2010’s Rewind|Dramas from 2012

Hello, hello BAYOG Fam! I’m back to continue our 2010’s Rewind! Today we’ll be covering 2012! If you missed out on the previous posts you can check out the previous posts for [2010] and [2011]~ I admit that 2012 was kind of a crazy year for me. I was really busy and dealing with alot of personal stuff. I still watched alot of dramas, but not as much as I previously did. I did watch a couple Korean ones. However, I admit that while they entertained me at the time, they didn’t leave a lasting impression. Because honestly, I can’t really remember them or what they were about. So there were only a few that really left an impression to me. Funnily enough, they all happen to be Japanese dramas. Anyways, let’s continue our Rewind!

勇者ヨシヒコと悪霊の鍵|The Hero Yoshihiko and the Key of the Evil Spirit (JP)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):

An infectious disease has spread throughout the village and land. Yoshihiko and his crew return to embark on a quest for a miracle cure.

Y’all already know how much I love this series. So yeah, I was hella excited to find out that there was a season 2! It’s just as glorious as the first season. Sequels are tough to pull off. Especially if the first season was well received. There’s alot of pressure to meet that same standard or even surpass it. I think this is one of the successful examples. The characters are all still amazing and hilarious. The charm that drew me in is still there. It’s amazing that they’re able to pull off such a great series with their low budget, cheap props, and the same sets. I mean that in the best way. The charm and comedy is all still there. Even though it’s the second season, it’s still an amazing and fun journey.

Even the new theme song and intro is just as amazing. God, I freakin’ love this series so much. Seriously, y’all need to watch the series.

SPEC 翔|SPEC: LIFE (JP)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):

Set one year after the fight between detectives Saya Toma (Erika Toda), Takeru Sebumi (Ryo Kase) and Satoshi Chii (Yuu Shirota). More confrontations ensues between the detectives at the Unidentified Crimes Unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Takeru Sebumi (Ryo Kase) returns after taking a break due to his eye problems. Kenzo Ichiyanagi (Denden) is appointed section chief, while Kotaro Nonomura (Raita Ryu) is demoted. New member Shu Yoshikawa (Kazuki Kitamura) joins the team.

Again, SPEC is probably my all-time favorite Japanese drama series. This was a special “episode” that continued from the Keizoku: SPEC drama series that I talked about in the 2010 post. Rather than episode, it was basically a whole TV movie. The goofiness and mystery continues. I previously posted this in the 2011 post by mistake. My bad fam…I was like dead tired OTL

走馬灯株式会社 |The Revolving Lantern Corporation (JP)

Synopsis:

Soumato Corporation is a strange and intriguing place where one can view DVDs with the recorded images of their life. When someone enters Soumato, they are greeted by a strange and mysterious woman named Kaminuma. She leads them to a room with a TV and DVDs equivalent to the number of their age. She leaves them and tells them to watch their life to their heart’s content. Through these DVDs they’re able to look back on their lives. They’re even able to see their lives through other people’s perspectives. The truth cannot be seen from just one perspective. Just what will they see? What happens when they may learn some startling things and realize that perhaps ignorance is bliss?

TRIGGER WARNING THOUGH: The first episode does open with what seems to be a suicide.

I nearly almost forgot about this drama. However, I instantly remembered it when I saw the promo picture. This is actually based on the manga series of the same name. Soumatou Kabushikigaisha is known as”Revolving Lantern Corporation”, “Revolving Lantern Company”, or “Life-flash Company”. We’re all familiar with the idea of life flashing before your eyes. The Revolving Lantern Effect is the Japanese equivalent of seeing all of your memories before you die.. This series is kind of a take on that idea. The drama isn’t fancy and may not really seem special. It’s actually fairly simple. However, I loved the idea of seeing your life. The idea of people’s entire lives all comprised in a few DVDs. To learn things and see what you don’t remember, and to see things from other people’s perspectives. It was just so intriguing to see what these people would see, and how they’d react to the truth. It’s leads one to ponder whether knowledge is power, or if ignorance is bliss.

The music was good too. Actually, I think I actually started this drama because of the theme song. Again, you all know I was K-Pop trash. 2AM was a K-Pop group under JYP Entertainment. They were formed alongside with 2PM. 2PM was known for their “beastly” image, acrobatic choreography, and strong dance/pop songs. They were supposed to be like the hottest time of the day. 2AM was more of a ballad pop idol group. If 2PM represented the hottest time of the day, 2AM represented the coolest and soothing time of the day. They sang sweet, soothing, and emotional R&B and ballads. In terms of popularity, I don’t think they were as popular as their 2PM counterparts. However, I still really loved their music. Also JoKwon was hella funny and extra AF. Anyways, they did the theme song “For you ~君のためにできること~ “. It’s a bittersweet and heartbreaking love ballad, but it fits in well with the drama.

ATARU (JP)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):

Ataru, who suffers from “savant syndrome,” has the power to discover, observe, see through, and deduct microscopic evidence of unsolved cases. Why does he always go to the criminal sites? What explains his strange behavior? His sad past will be revealed as the story unfolds.

An explosion occurs at a chemical factory, leaving one person dead. The investigation team concludes that it is merely an accident, but Ebina Maiko has her doubts. When she goes to the site again, she finds a man who introduces himself as “Chokozai.” After blurting out a series of words that Maiko cannot understand, he suddenly falls asleep. Maiko decides to look up the meaning of these words. She is taken aback when she discovers that when put together, these words provide the key to solving the case

This drama starred SMAP’s Nakai Masahiro. You should know SMAP was like one of Asia’s biggest boybands. It also starred Kuriyama Chiaki, who was famous for her role as [Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill]. She was also in Ju-On and Battle Royale. I think I actually got into this drama because of Chiaki. I’m pretty sure I had previously watched her 2011 drama 秘密諜報員　エリカ , or “Secret Agent Erina”. Anyway, another reason I got into it was because I just really like detective/cop series. I also love an underdog story. This drama was basically like a Japanese version of Rain Man helping the police solve crimes. I find it very interesting because it is a very human drama. There are people in our society who judge people harshly because of their disabilities. In 2010, my sister was in an accident that left her an amputee. So I’ve heard and witnessed with my own eyes how judgmental and cruel people can be to those who are different. I enjoyed Ataru because the hero wasn’t your typical person. Ataru is shown to be autistic, but also has savant syndrome. It showed that despite being different, he’s capable of so many things. It showed he’s just as capable, and even more capable of some things than “normal folk”. He just sees things a bit differently is all. I love seeing Ebina treat Ataru as a human being, and strongly supporting him. So I just found this series to be quite endearing. Ebina can be annoying at times, but I admire her spunk and how she values Ataru. This drama isn’t all serious though. There’s alot of comedy too. It’s just overall a pretty heart-warming series as well. The series did pretty well and also got a special as well as a movie.

Funnily enough both SPEC and ATARU where aired on the same network, TBS. You’ll find that there are some cameos/references to SPEC throughout the ATARU series.

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