Articles by Temasek Polytechnic Japanese Cultural Group
It took a while for the realisation to sink in – Karei Naru Ichizoku, or The Grand Tribe in English, was one of the most-watched dramas for the Winter 2007 season. And it took one night of boredom and a couple of episodes to understand why.
The one star fronting the drama is the member of boyband SMAP often called the king of J-dramas – Takuya Kimura. He plays Manpyo Teppei, director of a steel-making firm and member of the Manpyo family, one of the most famous in Japanese financial circles.
Memories abound in Nodame Cantabile – a music-based romantic comedy about a clean and organised musical genius, and a messy and quirky piano talent.
The drama’s namesake and female protagonist is Noda Megumi, affectionately called Nodame by her friends. She is a talent at the piano, being able to play a composition by ear after listening to the song merely once. She also happens to be strange, lazy and utterly nonchalant about her cleanliness.
On the other end is Chiaki Shinichi, a whiz at both the piano and violin. He aspires to be a conductor and learn under the world-class maestro Viera, but is stranded in Japan due to psychological trauma from a plane accident. He is also an obsessive-compulsive clean freak.
My Boss My Hero was quite an unexpected find – an adaptation of a Korean comedy about a young, academically-disinclined son of a Yakuza boss.
Sakaki “Tornado” Makio is 27 years old and the heir to the Kantou Sharp Fang Yakuza family. He excels at the delinquent life – drinking, fighting, and women. He is also a high school drop-out.
His father worries for his future and issues him a challenge – he must graduate from high school, or be unable to succeed as boss of the Yakuza organisation. This also means that he must pose as a 17 year old, doing all someone that age would do. If his cover is blown, so is his school career and thus, his future as a Yakuza boss.
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