this drama casually, as I knew there wasn’t going to be an Ikuta Toma or MatsuJun, but I found out that I like Naohito Fujiki more than I thought I did. Let me just leave this drama at it’s absolutely HILARIOUS and pretty heartwarming. Hotaru Amemiya (Ayase Haruka) became my absolute fave after this drama.

Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu (2014): Following the Ayase Haruka streak, this one is one of my absolute fave among the fave. First of all, let’s talk about Tanokura Yuto (Fukushi Sota) and his fabulous PRESENCE and also the other lead, Asao Yu (Tamaki Hiroshi). Two VERY talented & attractive males along with a klutzy 30-year-old single lady. Bound to be a heck of a ride.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (2010): Last but certainly not least, YNSH is a little bit of a different drama than the rest. It is romance, but you can almost say that it’s GOTHIC romance (as strange as that sounds for a drama). Nakahara Sunako (Oomasa Aya) is a gothic girl that only wears a black cape around and thinks normal people are too “bright” to stare at because of this one incident in the past. However, there are 4 beautiful men (not even surprised, right?) that live in her house to try to get her out of her shell, INCLUDING the leader of the pack, Takano Kyohei (Kamenashi Kazuya)!!!! He is so great! Also, another perk is that the opening song/theme song is sung by KAT-TUN and it’s SO catchy. You’ll be singing it all day.

This is the end of the list that I thought off the top of my head, but there are SO many more good dramas out there!
Some that you should check out: Shiawase ni Narou yo (2011),Dear Sister (2014),Buzzer Beat (2009),Last Cinderella (2013),Kurosagi (2006),Summer Nude (2013),Proposal Daisakusen (2007)… if I think of more, I will update!

LASTLY, I am watching Youkoso, Wagaya e (airing right now, 2015) starring Aiba Masaki and I’m loving the suspense!

P.S. Always appreciate those follows~ Please keep them coming <3

Love always,
Christina xxx