Galileo 2 Review (2013)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Decent

Story:
Professor Yukawa returns in this second season of Galileo to help the police solve more cases involving strange physical phenomena. Utsumi leaves for the US and is replaced by Kishitani who picks up where she left off. Will the pair get along and how will Kishitani get Professor Yukawa to delve deeper into her cases?

Kazoku Game Review (2013)

Drama Rating: *****
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Based on Honma Yohei's novel 'The Family Game', this drama tells of Numata Shigeyuki, a boy being bullied in school. Concerned about his low grades, his parents hire Yoshimoto Koya, a private tutor, to help bring his grades back up. His unorthodox teaching methods quickly draws their attention as he starts to peel back the layers of problems plaguing his student. Will he successfully turn Shigeyuki around and what exactly is he trying to hide?

Doctor X ~ Gekai Daimon Michiko Review (2012)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Doctor Daimon Michiko is a freelance 'super'-surgeon who's hired on contract to help fill a surgeon shortage in the surgery department of a university hospital. However, Daimon-sensei commands exhorbitant fees for her superior medical skills/services and cares little for the struggles of the medical workers in the ivory tower workplace. No one knows how she acquired her top-notch skills and her new colleagues are confounded by her disregard for department norms.

Kaseifu no Mita Review (2011)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Mita Akari works as the housekeeper for the Asuda household where the rest of the family face numerous issues and challenges after the death of the mother in the family. But when solicited for advice by the members of the Asuda family, she turns the question back to the questioner and asks them to make their own choices without giving advice. The mystery deepens as she repeatedly thwarts questions about her mysterious background.

Priceless Review (2012)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
This jdrama led by Kimura Takuya tells the story of Kindaichi Fumio, an ordinary salaryman who is one day unexpectedly tossed from his job. The bad luck doesn't end there as his apartment subsequently explodes and he ends up losing all his money and almost all his possessions. With nowhere else to move but back up, Kindaichi begins his life anew with optimism.

Hungry! Review (2012)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
After a particularly brutal reception at a performance, Yamate Eisuke, a former bassist of the rock band ROCKHEAD disbands his band and takes up the reins at Le Petit Chou, the restaurant run by his chef mother who recently passed away. As a culinary genius himself, Eisuke is torn between his two professions and goes through various struggles to find his true calling.

Otousan Review (2002)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Following the death of his wife, Shindo Shiro is left to care for his four daughters, each of whom is dealing with various issues commonly encountered by others of their age group. Yu, the eldest daughter, is having marriage issues; Akira, the second daughter, doesn't want to continue running the shop; Makoto, the third, wants to live on her own; while Kei, the youngest, wants to quit school. Amidst all of this, Shiro wants to re-marry. Throw this all together and you've got enough fuel to last you a drama!

Kagi no Kakatta Heya Review (2012)

Drama Rating: **
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Enomoto Kei works for a security company and takes a strong personal interest in locked rooms. In other words, he is fascinated and obsessed with figuring out how a 'locked' room can be unlocked. His skills come into use when he encounters Serizawa and Aoto, two lawyers he happens to meet one day and who subsequently involve him in a number of 'locked room' cases.

Shinzanmono Review (2010)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Shinzanmono tells of a transferred detective, Kaga Kyoichiro, newly arrived in the Ningyo-cho precinct of Tokyo to investigate the murder of another shinzanmono (newcomer-to-the-town), Mitsui Mineko. Detective Kaga has to weave through the numerous lies, mysteries and complex relationships between the residents of this town in order to find the true criminal.

Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji 3 (24 Hr Emergency Ward Season 3) Review (2005)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
24 Hours Emergency Ward is back for the third season with Dr Shindo returning from his international aid assignment to Tokyo. Incidentally, just after a seminar/conference on emergency earthquake preparedness, he is caught in the middle of a massive earthquake and finds himself back in the ER with his former colleague Dr Kojima. This drama explores those crucial initial moments after the disaster and how their 24 hour emergency ward copes with the immediate aftermath.

Haken no Hinkaku Review (2007)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Disappearing after each three month contract, Oomae Haruko reappears at S&F in the newly formed Marketing department after her most recent hiatus. Satonaka Kensuke has just been asked to head the group and immediately has to deal with leading a ragtag group of full-timers and temporary employees. Oomae herself, a super-competent, straight shooting 'haken', adds further tensions as she doesn't mince words, especially with the adjoining Sales department chief Shouji Takeshi. Will Oomae be able to help unify the group or will she divide them further?

Love Generation Review (1997)

Drama Rating: *****
Personal Rating: All time favourite!!

Story:
Katagiri Teppei is newly transferred to the Marketing Department and discovers that Uesugi Riko, a chance acquaintance he had spent the night with in a love hotel a day earlier, is a secretary in his new department. Quickly, they develop an interesting rapport as they learn more about themselves and each other. Incidentally, Teppei learns his brother Soichiro is engaged to his ex-high school girlfriend Mizuhara Sanae. Predictably, confused feelings abound as the drama takes you on a spectacular emotional roller coaster ride.

Long Vacation Review (1996)

Drama Rating: *****
Personal Rating: All time favourite!!

Story:
Racing through the streets of Tokyo in full wedding dress, Minami Haruo barges into Sena's apartment looking for Asakura, her groom-to-be, who had apparently left her at the altar. With this rather unusual introduction, Sena takes in Minami (or rather, Minami forces herself into the apartment) as his apartment-mate. Thus begins their strange friendship as they confide in each other's life and relationship problems. As they grow accustomed to each other, will their feelings lead to something more than just friends?

Galileo Review (2007)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Kaoru Utsumi is a newly transferred detective assigned to investigate criminal cases, replacing the successful Shunpei Kusanagi. Eager to impress and in need of some investigative advice, Kusanagi suggests she try consulting Professor Manabu Yukawa, an somewhat eccentric physics professor at Teito University for help.

Trick Review (2000 / 2002 / 2003)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Yamada Naoko, a mediocre magician who doesn't believe in spiritualists, is constantly being chased by her landlady for her overdue rent. Desperate for some cash, she decides to accept a challenge issued by Assistant Professor Ueda, a physics genius, who offers money to someone who can prove to him that magic exists. Naoko uses a simple magic trick and dupes the professor, uncovering his true purpose - to find someone to help him uncover the tricks used by a cult. Thus, their hilarious partnership begins as they start to root out all magical and spiritual impostors.

Iryu 2 Review (2007)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
As part of Dr Noguchi's reformation plans for Meishin, he recruits medical reporter Kataoka Kazumi to run the newly affiliated Hokuyou Hospital. As a political side effect, the best medical staff are transferred to Meishin to help reestablish a leading position for the hospital while misfits among the former staff are transferred to Hokuyou as a dumping ground. In the process, Team Dragon is deliberately split between the two in an effort by Dr Noguchi to destroy the team.

Iryu 3 Review (2010)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Team Dragon returns in this 3rd season where Meishin University Hospital is faltering due to lack of patients and amidst an outflow of talented physicians and surgeons. When Dr Kitou takes the helm of the hospital, she immediately calls back Team Dragon and various other experts to help revive the hospital. In the process, and upon Dr Noguchi's advice, she ends up hiring a catheter expert Dr Kuroki who seems dead set against the cardiac department and its surgeries. Will his catheter procedures and antagonism toward cardiology lead to the demise of Dr Kato and her colleagues?

Kekkon Dekinai Otoko Review (2006)

Drama Rating: *****
Personal Rating: All time favourite!!

Story:
Kuwano Shinsuke is a 40 year old architect and somewhat of a hermit, preferring to keep to himself and generally avoiding social contact. His regular routine consists of eating steak and meat nightly and listening to classical music. Due to his unbalanced diet, he suffers from stomach pains one day and his neighbor Michiru ends up accompanying him to the hospital where he sees Dr Hayasaka. After that fateful incident, their closely knit group of acquaintances gradually become part of Kuwano's life as they share their bemusement of his eccentric lifestyle. In particular, they begin wondering if anyone would ever be interested in marrying 'The Man Who Can't Get Married'?

Iryu Review (2006)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Enjoyable

Story:
Ryutaro Asada is a brilliant surgeon with extensive training in the field during his stint with an NGO.  For various reasons, Asada was released from North Japan Hospital but was subsequently headhunted by Akira Kato, the assistant professor of the Cardiac Surgery Department at Meishin University Hospital. Kato is looking to put together a team to attempt the Batista operation, a highly difficult surgery, to complete her thesis and key to her promotion to becoming a full professor. Given Asada's independent nature and strong morals, will Asada be able to survive at Meishin?

Gokusen Review (2002)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
On the coattails of GTO comes another high school drama about Yamaguchi Kumiko aka Yankumi, an idealistic math teacher with a yakuza background who is hired to teach at Shirokin Gakuen high school.  Despite her class being basically composed of the most difficult kids in the school, Yankumi is determined see her class through to graduation despite their academic and extracurricular problems and teach them life lessons along the way.