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DRAMAS - 19th June - 3rd July - Japanese Film Festival Online 2024

Elisheva

Two 10 episode drama series, Shitmachi Rocket and Rikuoh, will be  available via the Japan Film Festival Online from June 19 noon – July 3 noon, 2024 (JST) (AFTER the films finish) https://watch.jff.jpf.go.jp/page/jffonline2024/

See website for subtitles and country availability.

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TimiZero

I have watched both. If you liked Hanzawa Noaki production style you will like these 2 dramas. The focus is more strictly on the business part and its technicality with less focus on the other side of life.  Although Rikuoh is more easier to relate to as it is mixed with sport theme and featuring Yamazaki Kento and Takeuchi Ryoma if that matters to you....lol 

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Deezy

My first choice for drama is Downtown Rocket.
I knew Hiroshi Abe from the Hero series, and I love Koji Kikkawa as a singer. This my first time watching him acting!

Hopefully I could watch Rikuoh too.

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Elisheva

I couldn't get into Rikuoh this morning, though maybe it was just the wrong time and I'll get on with it later. Or maybe it was just the way it started.

I made it through the first episode of the Rocket one this evening. All of that earnest shouting gave it more energy. I don't know if I'm going to manage through 10+ hours of it though. I like melodrama but don't do so well with competitive business settings. First episode was long - hope MDL is right about the duration and the rest are only an hour.

I haven't seen this style of J-drama before, just 1 Litre of Tears and shorter ones like Kinou Nani Tabeta? and Bokura no Shokutaku. This style is very different so at least I'm expanding my horizons and learning things.

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TimiZero
 Elisheva:
I haven't seen this style of J-drama before, just 1 Litre of Tears and shorter ones like Kinou Nani Tabeta? and Bokura no Shokutaku.

It's the Hanzawa Naoki style actually. After the success of this predecessor they produced many more business dramas with the same style including these 2. I would call it "business suspense" with lots of over the top acting, maneuvering, scheming and voice over narration to explain things.

 Elisheva:
This style is very different so at least I'm expanding my horizons and learning things.

Yeah..it's always nice to learn new things. But it's surprising also how JFF chose these 2 out of many dramas in the first place. Even among Jdrama watchers, these Ikeido Jun's Business dramas are considered too niche. It's not strange if anyone can't get into it TBH.

I'm curious how is the sub though. Maybe this is the right time for me to re-watch Shitamachi Rocket before I can continue the sequels which I couldn't find time to watch before.

 Deezy:
I love Koji Kikkawa as a singer.

Never crossed my mind that he was a singer until I checked the profile page just now...lol

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Saeng

I finished RIKUOH. 

While the acting was top-notch, and the overall quality great, I found that the episodes were structured too similarly, so they got a bit repetetive. The last episode was largely predictable, which I suspected even before I started the drama.

I was annoyed by the underlying misogyny -- none of the female characters had any role but to say supporting things to the men; anything that pushed the plot forward was done by men. And, when the older son doesn't want to inherit the business, nobody even asks if maybe the daughter might want to? 

One thing that I found rather unrealistic a person, who invents a whole new material and builds the machine to produce it with his own hands, and then hold a patent --  wouldn't he rigorously test his invention early on, to understand which influence all of the variables of production have? It seems that after Iiyama had invented one working verson procedure,  he called it a day? 

I'm not sure if I should start the other drama, given that both novels were written by the same author.

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Elisheva
 TimiZero:
It's the Hanzawa Naoki style actually. After the success of this predecessor they produced many more business dramas with the same style including these 2. I would call it "business suspense" with lots of over the top acting, maneuvering, scheming and voice over narration to explain things.

ok, that's useful to know. thanks.

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Elisheva
 i watch too many dramas:
While the acting was top-notch, and the overall quality great

The acting is what's keeping me going, and to some extent the miraculous arrivals of solutions to the problems. Well, more like everyone being happy when a miraculous solution arrives :D  I'd prefer smaller problems and more reasonable solutions but the compressed, exaggerated scale of everything is ok for one series.

I've made it through ep 7 and the nastiness of the business competition is finally getting to me. Wasn't keen on the glowing praise of venture capitalists either.  Watching people be ruthless greedy expletive deleteds whilst most of us are struggling through these polycrises of greed, corporate and otherwise, in real life is too much. The constructed, artificial nature of the system we're living in and need to change it is just magnified by the constructed, artificial nature of the plot problems and writers' choices.

At least there's some work-life balance in Rikuoh to help me through it. That was really missing in business settings movies. Will finish Rikuoh. Debating whether or not to go back to the Rocket one for the second week. Don't fancy the pressure of a deadline to finish it.

edit: Done. Feel like I've run a marathon too :D Didn't like eps 8 & 9 but enjoyed the cheesy everything works out finale.

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Saeng
 Elisheva:
Feel like I've run a marathon too :D Didn't like eps 8 & 9

I had to force myself to start and then to get through episode 9, too. 

I found an interesting article from 2015: "Japan's curious passion for the business novel" (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35125739), which helped a bit with understanding the success of the dramas and why the Japan Foundation might have chosen these two.

I've decided that I won't watch the other drama.

There's another feedback form for the dramas on the JFF website: https://jff.jpf.go.jp/watch/jffonline2024/feedback/

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Elisheva

Thanks for finding that article and for reminding us about the feedback form. Between the heat and fatigue (Rikuoh used up too many spoons without replacing them, cortisol v oxytocin) I would have forgotten. Have also decided not to continue with Rocket. Too similar to Rikuoh and I really need to get back to things which help my mental health instead of depleting me.

It's been great getting to know everyone in the threads too and sharing this experience with all of you. If anyone wants to talk Thai series and lakorns, give me a shout :)

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TimiZero

I finally finished rewatching Shitamachi Rocket. I wasn't too happy with the second part/arc of the series when I first watched it some years ago. But now I can appreciate it more than before and ready to watch the 2nd season.


 i watch too many dramas:
I found an interesting article from 2015: "Japan's curious passion for the business novel" (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35125739), which helped a bit with understanding the success of the dramas and why the Japan Foundation might have chosen these two.

Thanks for sharing the article, but to be exact the 2 dramas were not the breakthrough drama when it comes to the adaptation of Ikeido Jun's novels. Although, Shitamachi Rocket was one of his best sellers. 

In my opinion Hanzawa Naoki (created by same author) could be a more reasonable choice for this festival (if JFF wants to introduce this theme to the world) considering how it was highly praised by Japanese audience when it was aired years ago. There were so many hype and even an article about it

https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-JRTB-14827


 i watch too many dramas:
And, when the older son doesn't want to inherit the business,

(sorry for exposing some of the spoiler, but I only want to comment on this part)

From watching many Jdramas, I can conclude that this is actually a tradition thing. The first "son" of the family is expected to inherit the business regardless of how small it is. The other siblings (son or daughter) don't get burdened with this responsibility which is the other way to view it. For quick example, Father of Milky Way Railroad movie also portrayed how this inheriting issue only pressed towards the first son. 

However in the case of bigger business, and when a family only has daughter(s),  it is usually expected that the first daughter's husband to inherit the family surname (which is not an easy decision to some people) and so the business. In a sense yes, it's a male prioritized system...but it's a cultural difference I would say.


 Elisheva:
It's been great getting to know everyone in the threads too and sharing this experience with all of you. If anyone wants to talk Thai series and lakorns, give me a shout :)

Nice to know you too...and please take care of your health!

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