Fall 2013
Dokushin Kizoku is a drama about three people who are single and have different perspectives on marriage. Mamoru Hoshino (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is the president and creative director of Kinema Etoile, a film production company founded by his late father. He is brilliant and has a keen sense for talent, but he is also peculiar when it comes to his personal daily habits. He has strong beliefs in being single and has no desire to get married as he likes to spend his personal time in a way that he chooses. On the other hand, Mamoru's younger brother Susumu (Hideaki Ito) was previously married, but is currently going through harsh divorce proceedings. Unlike his older sibling, Susumu is outgoing and has good social skills. He loves women, but is not interested in long term relationships. Yuki Haruno (Keiko Kitagawa) has struggled with previous relationships and recently declined a marriage proposal. She has dreams of becoming a scriptwriter and believes that marriage will hinder her efforts in her pursuit of that dream. She is not against marriage though, as a matter of fact, she strongly believes in it. Due to an inadvertent opportunity, Yuki takes one final chance to make her dreams come true. The choice she makes thrusts herself into the lives of the Hoshino brothers. Will they ever discover true love that will eventually lead to marriage?
Recommendation: First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is also my birthday! I will be enjoying a sukiyaki dinner with the family tonight. Anyway, to kick off 2014, I wanted to write my first post today. I just finished the last episode of this drama last night and it was a very good one. For the fall season, I was planning to watch about 5 dramas and this one was not included. After seeing that the ratings averaged around 11% without great up swings or down swings I gave it a shot and I must say that this is probably the sleeper hit for the fall 2013 season. The synopsis didn't draw me in, but it was quite different than what I imagined. The story is a romantic comedy, but it is probably more romantic than comedic. I really loved the details of the sets, particularly Mamoru's office and his apartment were really nice. Due to the story revolving around movies, I really enjoyed the music, quotes, and various references made from older movies and people in the the movie industry. The drama created a "romantic" kind of tone and mood that reminded me of films probably made in the 1920's to 1950's. Even the characters personified those older times. Mamoru, Susumu, and Yuki have their issues with marriage, but their characters are pure in heart, honorable and chivalrous. I immediately attached myself to the characters and the actors really did a good job in terms of chemistry and playing their roles. The only issue that I had with this drama is that the story is nothing new. In fact it is quite overdone in terms of the plot. Still, the drama was executed nicely and Kusanagi, Ito and Kitagawa really portrayed their characters well. That's why I think it is a must see, especially if you are into romantic dramas. Yamashita Tomohisa also makes a minor appearance in two episodes which I thought was interesting. If you're looking for something romantic to watch, don't skip this one; it will fill your heart with dreams.
Story: 0.5
Acting: 1.0
Directing: 1.0
Character Development: 1.0
Emotional Factor: 1.0
4.5 Out Of 5.0 Crowns
the only Kitagawa drama i liked was buzzer beat. I find her very boring and monotonous in her other works. Despite her good looks i can't seem to like her other dramas :(
ReplyDeleteWell if i am in the jdrama zone again, i might watch this....otherwise the cast seems quite boring. I think i am someone who ends up watching several drama if i find an actor i like. well stories are important but good cast are equally important :)
I find what your saying about Kitagawa coincidental because I feel the same way. I've never been a huge fan of hers, but I rated Buzzer Beat really high. I really liked that drama. This drama really had this "old school, romantic, chivalrous" feel to it, like the characters were from a far distant time and place. But I know how you feel. Sometimes I watch a drama with a particular actor and I start watching more of that actor's dramas too.
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