JDrama – Bloody Monday (2008) Review
There was a point during the first season of Keifer Sutherland’s 24 where I remembered thinking to myself, “Okay, this is about to jump the shark.” After merrily buzzing along at warp speed the story suddenly seemed to run out of ideas when Jack Bauer’s (Keifer Sutherland) wife suddenly developed a severe case of amnesia which is one of the most ridiculously overwrought and overused plot devices imaginable. To its credit, the inclusion of such a silly soap opera subplot didn’t torpedo the show as it managed to right itself and keep going with a wonderful marriage of tense situations and compelling action.
JDrama – Gal Circle (2006) Review
Gal Circle is a totally off the wall Japanese comedy series filled with a cornucopia of Native American stereotypes that would normally spell doom for Western viewers but is ultimately saved by the fact that everything is so incredibly light-hearted that political correctness is rendered moot. It also helps that it features three up and coming young actresses and a bevy of scantily dressed girls who bounce around the screen dancing para para in almost every episode. However, that is not to say that feminists will be up in arms since the series ultimately preaches strong family values albeit with modern sensibilities and most of these characters are merely misunderstood and lacking direction rather than being dumb as a doorpost.
