I really underestimated Uchino Masaaki. I wouldn’t say he was “competent” in JIN, but he did what was required of him and I enjoyed what he did as Sakamoto Ryoma. In Gonzo, I didn’t know what to expect (and didn’t know much about the story because of the lackluster summaries I read), but I was floored. Grossly underestimated! Kuroki is a guy with a lot of personal demons, and it’s both heartbreaking and riveting to watch him try to keep it together while maintaining this levelheaded facade.

I felt like this cast didn’t have any glaring weaknesses, and the only bad guy was the criminal. Usually you have some sort of diabolical rival and maybe I was supposed to dislike Sakuma, but I loved him from the moment I saw him in the first episode.

The last two episodes were characteristic of your typical, really good drama. Which is fine, but they were nowhere close to the caliber of the first eight. This was only mildly disappointing, but not enough for me to completely discredit how wonderful Gonzo had been overall. There isn’t much I can say about the ending without spoiling it, but if you’re looking to watch a great detective drama, Gonzo is it.

The list of dramas I planned to watch this summer are finally dwindling down (just 1.5 left), but I think I may have finally stumbled upon a really good police procedural. It’s only been the first episode, so I’ll reserve (most of) my judgement until I’m mid-way through the series. It’s a good sign, though! I tried watching Uchino Masaaki’s other investigative effort (Rinjo — he was a medical examiner this time) and nearly died of boredom. I don’t know how that show got a second season, but if the ratings were good enough…

Ugh, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that this drama isn’t a disappointment. I love the cinematography (everything looks so crisp and gorgeous) and I like the detective work I’ve seen. PLEASE BE GOOD :(

(AND YES, that is Sakamoto Ryoma! I just finished Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi, too. I think I’m having JIN withdrawals.)

Oh man, it’s gonna be hard to go baaaaaaaaaaaack (don’t you hate when you watch something so amazing and then you end up watching something pedestrian??)

This would be a good time for me to end my unofficial Takenouchi Yutaka marathon. If I applied Iki Tadashi’s reasoning in the final episode to everything I’ve watched so far… it’s better to go out on a good note, right?! I also realized that data caps exist and because I don’t like streaming, I should probably relax.

I don’t really have much to say about Fumo Chitai other than it is one of the best dramas I have ever watched, it’s really long but it’s quality and the whole cast is fantastic (KOYUKI), etc etc. I would have stopped watching a couple episodes ago to take a break, but the series is almost over and things are starting to get a little crazy. As a business drama there’s a lot upstaging, brokering deals with politicians, bribery, and pride… it’s pretty riveting!

There are still four (!!!) episodes left, but I don’t feel it’s ever lost momentum. At this point, I don’t even know what the ending will be like and I refuse to spoil myself… #nerves

And even though I’ve taken a disgusting amount of Takenouchi Yutaka screencaps, this one really telling for some reason, especially in the context of the drama. Satoi is the very picture of loneliness (but he’s very, very stubborn).

(Another drama post! Just savoring what’s left of my summer…)

Now watching Rebound. I didn’t plan to, but JIN 2 is serious (ly great) and BOSS 2 is verging on mediocre, so I’d thought to balance it out with something. This is such a cute show! The end of the second episode made me laugh because, uwah— KARMA! Regardless, it’s one of those shows whose endings I can see from a mile away, but that’s perfectly alright.