Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 6

Aired On: May 18th, 2015

The person that Kenta and Asuka tailed turned out to be Tsujimoto-kun, Nana’s creepy ex-boyfriend. He didn’t seem surprised when confronted about the cat incident, but did not admit to it, either. When Kenta asked him to stop bothering Nana, he just replied that it was Kenta that was supposed to protect her better.

At home, Kenta’s mother told the family that she was planning a surprise celebratory dinner after Nana’s final interview. Later, Kenta asked Nana if she had told their mother about why she wanted to be an announcer – because it was a dream their mother had given up – but Nana said she didn’t want to. The next day, the family waved her off with well wishes as she headed to her interview.

While waiting for her turn at the interview, Nana checked her phone. Bad move, even when you didn’t have stalker problems. The first message was from her mother, and the next was not shown, although it caused her to drop her good luck charm (that her father gave her in the morning) and stare at her phone blankly until her name was called.

Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 5

Aired On: May 11th, 2015

It’s been awhile since the last time I watched this drama! I didn’t even remember the cliffhanger from the previous episode until several minutes in. The episode started with Kenta seeing something on security camera footage. It surprised him, but before he could react his mother knocked on his door. She told him that she had found the money that the stalker stole. The family talked about it in the living room, while the mother admitted that she was getting forgetful. When Kenta went back up to his room, however, he called his sister to his room.

He told her that he saw her in the security camera. He showed the footage to her; it revealed her taking the money from the drawer. He wanted to know if she was in trouble, and she confessed that she received a mail from the stalker telling her to take the money. The mail came with a private photo that she had taken on her (now stolen) phone – it was of her and her ex, holding each other in bed. Kenta wanted to tell someone about it, but Nana insisted that she didn’t want the police or their parents to know about the photo. Before their conversation could come to a conclusion, Kenta received a call from his boss.

Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 4

Aired On: May 4th, 2015

I just realised – this episode was aired on Star Wars Day! Anyway, it took me almost two months to get back to this drama, thanks to being distracted by Lunch no Akko-chan, Daredevil and Arrow. That and the fact that while I like the story, I want to relax when I’m watching movies/drama. Psychological thrillers are a lot of things, but relaxing they certainly aren’t.

This episode starts with the family talking to the police about their discovery that the stalker has broken into the house. The police didn’t seem to take them seriously enough; after, Kurata Sr. and Kenta talk about having to protect the family themselves. Later, Kurata Sr. finds out about Nishizawa working as a hostess thanks to Kenta showing him a picture of her with Mase-san at the bar.

Kurata Sr. asks Nishizawa about it at work, and she quickly admits that she’s been working as a hostess, claiming that it’s because her salary at the company doesn’t cover her mother’s medical care. Kurata Sr. understands, but now they can’t confront Mase-san directly, since he had threatened to expose Nishizawa. So they decide that they have to figure out a different way of bringing justice to Mase-san. I like that both here and in taking a stance against the stalker, Kurata Sr. is finally taking action on his own. Unfortunately, Mase-san suspects that they’re up to something.

Kenta talks to Asuka about what happened, and as she questions how the stalker would know that no one would be home the day he broke in, Kenta thinks that his house must be bugged. They went to a store to get a device that searches for bugs, and learn that Kenta’s right – the house have been wired. Asuka convinces Kenta to leave the bugs, since they could use them to mislead the stalker instead.

I do think they’re cute together though

Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 3

Aired On: April 27th, 2015

If the stalker was somewhat tame in the second episode, the tension picked up again in the third. Kurata Kenta (Aiba Masaki) and Asuka (Sawajiri Erika) were looking at the footage from the security camera Kenta installed, revealing a figure covered with cardboard walking to the house and scratching Kurata Sr. (this is what I will call Kenta’s dad from now on to make things easier)’s car. It was obvious from the footage that the stalker, dubbed Mr. Nameless by the family, knew about the camera. At a different time, it seemed like the stalker came back; they could not see a figure, but an unknown vehicle passing by.

Kenta moved the location of the camera, and while talking to his sister Nana, she received a phone call from the television station she was interviewing for. They were on their way in to inform their parents when a delivery bike arrived; the stalker struck again. This time, a basic but definite harrassment – calling the delivery to send 40,000yen worth of pizza to the Kurata family house. The mother, being her typical self, commented that as far as harrassment went, in this case at least they could feel like they were having a party due to the sheer amount of food.

Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 2

Aired On: April 20th, 2015

Spoiler: Thankfully, the kitten in the Kurata house’s mail box wasn’t dead. The second episode picks up right after, showing the family members talking to the police officer that came to take their report. (I was impressed that their police officers actually make house calls – my dealings with the police where I am always involved me going to the station and giving my report twice over, very slowly, to an officer that could barely type, let alone use the computer.)

Anyway, the kitten shoved into the mailbox was injured, but not dead – Nana (Kenta’s sister) convinces the family to keep it as a house pet. Kenta comes clean to his family about the incident at the train station, and everyone (but the policeman) thinks that the person from the station might have been the stalker. In the meantime, Kenta visited Asuka’s office, but was greeted by her boss and was mistaken as an interviewee for the position of an in-house designer. Asuka corrected them when she came into the scene, and after Kenta told them of the incident about the cat, both Asuka and her boss thought that his case would make for an interesting article. Kenta was still reluctant, but the boss convinced him by offering him the job at the magazine, which he took.

Youkoso, Wagaya e: Episode 1

Aired On: April 13th, 2015

Based on a novel by Jun Ikeido, popular suspense/thriller writer, I had been pretty interested in watching this drama from the start. I always prefer watching suspense to reading it, and while I’ve been interested in Jun Ikeido’s books reading in Japanese always takes too long and gives me headaches. So my reaction to the news of an adaptation was, “yay!” The fact that it starrs Aiba Masaki from Arashi is a much added bonus to me as a fan, but also made me a tiny bit apprehensive because his acting in Mikeneko Holmes no Suiriand Last Hope wasn’t exactly the best ever.

Judging from this first episode, I don’t have to worry! Perhaps it’s because of the character he’s playing, or because he’s surrounded by a good cast – either way, this is probably one of Aiba’s best. In this drama he is Kurata Kenta, a timid man who hates confrontations, causing him to be meek most of the time. He has a difficult relationship with his father (Kurata Taichi, played by Terao Akira), after whom he picked up his timidity – as a young boy, he had seen his father back down from men trying to bully the both of them for their fishing spot, and he had never quite forgotten his disappointment in his father, even knowing that he had grown up to be the same.

Kenta was having a bad day – he had been rejected for a book cover design work he was working on, among other things – when he was boarding the train home and a man wearing a knitted-cap was pushing into the crowd and cutting lines. It was the last straw for him, so for the first time Kenta spoke out, telling the man off for what he did. Unfortunately the man stepped back and stepped on Kenta’s umbrella (which was on the floor, forgotten), causing him to fall over. The crowd praised Kenta, and the man walked away. A woman who had seen the whole thing came up to Kenta and said she appreciated what he did, which pleased Kenta as much as it made him uncomfortable.

Aiba-chan in Bartender

Not really new news, but while I was in Japan (just got back last night T_T) in was confirmed that Aiba Masaki will be having a drama next year. It’ll be based on Bartender, a manga by Joh Araki and Nagatomo Kenji. The manga is about a genius bartender Sasakura Ryu (to be played by Aiba) who uses his abilities to soothe the souls of his troubled customers. There was also an anime based on this manga back in 2006.

I’m really glad that Aiba’s finally going to have his second drama and can’t wait to watch it (^_^)

 

[vid credit: BitterSweetNozomi@YouTube]
[pic credit: Shi-chan’s copy of Super Jump]

Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen 100925

Aired On: September 25th, 2010

I only saw the Aiba cuts (thanks to ANJ) but it’s so cute and hilarious at the same time. I think I’m actually more jealous of Aiba (who got to play with so many animals in this show) than the animals (some of which actually got into Aiba’s pantsoveralls, lol). But, seriously – animals love Aiba, don’t they? Even my cat is in love with Aiba – she sits next to the TV whenever he’s on, and she comes when we (my housemates & I) said we have his picture, lol. (She runs away from Sho XD)