Dragon Zakura (WikiLink)

What's it about?
Losers want to get into Todai, Yankumi brilliant teacher helps them.


What do I say?
Don't look at me like that, I did not find this during a YamaPi spree, if you will believe it. I watched it for Masami Nagasawa - she seems to be Nino's girlfriend (from Arashi), and I read that everybody hated her. So I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about. I actually later found out I had already seen her in the abominable "Kakushi Toride no San Akunin" where she joined everybody else in being terrible at acting, as well as in "Proposal Daisakusen", but it hadn't registered at the time. Notwithstanding, I actually quite liked her in Dragon Zakura.

OK, I admit I might have looked at YamaPi occasionally. There's also Teppei Koike, who's kind of cute in a quirky way. Also, Gakki, who I quite like. Oh, the plot? Well, it's pretty much the standard "Gokusen" fare with the added drawback that the teacher is a not-so-great mix between Yankumi and GTO. It got me wondering if it really was as easy to get into Todai as they made it seem! Kind of fun to watch, but not overly exciting.

Densha Otoko (WikiLink)

What's it about?
Nerdy guy saves a beautiful lady on a train and has no idea how to date her. His otaku friends help him via chat.

What do I say?
Allegedly a true story. A really famous jdorama, too, so kind of a must watch there. The story itself is indeed kind of cute, but the main character is really whiny which gets on your nerves after a couple of episodes. And  the girl looks way to old for him. On a side note, she has a fiance who is sold to us as "really good looking" but he's got that really weird beard and looks like he should wear a trenchcoat and lurk in dark alleys looking for unsuspecting school girls.

But I digress. On the plus side, the main theme by ELO is really catchy ("Twilight" - if you ever go to Tokyo, Akihabara, this will be blasting from speakers everywhere - otakus love their "Densha Otoko"). Also, it stars a couple of people before they became famous, like Oguri Shun, Hayami Mokomichi and Horikita Maki. Overall, OK to watch, but not brilliant.

Code Blue (WikiLink)

What's it about?
Flying doctors. Well, actually interns who want to get on the brand new shiny Doctor!Helicopter. But they are all stupid. Except for YamaPi, who is some kind of genius. But especially the girls. And that guy with the glasses.

What do I say?
OK, this pretty much tries to be "ER", but isn't really. I personally - but that might be my western world view - was totally annoyed by the fact that all the other characters (especially the girls) were whiny idiots, and that the YamaPi character couldn't do anything wrong. So all the episodes were like "Stupid idiot does stupid things and then YamaPi glares at them and saves the day". And the medical mysteries - "House" it ain't either; even I had been yelling "Münchhausen syndrome" at the TV for some time when they recognized that one case. So a bit of lack of excitement, there.

Much has already been written in various places about how ridiculous the too young actors look as doctors, and about the bangs of Erika Toda and Gakki, so I'm not saying anything about that (even if I agree). But I liked the girls, overall, and I liked the guy with the glasses, and I liked the gruff Not!Dr Cox, and I liked YamaPi. Plus, I cried at the scene with his Grandma. So this gets an OK with a tendency towards the top of the OK list.

Stay away from the special, though, which promises a lot ("TRAIN ACCIDENT DEAD PEOPLE BLOOD") and does not really deliver. Which actually is the case with most jdorama specials. Well, not the promise of a train accident, but you get my drift.

Buzzer Beat (WikiLink)

What's it about?
Well, some would say it is about a basketball team and a couple of people who fall in and out of love. Another point of view is that it is about YamaPi playing basketball, and then showering. A lot. (Sometimes he's also in the bathtub, but who's picky?)

What do I say?
As I write this the dorama isn't finished yet (Pi fell victim to swine flu and the last episode will be broadcast next week), but I guess I've seen enough that I can say something about it. It's OK but a bit boring - there's not much happening other than the predictable people falling in love (maybe the last episode will surprise me and all will be different). The main characters always seem to be moping around, and the only person who couldn't be replaced by a cardboard cutout is the main girl's roommate.

Yes, girls, I am sorry, I like YamaPi, but if he's cast as the romantic lead he always has as much chemistry with the girl as a rock. A very uncharismatic rock. Maybe a rock with moss growing on its (impressive) pectorals. Compare that to MatsuJun who may very well be not!straight, but who would have chemistry with a wooden chair if he really had to.

I don't really know why that is - however, I once saw YamaPi in a talkshow where he was asked what he liked about girls. At first, he was somewhat at a loss, then he blurted out "Oppai!" (boobies). That's probably not a very method position to come from if you have to imagine yourself as a romantic lover. Maybe he'll get better (I suspect he has a girlfriend...after being treated to "I ate noodles/fish/burgers and then I went boxing" day after day on his nikki, we got "the weather is so nice and I love music, and we all should be shiny happy people" the other day for at least a week).

Back to the series at hand: Method, schmethod, YamaPi is nice to look at, and the love story is kind of cute, and I like the chainsmoking proseccodrinking "evil" Ueno Juri character and her diminuitive lover. So this gets an OK. Even if it stars that one guy from "First Kiss" with the freakish large head / hair.

Akihabara@DEEP (WikiLink)

What's it about?
A couple of otaku misfits (is that a pleonasm?) found a "detective agency" in Akihabara, and solve cases. Weird cases. And they all have secrets. Weird secrets.

What do I say?
I watched this in my Toma Ikuta phase right after watching HanaKimi. I adore Toma Ikuta, even though he can't act his way out of a paper bag. Even if this is one of his better efforts, this is not one of my favorite jdoramas, because it's mainly wacky and not very coherent. Plus, Toma Ikuta was not enough to make me get over my hate for the Duruma character. The wackiness is occasionally hilarious though, so if you like that, it's not a complete waste of time. At the bottom of the list, though.