Silly JDramas to Watch

Fun and Silly Japanese Drama to Watch!!

There are those times when you just finished a heart-wrenching drama and you don't know where to turn to next. The tears have dried, the towel for the overflow tears has been washed and your nerves are shot. I admit that I've watched more Japanese movies and dramas that I thought were pretty funny than any other. Here are some that I thought the story was cute, funny or down-right stupid and hilarious, at times.

Rebound

Stars:

Hayami Mokomichi as Imai Taiichi

Aibu Saki as Ooba Nobuko

Kuriyama Chiaki as Mimura Hitomi

Katsuji Ryo as Kazami Kensaku

Plot

After a failed relationship, Nobuko puts her all into dieting and finds success. She begins to work for her favorite fashion magazine, and just when her new life is falling into place she meets Taiichi, a handsome patissier. However, when Nobuko eats cakes, she can't stop - moreover, if she gains weight, she'll be fired. In the end, will Nobuko rebound...?

My Thought

If you want cheese with those fries or more precisely tonkatsu and cake. Or more expressly said by Nobuko: Juicy tonkatsu and a pound cake! The sweetness of the mascarpone cheese is just perfect! Yes, if you want a cheesy drama to relieve you of the stress of that melodrama you just finished or that drama where the second lead you wanted to win the girl, loses; this is for you. 

I admit I smiled and laughed a lot because of the corniness but I believe that is what the writer was going for. I think the title is SO appropriate! You have to see it to understand but the final lesson was great! You have to find your own happiness first.

The acting, well, its a cheesy, corny drama so the acting as you would expect is over the top but I bet you won't come away hating anybody and just about loving every character. From Nobuko, with her silly self to Taiichi who is just a lovable mess! I guarantee, this is fun!

Where Did I Watch It? DailyMotion

Nodame Cantabile

Stars

Ueno Juri as Noda Megumi

Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki Shinichi

Plot

Based on the hit comic book by Tomoko Ninomiya, this is a fun-filled quirky romantic story of two very opposite people. Megumi Noda, or "Nodame" is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend's lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies. Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka's top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy, he feels mired in Japan because of a childhood phobia. They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame's unusual qualities. 

My Thoughts

Stunning! Absolutely stunning! A lover of the classics would find no fault in this drama at all. It was fun to watch, the music was sensational, and the acting was amazing! 

This was my first Ueno Juri experience and she was great as Nodame! She was funny, expressive in her emotions when needed and just an amazing actress in this. Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki was so good! He was the stuck up music man at first but he morphs into this character that you soon learn to love, even his prickly self. And let's not forget Koide Keisuke as Masumi! His constant antics to bloke everyone from his love, Chiaki was hysterical! Yes, you read it right..Chiaki!! Every time he is on the screen, you laugh, laugh laugh. 

I have to applaud the writer and director for making this the first drama I've ever watched where the ending had NO FAULTS! NONE! I'll never forget the scenes when Chiaki meets the family. I'm still chuckling over those scenes! And boy, these two have some serious chemistry! Who else can make a back hug SO ADORABLE! 10's? I'd give this 20's for the music alone! Excellent drama! EXCELLENT!!

Where Did I Watch It? SeriesBrowser

Hotaru no Hikari

Stars

Ayase Haruka as Amemiya Hotaru

Fujiki Naohito as Takano Seiichi

Plot

Hotaru works for a famous interior design company. It's a glamorous job but Hotaru's private life is totally the opposite of glamorous. She lives alone, and when she isn't working she's mostly lazing about her rented house in training wear. She's not interested in men. In fact, she isn't interested in anything. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto. Her landlord is a bar owner, and one day his son, who has just separated from his wife, comes to inspect the rental property, not knowing that someone is living there. He is shocked at the mess, but not as shocked as Hotaru. He turns out to be her boss, Takano.

My Thoughts

Overall this was good. It took awhile to really enjoy it. The interaction between the leads was interesting. But what made this different was they must have had intentions to make a second season from the beginning. When you watch it, you'll understand. But here is what I learned...I am a himono-onna. Except for the extreme junkiness that is Amemiya, I don't think I've ever encountered a character like her before. She was fascinating to say the least. Takono was Takono from beginning to end. You start to see his interest in her a lot faster than you will see hers. It's also funny who actually points out that interest. Even though I watched this from beginning to end, I think unless you are a fan of Fujiki Naohito or Ayase Haruka, true fans of both will really enjoy it

Where Did I Watch It? SeriesBrowser

Deterame Hero

Stars

Sato Ryuta as Kuzumi Kenta

Motokariya Yuika as Kurato Natsuki

Akimoto Rei as Kusumi Daichi

Tsukamoto Takashi as Tanba Shunji

Plot

Kuzumi Kenta is a lowlife moocher whose tendency to always do absolutely nothing because he thinks doing anything is troublesome, is a sure sign that he is NOT a hero. However, upon eating mysterious candy, Kenta discovers that his physical strength and sensory abilities are increased tenfold for exactly ten minutes. When a police officer, his best friend Tanba Shuiji, discovers this ability, Kenta is forced to use his newly found abilities for good.

My Thoughts

Stupid and funny?! If that is your kind of drama, this one is for you. This is my first time seeing Sato Ryuta and he is pretty funny. No, he is VERY funny! Much of this is really slapstick humor. What else can you call it when you see a grown man running around in a super hero outfit!! Motokariya Yuika as Natsuki was cute as the convenience store worker that Kenta saves at the beginning. It's full of laughs, that's for sure. But best of all was definitely Akimoto Rei as Kusumi Daichi. He was brilliantly smart and put up with his Uncle where most of us would have quit, turned ourselves into Child Protection Services (orphanage, whatever) than to remain living with him. Thankfully by the end, Kenta had finally grew up and redeemed himself!!

Where Did I Watch It? Crunchyroll

Celeb to Binbo Taro

Stars

Ueto Aya as Mitazono Alice

Kamiji Yusuke as Sato Taro

Plot

Wealthy daughter of a hotel chain mogul meets poor widowed father of three. Despite their vastly different values and beliefs, will their chanced encounter blossom into something more?

My Thoughts

Do you want cheese with that rice and raw eggs?!! Yuck! But getting past that, this had to be the cheesiest drama I've ever watched! But I must say, get past the unbelievable story, it was really fun to watch. First time seeing either of the leads. What was surprising in this JDrama comedy was I actually got the humor. This is something that I have a problem with KDrama comedies is understanding the humor. Granted, get past the unbelievable story of a super rich girl falling for a super dirt poor guy....with 3 kids! Yeah, probably may not happen in real life. But to watch what Taro was willing to do for his family and friends but also seeing the slow growth in Alice's character was probably worth watching. I can't help it. It was fun to watch!!

Where Did I Watch It? SeriesBrowser

Honorable Mention for the Cute Factor

Boku to Star no 99 Nichi

Stars

Nishijima Hidetoshi as Namiki Kohei

Kim Tae Hee as Han Yuna

Plot

So close and yet so far away...An inconspicuous body guard Namiki Kohei is assigned to be a body guard to a mega Korean super star, Han Yuna. Kohei is less than ordinary, a single man almost 40 in age working part time at a security company. Despite his kind and attractive looks, he is surrounded by people who boss him around with unreasonable demands. He keeps a dream to himself, a desire to someday become an astronomer and find his very own star. 

Han Yuna, on the other hand, while having a perfect face and body, loves to eat junk food. She also has a kind heart for helping others in need. While every aspect of her life may seem like a girl's dream come true, she feels a certain solitude being in the entertainment industry.

As Kohei and Han Yuna come closer and closer to each other, they become an inseparable couple, discovering true love. Where will the couple end up after the contracted 99 days? A heart-warming love comedy that will make you realize once again how precious love can be.

My Thoughts

Kim Tae Hee dramas have always been a hit or miss; some I liked (My Princess); some I hated (Stairway to Heaven, too freaking sad) and some I'm just indifferent to (Iris and Jang Ok Jung); however, this drama I found on a fluke and absolutely loved it; from start to finish. I was pleasantly surprised at the story. It kind of reminds you (somewhat) of the The Bodyguard without the dangerous backdrop. This was my first Hidetoshi drama as I have a lot of his dramas on my watchlist but now I have something to look forward to as his acting was solid. The drama was a joint Korean and Japanese production and a nice surprise side story with Taecyon as Yuna's long lost brother.

Where Did I Watch It? DailyMotion

If you ever watch any of these, let me know what you think? Was I right? Or am I crazy?