Entries tagged with ~drama locations/notes

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FuteHodo Final Ep10: Drama Notes

Final Ep. 10: "Do I Have to Update?"

Numbered Cigarette Brands. On the last episode, Ogawa has already familiarized himself with how to buy cigarettes from a store, compared to the first episode. If you're wondering why he has to say a number, instead of the cigarette brand, this article explains: "Each tobacco brand in Japan is assigned a number, and it's customary for customers to say the number at the counter when purchasing a 20-cigarette pack at a convenience store." Also, there are plenty of cigarette brands in Japan and different types for each, so having a designated number for each leads to a convenient and faster transaction for the store clerk

"Like a makanai meal". When Akitsu was singing a karaoke song, his boss said, "A broken-hearted song by a broken-hearted man is like eating a makanai meal". A makanai meal is food served by an employer to his staff. I guess what he meant is, you can't choose what kind of meal you'll get since it's free and to just accept it. Someone at karaoke who is broken-hearted will naturally sing a song about heartbreak, and you're expected to listen as a way to sympathize, and no choice but to accept it.

Mutsugoro Animal Kingdom. Mutsugoro (above) was also mentioned in Ep1. Master of Scandal Cafe is a fan of Mutsugoro, real name, Hata Masanori who died just last year. He founded a private zoo in Hokkaido in the 70s, called it "Mutsugoro Animal Kingdon" but it was not open to the public. He also founded the Mutsu Farm in a nearby area where he lived, and wrote about his life, caring for animals in the farm and zoo. He did open an animal theme park called "Tokyo Mutsugoro Animal Kingdom" in Tokyo in 2004 but it eventually closed due to low customer turn-out.

Sushiro's Sushi Gunkan. Ichiro said he wants to go back to Reiwa and watch TBS variety show "Love It" while eating Salad Gunkan (a type of sushi roll made of sushi rice wrapped in seaweed and topped with salad usually mixed with mayo) from Sushiro, one of the well-known conveyor belt sushi shops.

The Sending Off Scenes. It reminded me of Amachan and Ida10. When Ogawa said there were a few people who showed up for his send-off, it reminded me of Aki's Grandpa's send off scene in Ep. 43.
When Kiyoshi told Ogawa to keep the smartphone, it is similar to Ida10 Ep.13 when Mishima let Kanakuri keep the camera.

Deviation Value Score 30. It is what "dumb" Junko got as a score at first, making her the "bottom-ranking sukeban". According to this reddit post, getting a score of 30 is below the lowest score, and that a score like this is not even calculated. However, in the end, Junko made a complete, miraculous turnaround. Her latest score in this episode is now 61.2 (as shown in the pic above), which is considered "Excellent", which means she can likely pass the "great national / public schools and the top remaining privates like MARCH (Meiji, Aoyama, Rikkyo, Chuo, Hosei), best privates in Kansai (Ristumeikan, Doshisha) and a few privates that straddle the line between MARCH level and Elite level (Sophia, a couple others)." It seems Junko and her friend Tomomi were aiming for Aoyama (AoGaku) and Sophia University. I didn't see any indication from this episode but it was assumed Junko got into the university of her choice which was AoGaku.

Male nipples not allowed on streaming channels? Not sure if this only applies to YouTube Japan and other Japanese streaming sites. There were instances in Japan that videos uploaded showing men's nipples get taken down. There is a theory that says, YouTube uses AI to search for bare breasts in all videos uploaded, and it could not distinguish whether these are male or female breasts. But there are still some videos of naked torsos of body-builders, for example, that are allowed, and not taken down, so AI theory doesn't seem probable. Of course, many streaming platforms do warn not to "post content if it shows the depiction of clothed or unclothed genitals, breasts, or buttocks that are meant for sexual gratification."

Song Inspiration. The final musical number "Tolerance" seems to be a kind of ondo style song or a traditional Japanese dance song which is a happy song played mostly in festivals, Obon celebrations, and parties.
"In this kind of world..." The lyrics sung by Kurita is a reference to the 1998 song "POISON ～言いたい事も言えないこんな世の中は～ (In this Kind of World Where You Can't Say What You Want~)", which is the theme song of GTO, which in turn got revived for GTO Revival 2024. And also, take note that the actor who played the old Reiwa Master (above right), Numata Baku, also appeared in the 1998 GTO (maybe that is why he was shown in this shot).
BTW, the guitar he's using looks like rocker Hotei Tomoyasu's signature black and white guitar. It's not clear whether it's actor Yamamoto Koji's personal property or borrowed from Hotei but it is said they are friends in real life.

Foreshadowing and Pay-Off. I guess the foreshadowing was literally doing away with the pay-off as mentioned in Ep7 (above), when Ogawa said that the final episode not being decided is the best way to go. So the final episode's ending which is an open ending might be what Ogawa was talking about, meaning we still don't know what will happen to him and Junko in 1995 (whether they died or one of them got saved, etc). Indeed, I think it's best we not know. The 1995 earthquake shouldn't be tackled anymore since it can open up ethical issues, like why only save yourself or your own loved one, and not save others if you know an earthquake is coming? It could be a delicate and sensitive matter for those who had lost loved ones in the disaster. So, for me, it's best to end it this way, and not tackle it any further.

The Ending Disclaimer. If you didn't notice from the ending disclaimer for this final episode... instead of the usual, "we intentionally used the expressions from 1986", this time it said "2024". Jokingly, it means that someday, even this drama will become a thing of the past (mukashi-banashi), and since society and values always change, some scenes and dialogues shown won't probably age well, or become offensive to people in the future. (Actually, there were already complaints voiced out regarding Ep5 scene where Ogawa tried to smoke in front of Yuzuru who had trouble breathing, TBS issued an apology afterwards).

Hope you had fun, and thanks for reading and watching~!

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FuteHodo Ep9: Drama Notes

Ep. 9: "Is it Necessary to Categorize?"

Akitsu-kun's Attributes. Akitsu gave his attributes to the dating app "Un-MAY" in order to find the perfect match for him. If you're interested to know what he put in:
Age = 29
Gender Identity = Male
Educational Background = College
Annual Income = 4.5 million
Personality = My Pace
Hobbies = Sauna
Resto-Type You'd Like to Go to = Curry
Favorite Part of Yakiniku = Tongue
Type of Ramen = Tonkotsu
Favorite Tea = Jasmine Tea
First part of the body you wash = Chest
What time you eat dinner = 8PM
What train car no. you usually ride = No. 8

Sushizanmai. It is the signature pose of the Kimura Kiyoshi, president of sushi chain Kiyomura, and one of their stores, is called Sushizanmai. You can watch him HERE.

Ultraman's Color Timer. Yasumori-sensei thought Sakae's blinking phone is a color timer. This is a "light-emitting device or organ located on the chest of most Ultras, that indicates their remaining power level." It starts to blink red if they're low on power. Read more HERE.

Ogawa's Chome Puns.
"1 Chome". Sakae said she "should have at least done 1 chome" when she was in the Showa era. Ichiro laughed and quipped, "It sounds like 'Wow! Higashimurayama". It's a song created in 1968 to commemorate the establishment of Higashimurayama City, Tokyo. There are many versions, but the most famous one is by Shimura Ken who made it into a catchy traditional dance song with added lyrics "Wow! Higashimurayama. Icchome, Icchome (1 chome)!" Hear it HERE.
"Sunset at 3 Chome". Ogawa sent a message to Sugiyama who was trying to concieve. He made a pun/joke about doing "3 chome chome" during a three day weekend, and to do it at night, and jokingly called it "Sanchome no Yuhi" or "3 Chome Sunset", which is a 2005 movie, with the English title, "Always: Sunset on Third Street".

"Ne Mastah, Hayaku!" "Hey, Master, hurry up!". Ogawa said it twice in the episode, urging Master of Scandal Cafe to be quick. It is part of the lyrics of "Shitsuren (Heartbreak) Restaurant" sung at the end of the song. It was also mentioned in Amachan ep109, that's why I'm familiar with it haha. You can listen HERE.

One More Time, One More Chance. Akitsu's preferred heartbreak song, sung beautifully by Ogawa thru karaoke. It was by Yamazaki Masayoshi. But viewers were wondering how Ogawa would know it since it was released in 1997. Listen to it HERE.

Matchmaking Meetings Sponsored by the Local Government. It was supposed to be how Inoue and Sakae met. Translated from HERE via google: "Nowadays, with the declining birthrate, it is not uncommon for local governments to rush to take measures to counter the declining birthrate. As part of their efforts to combat the declining birthrate, many local governments are providing matchmaking support services. Many people feel a sense of security because the matchmaking event is sponsored by a local government. The event content is extensive, and you can receive detailed support from staff. The rules for matchmaking and matchmaking parties are clearly defined, so there is less chance of getting lost or confused." It is also to attract young people to their local areas and settle there.

"The time machine is over". Inoue sang it as a joke, to the tune of the fun 1979 song "Time Machine ni Onegai" (Please Give me a Time Machine) by Sadistic Mika Band. You can hear a version sung by Nounen Rena (Non) HERE.

Hometown Tax Donation. Yashima has been shown looking at a real hometown tax donation website "Furunavi" in Ep 1 and 9. This website explains how "Furusato Nozei" works: "All residents in Japan are required to pay a Residence Tax to the city or town they are living in as of January 1st. However, since most of Japan’s population is concentrated in urban areas, there is a huge tax revenue disparity between urban and rural municipalities. The Hometown Tax Program is a way to balance out that disparity in tax revenue. This is called a “tax” program, but think of it more like a donation.

Through the Hometown Tax Program, you can choose the amount of money you want to donate. From the amount you donated, you’ll receive a tax deduction from your Residence Taxes the following year, minus 2000. Plus, you’ll also receive a thank-you gift from the municipality you donated to! Gifts can include local specialties, handicrafts, and more!"
Yashima's hometown is Nara but the return gift of snow crabs was from Hokkaido. In Furusato Nozei, you are allowed to make donations to any town or city, aside from your hometown.

Boobs on terrestrial TV. It was not only during the Showa era but also went on up to Heisei era. Naked breasts have been gradually purged from Japanese prime time since 2000, and the last time breasts were reportedly seen on terrestrial television in Tokyo was on January 7, 2012 on a TV Asahi drama's "Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi Final.'' However there was also a bit of a later incident of a nipple slip by Yuma Asami on a TV Osaka show in 2012, that got a lot of angry feedback from viewers. After that, breasts became regulated not only in variety shows and dramas, but also in medical programs such as breast cancer screening, using mosaic or pixelization. However, it seems bare breasts of women from indigenous tribes are still allowed to be shown.
In my experience, though I haven't scoured much of the earlier TV shows, the bare boobs I've seen shown on Japanese TV were the ones from "Shinya Shokudo" Season 1, which was the "Potato Salad" Ep4 (2009), and one episode of an Arashi late night show (I forgot, maybe 2007 G no Arashi?) where Matsumoto Jun was doing a field report about breast cancer screening.

Passed away at age 28. Junko was 26 in January of 1995 when she passed away since she was born in November 1968. But the age on her tombstone says "28". This is based on East Asian age reckoning wherein ages calculated this way are always 1 or 2 years greater than those calculated solely by birthdays. Read more HERE.

Song Inspiration:
Obviously the song "One Chan(ce)/Wanchan" is based on "One" from "A Chorus Line". Give it a watch HERE.
First of all, wasn't it simply a stroke of genius? I was wondering why KudoKan made Furuta Arata's character a heart attack survivor, or if it's a foreshadowing device for a future episode. Turns out it was all for this musical scene omg! Yuzuru needing his oxygen tank was used as a prop to make it look like he's dancing with a hat and a cane ala "Chorus Line" haha! And also, collapsing, being helped up, and having his robe placed on his shoulders, was a gag tribute to James Brown's signature cape routine (which was also joked about in Amachan Ep49 - above right pic-, it makes me want to watch Amachan all over again lol).
Was it "One Chan(ce)" or "Wanchan"? At first, I thought Yuzuru was singing "Wanchan". But looking closely, the way it was spelled was indeed "One Chan(ce)", plus Yuzuru raising his arm, and showing off his forefinger, indicating "one" while dancing. Therefore, it was a play on Nagisa's pet name "Wanchan" (and with the dog barking "Wan! Wan!"). Besides, Yuzuru (and Ogawa) never called her "Wanchan". She is only called that by her co-workers (as explained in my notes from Ep 2).

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FuteHodo Ep8: Drama Notes

Ep. 8: "Is It All Over If You Messed Up Once?"

The Three Year Itch. The main theme for this episode obviously is infidelity. In the west, there is something called "7 Year Itch" which is a "popular belief that happiness in a marriage or long-term relationship declines after around seven years" that could lead to discontent or boredom, and in turn, leads to seeking companionship outside marriage. In Japan, it's 3 years or what they call "3-Nen-me no uwaki" (cheating on the third year of marriage). This is the title of the 1982 song by musical duo "Hiroshi and Kibo". This is also the song inspiration of this episode's musical number (more explanation below). Kurita also revealed in this episode that he cheated on his 3rd year of marriage.
Most notable examples of "3-Nen-me no uwaki" among famous Japanese celebrity couples, were those of couples, Nakama Yukie and Tanaka Tetsushi (he was caught cheating on 3rd year of marriage but are still together), and Adachi Yumi and Idoda Jun (who divorced each other after 3 years of marriage).

Kotatsu articles or critiques. KudoKan really took a swipe (lol) against these so-called journalists who does "flimsy articles" from the "comforts of their kotatsu", without having to get scoops or go out and do their own original research or interviews. They mostly get available info from the internet, and rehash them into "articles". They also take quotes from comments of netizens from social media, and call it "news". This article quotes Sawai Atsushi, a Keio University professor, who said kotatsu critiques are "based on assumptions on information gathered from TV news and the web, often distorting the truth and adding catchy subtitles in aim to earn click-through counts."

Adultery Scandal of Japanese Celebrities. Viewers were wondering who is the model that the character of sports announcer Kuramochi Takeru is based on. There is no clear answer since there were plenty of cheating scandals for the past few years. But the closest one is probably comedian and TV presenter Watabe Ken who is married to Sazaki Nozomi. Watabe admitted to committing multiple affairs. But the couple are still together, and even had a child 3 years after the cheating was exposed. He was suspended and stopped appearing on TV because of the scandal. But he is reportedly gradually starting to show up first in minor, non-terrestrial TV shows starting 2022, and currently seems to be working his way back into national terrestrial TV.

Tsumamigui. Announcer Kuramochi's wife Yoko asked the public to forgive her husband for doing "tsumamigui". It basically means "snacking on the sly" or "nibbling on the side" or "eating with one's fingers", and It could also be used as a slang for "philandering" and "embezzlement".

Kyon Kyon. None other than Koizumi Kyoko, no need to explain. But viewers noticed that Kyon Kyon appeared on this episode about cheating scandals while she herself was involved in one recently.
Kyon Kyon "appeared" in this episode as her 1986 self. If you want to see what "small-faced" Kyon Kyon looked like in 1986, watch THIS.

Sailors. Take note that little Sakae-chan is wearing authentic Sailors in this episode, with the logo of "Sailor-kun" on her shirt. This was a famous apparel brand mentioned in Ep 1, which were mostly trainors or sweatshirts that were popularized by idols in the 80s most especially Onyanko Club. It started selling in 1985, and there was only one store that sold it exclusively in Shibuya. It was so popular that the store can only handle 2,000 customers per day or 40 customers per 15 minutes. That is why Junko was delightfully surprised at first when she thought her father was able to buy her one.

Delinquent Youths of Japan. There were many slang words for delinquent youths (abazure, yankee, color gang) that were mentioned all throughout this drama. More terms:
Sukeban. Refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself. More HERE.
Tsuppari. Term used to refer to boys and girls who engage in delinquent behavior or delinquency.
Gure. From "gureta wakamono" which means wayward or delinquent youth or a young person who strayed from the right path.
They are basically a subculture that have their own look, way of speaking, and rules. They look like the above pictures, and they are the ones that Junko was talking about, that have gone "extinct", or are no longer existing today. There are still troubled youths and gangs up to today but they certainly don't look like that anymore.

"This is just like KinTsuma!". Aside from the patio, what made Kurita's patio party look like KinTsuma? The families in KinTsuma (Season 3 in particular) were from above middle class status, and lived an ideal, stylish, above average lifestyle. That is why, we get to hear the husbands' occupation (architect, clinic director) to indicate their above middle class status. And the wives' nicknames "Pocky" and "Taiko" were a nod to the nicknames of some of the main women characters in the KinTsuma S3 as well: one was nicknamed "Take" (bamboo) because of her slender appearance; another was "Okoma" because she was always doing something in a hurry like a "koma-nezumi" (a small mouse); and also, there was "Noro" (slow) because of her laid back personality and slow movements.
By the way, as mentioned in the notes of Ep5, "Pocky" is played by Yashima's real-life wife, Miyashita Kyoko. But instead of Pocky, she now looks more like Kinoko no Yama or Chocorooms.

Song Inspiration:
As stated, the musical part, "3 Year April Fools" song sung by Ichiro and and Yuri (above) was based on this song "3-Nen-me no Uwaki" by Hiroshi and Kibo, listen HERE. Based on the lyrics, a man and woman are arguing over the man's infidelity while they're saying to each other: "Don't say stupid things ("Baka itten janaiyo" or don't be ridiculous)!". That is the joke behind the exchange in the scene below when Ichiro was quoting the song:

In the song, it seems the woman is leaving him. The man is arguing with the woman, basically saying she is overreacting, that it was only a 3 Year Itch, and citing the usual "I'm a man, it's only natural I cheat" excuses, plus it's a man's pride that women are attracted to him, and that she should be proud that she married a popular man like him. But the woman is adamant, and says "I don't like that attitude", and she won't ever forgive him "even if he puts up his arms in apology". The song ends, with the man "begging" her repeatedly (in his manliest way possible, without actually saying sorry) : "It's just a 3 Year Itch, give me some slack".

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FuteHodo Ep7: Drama Notes

Ep. 7: "Can't You Do Away With the Payoff?"

Example of "foreshadowing": little Kanakuri (left) in Ep2;
and "the payoff": older Kanakuri in the final scene of the final episode (right)

Foreshadowing and the Payoff. Also known as Setup/Reveal, Plant/Reveal. In Japanese, it's "fukusen-kaishu" [伏線-回収]. KudoKan is fond of these literary plot devices, and fans expect it as well, that is why they are on the lookout for it, while watching this drama. I have read some foreshadowing theories from viewers regarding this drama, and find them interesting. I have my own theories as well. What are yours?
Anyway, one example of this by Kudo is from "Ida10". When Kanakuri Shiso as a boy went through a tunnel in Ep 2, crying, it was the foreshadowing. Then in the final episode, an old but happy Shiso is seen going through the tunnel/passageway entering Stockholm Stadium to reach the "finish line" matches EmoKen's description perfectly: "The final piece falls PERFECTLY into place in the last scene, and then, THE END!"

"You are Bando Eiji". No song inspiration for this episode's musical number. But for those who don't understand Sakae's analogy: Sakae is a fan of "KinTsuma", and she imagines herself as the character of Ogawa Tomoko (see notes of Ep 6), who found positive traits that Bando Eiji has, that was enough to marry him. Bando doesn't have the looks BUT has the cool history of being the former member of Chunichi Dragons. So she applies that with Yasumori-sensei whose good looks are a plus but his conservative views are a minus, and so she decides to find what else is good about him.

Mutchy-Senpai's Eyebrows. There doesn't seem to be any legit explanation about the eyebrows. So I searched for viewers' opinions. Some have noticed that it resembles Kenshiro's eyebrows from "Fist of the North Star". One blogger said his theory is that Mutchy has no idea what the future is like, and probably expects it to look like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic "Mad Max" type of world he sees in manga and movies. So he draws Kenshiro-like eyebrows on himself to look intimidating and so that future people won't mess with him lol.

Eating ice cream on the steps

Visiting a "Wall of Wishes"

Getting violent at a restaurant lol

Roman Holiday. I'm sure you are familiar with the movie, so there's no need for me to explain. But for those who haven't seen it, here are the similarities between the episode and the movie:
Junko gets a haircut, just like the Princess (Audrey). Both have a scene of eating ice cream on steps/stairs. In the movie, they visited the Wall of Wishes while in the drama they visited a shrine where Junko made her wish using a votive plaque. Junko getting violent with a waiter is the equivalent of the Princess smashing a guitar over someone's head in the movie's brawl scene.
Then, Junko's digital photos got erased as if her little holiday never happened. This is in reference to the journalist (Peck) handing over the Princess' "incriminating" photos over to her, as a promise not to publish them, and that this little Roman holiday "never happened", but to live on as a happy little secret, to be kept in her heart.
And as for the ending, Audrey said that "Rome" is the place she enjoyed the most. While Junko said, "Jail". This works better in Japanese though. In the Japanese dubbing of the movie, Audrey said "Roma", while Junko said, "Rouya (jail)." So Junko's is "A Rouya Holiday" haha.

Some other jokes that are (more likely only) funny to Japanese viewers:
"Will you meet and merge in 5 seconds?". Ogawa said this via remote when his daughter dashed off to her date. Viewers laughed at this since the p0rn-loving Ogawa's question (having sex after 5 seconds of meeting each other) sounded like a title of an AV movie (or maybe it is?). That's why Nagisa slammed her laptop fast.
"Even if I looked at her with my crystal clear eyes...". "Sunda me [澄んだ目] or "clear eyes" are pure like a baby's. These are "in which the whites of the eyes are clear and healthy and no cloudiness or veins, therefore the shape of black eyes stands out clearly and the white contrasting with the blackness of the eyes is emphasized." Viewers laugh, trying to imagine Furuta Arata with such eyes...
"You only dropped your smartphone, right?". The way Furuta's character said it twice, felt like he's trying to drive the point across, in case you didn't catch it lol. It's in reference to the novel turned 2018 movie "Sumaho o Otoshita Dake Nanoni (To think I only dropped my smartphone)" which had the English title, "Stolen Identity".

"It's clear I made you feel uptight just now." When Sakae asked Yasumori-sensei if he's married, he immediately crossed his arms. Sakae, being a sociologist sees it as a defensive reaction, and assumed that marriage is a touchy subject for Yasumori (just like the way that attending school is a touchy subject for Sako-kun).

Toyoko. It means "next to TOHO cinemas", or more precisely, at Kabukicho Square, known as a place where homeless people and runaway kids gather and hang out. You can read more HERE.

The 1000 yen. Naoki used his remaining cash worth 1000 yen at the shrine. One viewer remembers "Amachan", particularly the song, "Shiosai no Memory"'s lyrics: "Tell Johnny, he owes me 1,000 yen". And also: "A 17-year old is as fierce as the ocean waves", "Are you leaving me, without saying goodbye? Without making promises to meet again".

"Akai Clover" or "Red Clover". The name of the drama from another channel that EBS staff were monitoring. It is obviously a reference to Yamaguchi Momoe's 1976 TBS drama "Akai Unmei (Red Fate)" which has a complex plot that involves a girl whose identity got switched with another person at an orphanage.

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FuteHodo Ep6: Drama Notes

Ep. 6: "Is It Not Alright to Reminisce On Old Times?"

1980s TBS drama "KinTsuma" and their patio party

KinTsuma drama. The full title is "Kin'yobi no Tsumatachi he [金曜日の妻たちへ]" or "To the Friday Wives". There were three seasons starting 1983 though each season is a different story with different characters but some of the same actors are featured. It focuses on people and friends, their relationships, family troubles, secret affairs, etc. One feature of it is that they live in a terraced housing or row of townhouses, making viewers interested in such dwellings which were an unusual concept at that time. Bando Eiji appeared first in Season 2, and his character then had an affair. But in Season 3 (which Sakae was watching), he was playing a different character, that of a loving second husband to Ogawa Tomoko's character. They both have children from their previous marriages, and so his speech in that scene on TV, he is saying that he is happy to see that their children (step siblings) are getting along well with each other.
Also one distinct feature is the patio parties. The characters of Eiji and Tomoko's home has a backyard patio with tables and chairs where they can eat, drink, chat, and look at the stars, and it also where their friends gather for patio parties. Patios were unusual for Japanese families at the time because housing lots were small and there were no space for such, but it did start a patio trend among the Japanese.

"Zawawa da wa." Sakae was watching Season 3 of KinTsuma. She assumes Okuda Eiji will have an affair with Moriyama Ryoko's character. Sakae made a pun of "Zannenda wa (how unfortunate)" and "Zawawa" from Moriyama's 1969 song "Satokibi Batake" which had lyrics "zawawa zawawa" which means sound of breeze (through the cane fields). I'm not sure what Sakae means by it (she said it three times), but it looks like she enjoyed her own clever pun lol.

Kinpachi Sensei (Takeda Tetsuya) and Yamada Reiko (Miura Junko)

Miura Junko. Her name was mentioned several times, she was a teen actress/idol and singer turned politician. You can read her wiki HERE. Junko couldn't believe it since she regards Miura Junko as "Our beloved grand mistress of the Abazures, Yamada Reiko, who said, "No hitting of the face, just the body". There's a lot to unpack in this line lol. She actually said "our beloved ancestor" but I found it weird so I changed it to "grand mistress". "Abazure" means "a tough bitch" or "brazen harlot". "Yamada Reiko" is Miura's character in the drama Kinpachi-Sensei series. Reiko was like a leader of a group of school thugs (I think?). They were ganging up on a male classmate, when she uttered that famous line, "No hitting of the face, just the body." If you want to see that scene, you can watch it ~~HERE~~. And if you want to hear her song SEXY NIGHT, hear it HERE.

The younger Yuki (left) VS 2024 Yuki (right)

Matsumura Yuki. He started as a child/teen actor, most famous for his drama "School Wars" in 1984. In that drama, his character Oki Daisuke (via google translate) "was a delinquent student with a solitary aura that earned him the nickname 'Kawahama's No. 1 Badass', and was feared by everyone because he would immediately resort to violence if he had a complaint, but in reality, he was a weak person who cared for his mother. He was kind to everyone, and set himself apart from the delinquents of his predecessors."
When Junko saw him in 2024, she asked "Where is Aesop?". She is referring to Daisuke's childhood friend Hiroshi, nicknamed Aesop, played by Miyata Yasuo. Aesop got his nickname from the grasshopper in Aesop's Fables because of his skinny body. His is a tragic character who died due to cancer.

Kaga Mariko as Domyouji Kaede in "Hana Yori Dango" (left);
Kaga is KudoKan's inspiration for the character of Shizuka Hiromi
(Yakushimaru Hiroko) in "Amachan" (right)

Kaga Mariko. Her name was mentioned twice in this episode. If you've watched "Hana Yori Dango", you'd remember her as Domyouji's mother. Why was she mentioned?
First, Matsumura Yuki said Mariko took care of him when he was starting out as a teen actor. This is a well-known anecdote in the industry, including KudoKan, who saw inspiration in this (to be explained later). Mariko played his mother in a drama, and Matsumura has told (article here) how she acted as his mentor and helped him in scenes, and how he is grateful to her. Like on the first day of filming, in the scene where he helps Kaga up after she collapsed in the street, she scolded him, saying, "It hurts, don't shake me so hard,'' and "Your hand is hiding my face.'' Matsumura said, "I was young and fearless. The next day, I went to Kaga-san's dressing room to directly discuss it with her", and she provided him with useful acting tips. "Acting is about acting like it's not happening," she told him. "Since then, I've learned a lot of things,'' he said.

The last recording is the reunion scene between mother and son. It was a long take, about 10 minutes. Matsumura said, "I was overcome with emotion and couldn't stop crying. Kaga-san complimented me and said, 'That was great,' but the director said, 'You looked down too much and we couldn't get a close-up shot.' Even so, Kaga-san said, 'Just use the stills from Take 1 and use only the good parts of the kid from Take 2'." Matsumura was grateful to her for this. BTW, does it sound familiar? It is for those who watched "Amachan", because this anecdote was the inspiration behind the crank-up filming scene of "Shiosai no Memory" movie in Ep 130. The character Suzuka Hiromi (Yakushimaru Hiroko) is just like Kaga Mariko, who took good care of Aki (Nonen Rena).
Second mention of Kaga Mariko in this episode was by Emo Kentaro. EmoKen was reminiscing about the launch party of his last drama on EBS, and that his restaurant bill was paid for by Kaga Mariko. This is again a reference to Suzuka Hiromi in "Amachan" when she paid the bill of Aki and her idol groupmates at the expensive sushi-ya in Episode 78.

"SSLP Shinbashi SL Park". It is obviously a reference to KudoKan's 2000 drama "Ikebukuro West Gate Park". "Color Gang" are gangs who are influenced by American gang culture and dressed up in hip-hop fashion (read more HERE).
Did KudoKan make himself the model for "EmoKen"? EmoKen's character is too old so viewers think Emoken was inspired by a variety of famous Japanese scriptwriters.

Song Inspiration.
The song "Junanasai (17 Years Old)" was inspired by Minami Saori's 1971 song "17sai". Listen HERE.

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FuteHodo Ep5: Drama Notes

Ep. 5: "Is It Wrong to Keep Things Hidden?"

College women were always featured on covers of magazines during
the Japanese Female College Boom as shown in this episode

Then College Girl Miyazaki Yoshiko on the cover of Shukan Asahi (1980)

The Female College Boom. As mentioned, Junko wanted to be a college girl, not because she wanted to pursue higher education but she's doing so in order to enjoy the perks, glamor, and status that come with it, and having more chances of getting popular:
AoGaku. Junko said she wanted to go to Aoyama Gakuin University (AoGaku for short) because that's where Kawashima Naomi graduated. Kawashima was the epitome of the famous college girl. She was a host of a famous radio show Miss DJ Request Parade, which featured college girls as radio hosts. This type of show would receive post cards from listeners who use aliases, and from among these, they would choose top ten requests to play on air. The picture above from Ep 5, shows a magazine called "Radio Excite" with a cover of a college girl/radio DJ of "XYZ Radio" (take note of the "City Hunter" reference).
ALL NIGHT FUJI. Miss DJ Request Parade also influenced TV to start featuring college girls in late night programs, including "All Night Fuji" (also mentioned by Junko). "All Night Fuji" would show adult and naughty content, with college girls (calling themselves "All-Nighters") taking on the role of "assistants" (just like in the fictional show "Premium Saturday") and "reporters" who would go out in the field, reporting on issues which included sex-related topics like the red-light industry and AV industry. You can read more HERE.
MISS CAMPUS. It is the common term for university pageants. Also, MisCon. It still attracts female college hopefuls today since it serves as a pipeline to a TV career such as television announcers and talents. Read more HERE.
An unrelated but interesting tidbit I discovered while doing research on this, is about veteran actress Miyazaki Yoshiko (Kumamoto College alumna). Miyazaki also started the female college boom in 1980. She was featured on the cover of "Shukan Asahi (Asahi Weekly)" magazine (pic above), which was met with so much enthusiastic response, that the magazine decided to have college girls be featured regularly on their cover. Miyazaki said she owed her career to this fateful cover, which was taken by her then boyfriend at campus, using a Minolta camera. She then heard that Shukan Asahi was looking for fresh-faced college women to graze their cover, and since she thought that such a reputable magazine would not ask her "to take my clothes off" for pictures, she decided to send her picture, which happened to be "on hand". After that, she went on to have a career in the modeling and entertainment industry, including the famous TV commercial, coincidentally(?), of Minolta camera (watch it HERE).

Maharaja Disco. It was the legendary high-end disco and symbol of the booming bubble economy of the 1980s. It had different branches in major Japanese cities but the most famous one was in Roponggi. The disco brand still exists today but under different management. This is from the JP wiki page translated using google: "The floors and walls are made of marble and mahogany, the ceiling and walls are made of diagonal mirrors, brass objects, and ornaments ordered from overseas (...) breaking the conventional concept of a discotheque. Hundreds of millions of yen were spent on the luxurious interior design, acoustics and special lighting comparable to those of concert halls at the time, glass-walled VIP rooms, authentic cuisine that could not be enjoyed at discos before, and men as handsome as models. The restaurant was well-received for its staff's thorough service, strict dress code, Eurobeat DJ performance , and celebrity patronage." Discotheques were considered disreputable places where rowdy kids and high school delinquents hang out in the early 80s. Maharaja's concept was to make it high end to attract "the right crowds" and have its staff at the entrance carefully chose who gets in, based on clothes and looks (no tshirt or sneakers allowed). This enabled patrons to feel relaxed and safe, and to enjoy the night away. It also was the hang-out of rich college kids.
As mentioned in the drama, suits of disco staff were color-coded with black as the highest, most-coveted uniform (the silver Champion uniform suit seems fictional).

"That Famous Actress... There were photos of her on the internet, showing her as a former Yankee." I thought this was part of the drama's story so I thought nothing of it. But viewers think it was referring to actress Kichise Michiko, who had past pictures of her in high school that got exposed last year. A former classmate from her hometown in Fukuoka said that she was featured in a local magazine and was a bit of a local celebrity, so she was often courted by Yankees. There is even a legend that when Kichise was working part-time at a gas station, biker gangs were often lined up to refuel in order to have a glimpse of her or get a chance to even talk to her. Her so-called "yankee" photos are found HERE.

If You Want to Know What They Look Like..:
Yashima's Wife. Nagisa mentioned that Yashima is married to a "tall actress". She's Miyashita Kyoko, (above pic, left) height is 173 cms or 5'6''. They have a son. She also appeared in FuteHodo Ep 8, not as Yashima's wife but as one of Kurita's friends present at the patio party.
When Furuta Arata Was Younger. Viewers had a good laugh when the drama had Nishikido Ryo portray a younger Furuta Arata. But what did he really look like when he was younger? Just like his character in FuteHodo, Furuta revealed in last year's guesting in "Tetsuko no Heya" that when he proposed to his wife Nishihata Yayoi, a former celebrity whom he was a fan of, he revealed that he spent two months sorting out his affairs because he was still dating nine girlfriends. Furuta (above pic, right) in his younger days, was active in theater work (yet still a fledging TV talent), and had a cool rock star-persona that attracted plenty of female fans.

Osawa Yūri no YūYū Wide. Master of "Scandal" cafe was listening to this radio program in this episode where he made a song request ("Ano ko to Scandal" by Checkers). It was a long-running morning TBS radio show that started as a Mon to Fri show from 1986 to 2016. Due to Osawa's old age, it became a Saturday show from 2016 to 2022. BTW, Osawa Yuri's voice is the actual voice used in this episode.

After the Earthquake. Inushima Yuzuru continued to make his father-in-law's suit, maybe as a way to honor his wife and father-in-law who seemed to have perished in the earthquake. You can see traces of the devastation in the above pic of the scene, with broken doors and windows patched up with duct tape.

Daddy's Suit. There isn't seem to be any known song inspiration for "Daddy's Suit" but...
Did you know the Japanese name for a business suit? It is "sebiro" [背広] as heard in the lyrics. There are several theories of the origin of the name: one of which says it comes from "Savile Row", an area in London, famous for shops that make high-end suits. But "sebiro" is considered a dying word, and many Japanese prefer using the English word "suits".
And also that scene when Ogawa revealed his name embroidered inside his jacket reminded me of Ida10 (right pic above).

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FuteHodo Ep4: Drama Notes

Ep. 4: "Is It Bad to Leave Messages on Read?"

Kaze to Ki no Uta [風と木の詩] (lit. "The Poem (or Song) of Wind and Trees"). Written by Takemiya Keiko from 1976 to 1984, wiki article HERE. The "monumental BL manga" that teen Inoue was reading, which was about the "tragic romance between Gilbert Cocteau and Serge Battour, two students at an all-boys boarding school in late 19th-century France."
BTW, in TV Tokyo's "Kinou Nani Tabeta? (What Did You Eat Yesterday?)", one of the recurring characters named Inoue(!) Wataru (played by Isomura Hayato who stars in FuteHodo as "Mutchy") is a gay character whose nickname is also "Gilbert".

Kiyohara on the right, Kuwata on the left

Kiyohara and Kuwata. They were also mentioned in Ep 1, the two famous high school baseball players, who played at Koshien in the 80s, Kiyohara Kazuhiro and Kuwata Masumi. They belonged to Osaka PL Gakuen high school, with "PL" (not BL lol) an abbreviation for "Perfect Liberty" because it was founded by "Perfect Liberty Church".

Waiting Naked... Again. Aside from "Gilbert", the drama pokes fun again at another character played by Isomura Hayato. Along with Abe, Naka Riisa, and Yoshida Yo, Isomura starred in TBS 2020 drama "Koisuru Hahatachi". Mutchy-senpai's almost naked scene seems an homage to Isomura's scene in KoiHaha where he was buck naked unexpectedly, catching Yoshida Yo's character off guard (pic above), which created the hashtag "#全裸待機 (WaitingCompletelyNaked). Viewers said this time it was "WaitingAlmostNaked" since he was wearing briefs.

Jomon and Yayoi. Inoue suggested a "Jomon VS Yayoi Uta Gassen". You can read THIS ARTICLE about the two ancient peoples and settlers of Japan. And THIS ARTICLE about the gene theory that Jomon have moist earwax, while Yayoi have dryer ones. And THIS ARTICLE explains about the difference in teeth.

The WTW logo becoming like a church altar
when the "Wedding Bell" tune-like song came on

Song Inspirations:
The "SNS Ettiquette" song was inspired by "Wedding Bell", the 1981 debut single of trio musical group Sugar. Give it a listen HERE. BTW, when the song came on, notice that the interiors and logo of the fictional WTW cell phone network service shop became like those of the inside of a church.

The "Phone Tree" song Ogawa sang was a tribute to Yazawa Eikichi's 1986 cool song "Tamaranai Ha Ha (Can't Stop Ha Ha). Listen HERE.

Message Board called "dengoban"

Retro Communication Tools. This episode pays tribute to means of communication before the age of smartphones, most of which have been discontinued or already phased out:

Message board "Dengonban". Found in train stations, they were used for communication between commuters using a blackboard and chalk installed near the ticket gate exit of a train station. In this episode, it is where a distraught Junko wrote "Baka Kiyoshi!".
It is also featured prominently in the manga (soon to be a live action NF drama!) "City Hunter", as a means of communication. Like Batman's bat signal, one can call on the services of City Hunter by writing "XYZ" on the message board at Shinjuku Station.
Other nostalgic communication ways shown in this episode were passing of notes in the classroom, the phone tree, rotary phones with tacky phone covers, and public pay phones.

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FuteHodo Ep3: Drama Notes

EPISODE 3: "Can't I Say 'Kawaii'?"

Yamashiro Shingo (left), on the cover of his comedy album, and Casey Takamine (right)

"Chome-Chome" and Zukki. Zukki's character is inspired by two celebrities:

First is Yamashiro Shingo [山城新伍], actor and host. His name was mentioned in Ep5, as having divorced, remarried, and then divorced his wife Hanazono Hiromi. His parent was a doctor, and he tried getting into medical school but it didn't pan out. He had a Fuji TV show called "Ai Ai Game" aired 10pm during the 80s. It's a quiz show where he gives questions in the fill-in-the-blank format. He called the "blank" or "xxx" parts as "chome-chome". The questions are usually naughty, and if you aren't careful, you might give a naughty answer as well.

Second Zukki inspiration is Casey Takamine [ケーシー高峰], comedian and talent. He is known for his trademark doctor costume because he did belong to a family of doctors (his mother was said to be a gynecologist). He also tried getting into medical school but failed. He also appeared in a KudoKan drama, "Kisarazu Cat's Eye" (2002, TBS).

"Maido o Sawagase Shimasu". Synopsis HERE, and sample scenes HERE. The 80s TBS drama that Ogawa mentioned after coming home, seeing his daughter wearing only a bath towel in front of house guests. It's a coming of age comedy drama of teenagers who are curious about the opposite sex. Some scenes have the young characters semi-naked or wearing underwear. Ogawa said, "I am Bando Eiji" because Eiji also starred in this drama, playing the role of the father of teen girl Nodoka Mori (Nakayama Miho).

"6 Timing". In the script, the term used was 6股交際 which means "6 way relationship", or "6股" for short. I couldn't use "6-Way" because it denotes having a "six-some", so I used "6-Timing". "6股" literally means "6-Pronged" which to me means Tsutsumin dating them all at the same time is like stabbing meat with a 6 pronged fork haha.

Reiwa VS Showa MCs. This episode showed the difference between the two MCs from different eras. Zukki (Akiyama Ryuji) putting on a persona who is inappropriately naughty on TV but was actually gentlemanly in real life. While Tsutsumin (Yamamoto Hiroshi) actually does inappropriate things behind a clean image. BTW, both actors belong to a manzai trio called "Robert".

"Weekly Bunsun". The tabloid that published the scandalous article was based on the weekly tabloid magazine "Shukan Bunshun". Viewers laughed at the name "Bunsun" because it's like "Bunshun" sounded out with a Tohoku accent. And incidentally, KudoKan is from Tohoku.

Yashima Norito. For those who aren't aware, actor and entertainer Yashima is playing as himself. And while this episode was being broadcast, there were indeed trending topics on X/Twitter such as "#八嶋無双" (IncomparableYashima). And also, his stage play, "Kamuyarai" was a real stage play, and the playdates he mentioned were real as well. It was actually being staged that night when the episode was being aired.

KudoKan's Tweet. Just before this episode aired, Kudo's statement (above) promoting Episode 3 was tweeted, using his radio show's X account, wherein he mentioned his daughter. I found it sweet and timely especially that this episode was a tribute about daughters:

"There's no use telling you all, but the snowman my daughter made... who are they? They're Yashiki Takajin-shi and Tsurube-shi, right? Today, we're featuring complaints about #HokkaidoPeople! And #FutekisetsuNiMoHodoGaAru too! Ep3, god-tier episode! (#KudoKankuro)"

♬ Dare ka kimeru harasumento ♬

Drama's Choreography. If you like the dancing, you'd be interested to know that it was choreographed by KudoKan's wife Hattanda Riko. Riko is an artist herself as well, known only to those in the know, and is active as a musician in several groups. She also has sung and written some songs and has choreographed dancing scenes, like in the movie "Waterboys'' (2001). and the drama "Unubore Keiji'' (TBS, 2010). In an interview, Kudo said: "My wife, who is in charge of the choreography, named Hattanda Riko, is thinking about the choreography for the sixth episode in a state of tension that could explode at any moment, so we will do it until the sixth episode.". It seems they have been reading reactions of viewers weekly, and has taken into account negative reactions :(. But it looks like they have decided to continue with the musical numbers beyond Ep 6 so yay.
The couple got married at a time when Kudo was still a struggling screenwriter. They are both members of a theater group and bands composed of mutual friends like Taguchi Tomorowo, Abe Sadao, Miyake Hiroki. As mentioned, they have a daughter named Azuki who was born in 2005.

Nanao Pose. This pose that the Timekeeper Girl (Yoshida Ririka) did is called the Nanao Pose.

"I even record this show without fail, in standard speed, not speeded up 3x." People in this era had VCRs that could record TV programs. People (even up to now) can record shows and set the preferred time speed. They would speed up the recording in order to save recording space, and be able to record as many shows as possible.

Song Inspirations.

The first song, "Harasumento", sung by Producer Kurita and Yashima was inspired by the 1979 song by Kuwana Masahiro, called "Sexual Violet No. 1". You can hear it HERE.

Of course, "Everybody, Somebody's Daughter" is obviously very Freddy Mercury/Queen-ish.

"Japanese people love kendama and enka music." This is poking fun at the annual NHK's Red and White Utagassen, where enka music is usually performed. And for the past 7 years, it's been featuring the annual kendama relay, trying to break the Guinness Book of Record for the most number of successful kendama attempts while a performer is singing (Explanation HERE).

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FuteHodo Ep2: Drama Notes

EPISODE 2: "Is it Not Okay to Handle Things Alone?"

Clarion Girl. In this episode, Junko who has ambitions to be famous someday, said she wants to become a "Clarion Girl". These are women who were selected every year to be the "campaign girl" for Clarion products which are car audio products. Many careers of Clarion Girls were launched because of this campaign, most notably, Renho (above) and Agnes Lum.

Wanchan. Nagisa's pet name at work is "Wan-chan" because her last name is Inushima. "Inu" means "dog". "Wan" means "dog's bark", "arf", hence, she's "Wan-chan". BTW, "Nagisa" means "beach". I thought, she was named after Pink Lady's song "Nagisa no Sindbad" but apparently she was not. If you want to see the original song and dance routine of the fabulous Pink Lady, here you go.

Song Inspirations. Responsible for the drama's music are veterans, Kenichiro Suehiro and Mayuko. Musical scenes in the drama may not be a hit with all viewers but many Japanese have now been looking forward to see what songs are going to be sung and which style it was inspired by. I think it's a nice homage to Japanese pop song history, and is in line with the drama's retro nostalgia theme.
In this episode, Ogawa's song "Beiju no Yoru (Night of my 88th Year) seems inspired by Ozaki Yutaka's 1983 song, "Jugo no Yoru" or "15の夜/Nights of my 15th Year". You can listen HERE.
Meanwhile, Nagisa's "Listen to my 4 selfish requests" song obviously was an homage to 1970 song "Yottsu no Onegai" (Four Requests) by Chiaki Naomi. Listen HERE.

INSIDE JOKE: "It can't be helped that your show was up against a Ghibli movie." In this scene, Ogawa, as counselor, was counseling an EBS TV employee, who seemed worried about a certain show's ratings. As you know, FuteHodo's time slot at TBS is at 10pm every Friday. It is up against "Friday Road Show" of NTV which features local and foreign movies, including Ghibli movies.

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FuteHodo Ep1: Drama Notes

EPISODE 1: "Am I Not Allowed to Say Do Your Best?"

I can't explain all the 80s pop cultural names and stuff mentioned in this drama like KyonKyon, Toshinori Omi. There's just too much. I did that already with Amachan, it was a bit exhausting, haha and besides, I'm sure you can google it all up yourself if you're curious. I've been trying to delay doing research on this because once you start doing so, you will inevitably go down into the rabbit hole, so deep that you'll forget stuff you're supposed to do, like subbing this drama lol.
I will only mention ones that are interesting (to me), cannot google elsewhere since there are no English articles on it, inside jokes/lines that are only funny/nostalgic to the Japanese, and those maybe important/relevant to the whole context of the drama.

Bando Eiji. His name was mentioned not only on Ep1 but turns out, several times so far for the rest of the drama. In my TN, I only described him as "baseball player". But apparently, he is more than that. He was a former baseball player for Chunichi Dragons. After his baseball career, he became a TV talent, sports commentator, quiz show MC and answerer, radio show host, and actor. He appeared in famous 80s dramas on TBS, I guess that is why he gets mentioned a lot on FuteHodo which is a TBS Friday night drama. He was also embroiled in some tax evasion scandal in 2013. He is said to have retired and apparently still alive(!?) but as of this writing, people are wondering where he is, because no one has heard from him, and his whereabouts are unknown.
It seems in my observation, KudoKan would have a name or thing casually mentioned at first, but turns out it would be constantly mentioned throughout the rest of the drama. In "Ida10", it was the rakugo story "TomiKyu". This time, it seems to be Bando Eiji.

"Tsumiki Kuzushi". 1983 drama about a delinquent and troubled girl played by Takabe Tomoko, based on a 1982 novel with the same title. Ogawa Ichiro (Abe Sadao) mentioned this drama while chastising Junko about bringing a boy home in order to do "nyan-nyan" (sex). Also mentioned in "Amachan" (ep4). Takabe was involved in the "Nyan-Nyan" Scandal wherein her boyfriend took a pic of her (above) and sent it to gossip tabloid Focus, published with the caption "two people having a good time doing nyan-nyan in bed", implying underage sex (she was 15 at that time) and smoking. The boyfriend, who was an extra on a drama she starred in, committed suicide later on (does this remind you of Ep 3 of Cold Case Season 3?). You can read more here HERE. They still refer to scandalous pictures as "nyan nyan sasshin (photos)".

The "portal toilet" at Studio Panda from KudoKan's 2016 movie "Too Young to Die"

If you're a KudoKan fan, or have watched his works, you'd usually look out for common elements that are constantly showing up in his dramas/movies. His fans also look forward to this too, and is an expected fan service. But I will mostly point out connections to the ones I subbed like "Amachan" and "Ida10".
The time portal toilet for one, reminds me of the toilet in the 2016 movie "Too Young to Die" that was a gateway or portal connecting Hell/AfterLife to the Living World. It was also renovated from a squat toilet to a modern one in the movie.

Also, it seems KudoKan is fond of the word "strip" as shown in "Ida10":

"Binibon". "Bini (vinyl or plastic)" while "bon/hon" means books or in this case, adult magazines wrapped in plastic in shops to prevent people from browsing.
"NoPan Kissa" or pantyless cafes where waitresses wear short skirt with no underwear. Had a no-touch policy but some floors of shops were mirrored. Wiki article here.

Akina's bangs. This one completely flew over my head. Akina and Matchy were an item in the 80s. That is why Junko wanted Mutchy to notice her bangs. And why Mutchy had to point out he's more interested in another idol instead (Imori Miyuki), and not Akina. Here's a YT link showing Akina's bangs while singing "Desire".

KudoKan's Radio Show. Did you know he has a radio show with TBS for like 4 years now? Its title is "宮藤さんに言ってもしょうがないんですけど" (Kudo-san ni Ittemo Shoganaindesukedo/There's No Use Telling This To Kudo-san But..."). In his show, he'd have guests with aliases or pen names from all walks of life, who would air out their complaints and frustrations mainly about their lives, or jobs/field of work. I've always thought that KudoKan is doing this so he could get story ideas from these interviews and interactions. And wondered what drama or movie he could come up with. And so, when I heard about FuteHodo's plot, and watched Ep 1, particularly the musical part (♬ Come, let's talk it over ♬), I thought, "Ah, I see, this is it, the result of his radio show..."

♬ "That's the organization for you~" ♬

Reason For the Musical. I, for one, just like majority of the viewers were surprised by it, and at first, found it baffling and unsuitable (I also had trouble liking Abe Sadao's "old man yells at clouds" character but that's another thing). But in an interview, KudoKan explained that he wanted to stir up discussions about social issues and societal changes in this drama. Apparently, it wouldn't sound interesting if the characters would just talk about it, so it was made into musical scenes, to make it light and fun, and lessen the heaviness of the dialogue. "By daring to turn a logical conversation into a song," Kudo said, "I hope people will have fun while watching it, and once it's over, they can listen to the melody and have a lively exchange of opinions. We'll we do it every week? I don't know about that. Composing, recording, choreographing, and rehearsing, the cospa (cost-performance or cost-effectiveness) of it all, isn't very good."

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SP Notes: Taiga Dorama ga Umareta Hi

Here are the notes for the SP "Taiga Dorama ga Umareta Hi":

Hana no Shogai (The Life of a Flower) is the first Taiga drama (called "large-scale historical drama" at the time of broadcast) that was shown on NHK from April 7, 1963 to December 29 of the same year. Based on the historical novel "Hana no Shogai" by Funahashi Seiichi, which was serialized in the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun from 1952 to 1953, it depicted the life of Ii Naosuke, a great elder of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the Edo period. Like most Japanese television programs of the time, the picture was in black and white and the sound was in mono. It had 39 episodes, and garnered an average audience rating of 20.2% for all episodes and a maximum of 32.3%.
Unfortunately, only the entire first episode and parts of the 37th episode, which was the scene of the "Incident Outside the Sakuradamon", have survived. Recordings of other episodes no longer exist.

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Kamakura-Dono no 13 Nin: Drama Notes

For the drama notes for "Kamakura-Dono no 13 Nin", I will present them in the form of a glossary.
Watching a taiga drama can be daunting and overwhelming, with the barrage of names, characters, places, unfamiliar terms coming at you, especially if you are not familiar with this part of Japanese history. And I know you might give up along the way too, if you feel frustrated. For example, many of the characters have several different names or aliases, and they are all mentioned or used to address that character in this drama, so understandably, it might cause confusion (So far, I've counted 4 characters named "Jiro"). So I came up with this glossary to help you keep up with what you're watching.

Notes:
As much as possible, I try not to include major spoilers here. However, the links for each historical character might contain spoilers so please click and read the articles to your discretion.
This glossary will continually be updated as the drama progresses.

How to use this Drama Notes Glossary:
While you're watching the taiga drama, Kamakura-Dono no 13 Nin, and you read a name of a person or place, or a person's position or title, or any Japanese word from my subtitles, and you're curious, or don't remember who it was or what it means, press Control+F, (or use the "Find in Page" tool of your phone's browser), type the word, and click enter. That way, you will be directed straight to that word/name, without having to read or scan all the other items in the glossary.

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Jashin no Tenbin: Drama Notes (Complete)

Here are the translation notes to "Jashin no Tenbin":

Introduction:

This drama is a spin-off of the "Satsujin Bunsekihan" or "Homicide Analysis Team" series of detective novels by Asami Kazushi that were adapted previously for TV by WOWOW. They were all subbed by avieamber/ritsu (avanpiper@twitter).

If you are not familiar but interested in finding out more, you can get the subs here (1st) (2nd) (3rd) (4th). (You have to log in to d-addicts btw)

If you don't have time to watch them all, I suggest you watch the 1st one to get an understanding and background of Section 11 of Division 1 and their group dynamics, and Inspector Takano's character. And then, watch the 4th installment, because it has some connection to this latest drama, and explains why Takano chose to be transferred to Public Security.
Asami started a spin-off series, "Kouan Bunseki-han" (Public Security Analysis Team), this time with Takano as protagonist, with the release of 2 novels in 2021: "Jashin no Tenbin" (Scale of an Evil God), and "Nisegami no Shinpan" (Judgment of a False God). These are the what this latest drama is based on.

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Shi to no Yakusoku: SP Notes

Here are the notes for SP drama, "Shi to no Yakusoku" (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!):

The Original Novel. "Appointment with Death" was first published in 1937, as serialized stories in an American weekly magazine. It was officially released as a novel in the UK in 1938. It has been adapted into a 1988 American movie with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and a 2008 TV special with David Suchet as the detective.
(info/pic: wikipedia)

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Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku SP 2018: Drama Notes

Here are the drama notes for "Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku" 2018 SP shown on NHK. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!

Btw, this was the 2nd part installment of NHK's Kindaichi Kosuke Mystery Specials, the first one was "Gokumontou" which was shown in 2016. Though at first, I was a bit disappointed when I heard that a different actor was going to play the detective role, I was pleased with this SP nonetheless. Yoshioka Hidetaka's "Kindaichi" version was refreshingly different. His Kindaichi was somewhat like everyone's favorite uncle, a grey-haired, gentle oji-san, played with a hint of bashful boyish charm. Despite some unanswered issues with this story, it went beyond my expectations. I think it was smartly written, and I even enjoyed it much more than the previous "Gokumontou" SP. And it was dark! Like WOWOW dark. Though I haven't seen them, I'm sure the past adaptations watered down the shocking elements of the story, but this one? Oh boy, NHK really went all out and even beyond the normal story line...
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Daijoyu Satsujin Jiken: SP Notes

Here are some drama notes for the SP "Daijoyu Satsujin Jiken" (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!):

The Original Novel. "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" by Agatha Christie was published in 1962, featuring Miss Marple as the amateur detective who cracked the case. It takes references from actual history (discussed below). The time setting sees the end of the 50s, and the beginnings of a rising new culture of the 60s, with Miss Marple commenting on these changes and her aging health.
(info/pic: wiki)
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Paddington Hatsu 4.50: Drama Notes

Here are some drama notes for the SP "Paddington Hatsu 4.50" (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!):

The Original Novel. The book "4.50 From Paddington" was first published in 1957, and made into several movie and TV adaptations. The title refers to the train the eyewitness McGillicudy was riding in when she saw the murder. In the US, it was published with the title, "What Mrs. McGullicuddy Saw".
(info/pic: wiki)
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Kuroido Goroshi: Drama Notes

Here are some drama notes for the SP "Kuroido Goroshi" (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!):

The Original Novel. "Who Killed Ackroyd?" was first published as a series of stories in a newspaper in 1925, and then as a complete novel in 1926 as "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd". It is the third novel to feature Hercule Poirot as the lead detective. It was well-received, and considered a masterpiece. It was also deemed controversial because of its twist ending that made a huge impact on the detective genre.
(info/pic: wiki)
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KodoGuru S7 Ep Finale 12: Drama Notes

Ep. Finale 12: "Garlic Chive-Egg Rice and Shrimp Chili of Hatchobori, Chuo Ward, Tokyo"

Episode Synopsis. Inogashira Goro is in Hatchobori to visit a long time client and friend, Igarashi (Otomo Kohei) who manages a music bar. The last time they've been in contact was four years ago when Igarashi made some drunken, unreasonable job request to Goro. This time, he has another "unreasonable" request... After finishing business talks, Goro starts looking for a shop to eat lunch. There were high-end shops within the area but eventually, he found "Chinese Food, Shibuya". It's exactly what he was looking for, an eatery that offers "the common people's meals". Inside, the shopowner (Kadono Takuzo) ushers him in. There were so many Chinese-style dishes to choose from, Goro had a hard time deciding. In the end, he orders Nira-Tama (Garlic Chives Stir Fry with Eggs), Shrimp Toast, Shrimp Chili...
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KodoGuru S7 Ep 11: Drama Notes

Ep 11: "Special Garlic Soup and Fresh Salmon Sauteed in Butter of Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture"

Episode Synopsis. Inogashira Goro is having a busy day, visiting clients in Chiba City. He comes to Mihama Ward via Nishi-Nobuto Station to negotiate with the manager of an Indian restaurant (Ueno Yukio) who has a thick Kansai accent. But Goro feeling tired from the day's work, cannot focus well. The scent of curry is also driving him wild with hunger. He ends the meeting immediately to look for a shop. Fortunately, he finds it right away. It was "Ebisuya", a cafe and restaurant that offers Western style food. He is greeted by senior proprietress (Fujita Yumiko) and the junior proprietress (Kobayashi Asako). The smell of garlic immediately hits him. It was from the shop's specialty item: Special Garlic Soup. Goro chooses it from the menu, as well as Crab Pilaf, Garlic Toast, Salmon Sauteed in Butter...
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