Liar Game : The Final Stage

The Psychological thriller directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama dethroned US movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians at number 2 following its release this week at Japan Box Office. Starring Shota Matsuda and Erika Toda (Death Note). Based on a manga created by Kaitani Shinobu, this movie is set where the 2nd season of the drama series left off. In the first series, a college student Nao Kanzaki is lured into a mysterious game by tricking other players to win. However Nao got tricked by her former sensei, desperate for help, she enlisted the aid of person named Shinichi Akiyama. In the second series, the duo is faced against new opponents with the help of a rival player named Fukunaga . In Liar game: Final Stage, Players are encouraged to trust each other to win the tournament. However, a mysterious player named X is secretly plotting to sabotage everyone of their chances to win the LGT.

*1DVD
*Eng Sub

Liar Game 2

Description: The naive Kanzaki Nao and expert swindler Akiyama Shinichi have not heard anything from the LIAR GAME organization since the end of the previous game, so it seems they may have actually escaped. But Nao suddenly gets another invitation and is once again caught up in the game. This time, she has to team up with Shinichi and one of their previous rivals named Fukunaga, facing off against three more opponents in new games of deception, such as "24 Rensou Russian Roulette" and "17 Poker."

*2 DVD
*Eng Sub

Liar Game 1

Description: Kanzaki Nao is an honest college student who receives a hundred million yen one day, along with a card saying she has been chosen to take part in the "Liar Game". The aim of the game is to trick the other players out of their hundred million dollars. At the end, the winner gets the hundred million and the loser is a hundred million yen in debt. The next day, she receives notification that her opponent is her former teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo. She goes to him, seeking help, but ends up getting tricked into handing her money over. Desperate, she approaches the police for help, but they are unable to do anything. However, she is told of a mastermind swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, who is to be released from jail the next day. Desperate, she goes to him for help.

*1 DVD
*Eng Sub

Orange Day

Satoshi tsumabuki

Kai Yuuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is in his senior year at university studying social welfare psychology. At present, he is in the middle of job-hunting season. He is finding it difficult with no job offers so far.
One day, he meets a girl who is playing violin in the campus. She is Sae Hagio (Kou Shibasaki). In marked contrast to her beautiful tone and attractive looks, her personality is somewhat impertinent. And to top it off, she communicates through very vulgar sign language.
Four years ago, she lost the most important thing for a violinist - her hearing. As a result Sae closed off her inner self from the outside world.
Kai finds himself on a date with Sae, in place of his best friend. Unexpectedly, he comes into contact with Sae's private side.
Love, job-hunting, friendship... Setting a campus in spring as a dorama`s backdrop, it's the start of a glittering youth drama.

**1DVD
**English Sub

One Pound Gospel

Cast : Kazuya Kamenashi, Yoshinori Okada, Ryousuke Yamada

Kosaku Hatanaka is a skilled boxer who turned pro at the age of 19, but he finds himself facing a string of defeats due to his inability to control his appetite, which always puts him in a heavier weight class. One day, due to excessive work out he collapses where he is found by Sister Angela, a naive fledgling nun and he immediately finds himself interested in her...

**1 DVD
**English Sub

Last Friend

Title:	Last Friends ラスト・フレンズ
Telecast:	2008-04-10 to 2008-06-19

Michiru, a naive and goodnatured individual, finds herself a victim of Domestic Violence (DV). Unable to suppress her desire to find the good in her violent boyfriend, Sosuke, she attracts the attention and loyalty of her childhood friend, Ruka. Ruka, who has always been in love with Michiru, finds herself torn between the person she pretends to be, and the one who harbours her feelings. Together with Takeru, a hairdresser and kind soul, and Eri and Ogura, residents of the Sharehouse they all reside in, Michiru learns to defend herself, gain control of her life, and rely on her pillar of strength - her last friends.

**2 DVDs
**English Sub

KImi Wa Petto

Title:	Kimi wa Petto きみはペット You're My Pet
Telecast:	2003-04-09 to 2003-06-18

TV Station:	TBS
Duration:	10 Episodes

Smart, successful and good-looking Sumire Iwaya works for a big newspaper. However she is dumped for being a “perfect woman” followed by degradation. Then she finds Takeshi Goda (Jun Matsumoto) in a box out the front of her home and takes him in. He looks like a dog she used to own called Momo. She dubs him Momo and decides to “keep him as a pet.’ It’s the start of an unexpected life together as they overcome obstacles and gradually deepen their feelings for each other.

**1DVD.
**English Sub

Honey And Clover

Country: Japan
Genre: Drama

Synopsis

Honey and Clover is the tale of a couple of college art students who try to scrape through day by day, barely earning enough money buy food and pay their rent. But as soon as a young 19 year old girl who looks like she's in elementary school enters their lives, things get a lot more complicated as love triangles form and the group must deal with memories of loved ones gone by and loves unrequited.

**2DVDs.

**English Sub.

Dream Again

"Ogi is a baseball home run hero for the Giants but is forced to retire due to a shoulder injury, but years later he has been busy with other jobs and retraining in the hope of a dream comeback into baseball.

But a sudden accident claims his life but he gets a 2nd chance but only in the body of another man! The show follows the man as he tries to get by with his daily life as a wealthy fund company manager but still trying to realise his dream of playing baseball again in his new body." Taken straight from the preview.

This series is classed more as a sports/human drama - it has subtle blends of family,sports,romance and human drama mixed in.

The opening episode is really well set up for viewers - the plot is something new and fresh as are the cast.

Shunsuke's fool hardy approach to try juggling work at the Asahina company and train to become a pro baseball player again wins him many fans from employees to his daughter - and Mirai does a sterling job as Hina, more on that later.

Shunsuke gets close to fulfilling his dream of pro baseball but at a price, Hina has been hiding her heart condition hoping she can live out her last few months in a family and she is in a critical condition on her 2nd heart attack.

Shunsuke passes the pro baseball test as he promised with Hina but she is not recovering, in an act of love and desperation he pleads with Tanaka (Kodama Kiyoshi) who is like the angel looking over Shunsuke to swap his life for hers - take his life in exchange for her to survive and live on.

At the last moments Satsuki learns from the coach Kenzo (Watanabe Tetsu) that he is going to trade his life with Hina's, teary moments ensue and Shunsuke says that chasing his dream was more important than making it reality, he regrets not being able to make her happy with his own hands.

The fact that Asahina starts to fall for Satsuki again mid way through the series and she starts to see more of Shunsuke in him adds complexity - because Shunsuke cannot reveal his true identity directly to anyone or risks losing his new body completely!

He dies and Hina comes back to life from the brink of death - no Shunsuke is cheering her on from the afterlife. Tanaka has seen a massive changing in Shunsuke and throws a spanner in the works by sending us back to the beginning of the show!

Now Ogi Shunsuke is alive and reconciles with Satsuki, and the past plays out differently - Shunsuke gets back to pro baseball, Kenzo gets to go out with Kayo, and Mirai is alive and living with the real Asahina who looks to be more mellow now.

For the whole of the last episode I knew he was going to swap his life for Hina but I thought there might be a minor chance of something stopping it - like Tanaka saying he was just testing him! But I truly didn't expect it to all rewind to the start!

I was really moved by Mirai's performance in the episode when she is on the verge of trying to end her life because she has no future thanks to her heart condition, while Kato was in a real wreck emotionally because she kept being dropped hints that Asahina was in fact Shunsuke, but when she overhears Shunsuke talking to Tanaka she is broken to hear that he is Ogi Shunsuke, and likewise when he is going to die she is a wreck too. You begin to feel for her as it must be an emotional rollercoaster ride!

Takashi plays his role well, sometimes he is a bit naive or arrogant - a reflection of the old Ogi Shunsuke, and is rather cold emotionally but you warm to his baseball related antics and his constant attempts to understand the stock market!

This drama didn't get high rankings in Japan but with massive amount of air time dedicated to these actors I was well satisfied with their performances and am looking for more from them in the future.

This is a really enjoyable and satisfactory watch especially during the cold winter evenings! I will give this a 7 out of 10 because of the great cast otherwise it would be a 6.5.

**1DVD..
**English Sub

Attention Please!! + Attention Please Special Hawaii!!

Attention Please synopsis

Yoko Misaki (Aya Ueto) was a boyish girl who was raised among three mothers after losing her mother at young age. She enjoyed the company of boys over girls, and formed a rock band among her male friends.

One day, a member of her band and someone who she admired, Tsukasa, had decided to leave for Tokyo. Misaki and her band member went to the airport to bid Tsukasa farewell, and that’s when Tsukasa jokingly said that he would love to see Misaki in flight attendant’s uniform.

Misaki somehow took Tsukasa’s joke seriously and went for a flight attendant interview, and somehow got accepted into a class, and that’s when the trouble starts…

The drama was quite a hit when it was aired in Japan, with two special episodes being produced in 2007 and 2008 respectively by popular demand.

The drama is a bit nonsense, funny and heart warming. The storyline is just ok, but it gives the audiences some lessons on how flight attendants are trained, and the importance and responsibilities of the cabin crew besides serving coffee and tea.

Aya Ueto and Ryo Nishikido look good as always, but it’s the supporting cast that provides the sparks. Veterans like Miki Maya, Fumiyo Kohinata and Mantaro Koichi show that good acting still outshines good looks for most of the time.

** 1 DVD Only..(Attention Pls + Attention Pls Special Hawaii)

** English Subs..

KIss Or Fight?

Synopsis : Kiss Or Fight aka Bijo ka Yajuu (Japanese TV Drama VCD)
After graduating from the Tokyo University School of Law, Makoto Tamiya goes on to Harvard University where she earns an MBA. She later works at one of the "big three" networks in the United States as a news reporter. While covering a story on an international symposium in Paris, Makoto is scouted to work for JBC Television in Japan. The news producer at JBC wants to use Makoto to help raise low viewer ratings. He persuades her to work for him for an absurdly high salary, and also gives her the right to hire who she needs. While Makoto is being brought in to be the savior of the News Department, one man gets transferred from the Variety Department. His name is Hiromi Nagase. Since joining JBC Television, all he has done is variety programs. Although Hiromi has done everything he possibly could to ensure his programs are a success, his boss just could not could take any more of Hiromi's behavior which ranged from getting caught up in scandals with female television personalities, punching-out assistant directors, to taking kickbacks from production companies. His boss finally tells Hiromi to make a fresh start in the "hard nosed" News Department. So now the News Department has Makoto who thinks high ratings are the meaning of life, and Hiromi who values the success of a program as just a tool for the full enjoyment of life. These two totally different personalities mix it up and somehow reach a mutual understanding, creating a delightful "light comedy" for adults.
**2 DVDs..(Kiss Or Fight?)
**English subtitle..

Pride

Cast:
Kimura Takuya - Satonaka Halu
Takeuchi Yuko - Murase Aki
Sato Koichi - Hyodo Yuichiro

Genre: Drama, Sport

Episodes: 11


Summary: Satonaka Halu is the captain and star player of an ice hockey team, who is greatly respected by his teammates. For him, hockey is serious business that fully occupies his mind, while he treats romance as if it were a game.

Murase Aki is a typical OL (office lady), and is waiting for her boyfriend to return from studying architecture abroad. At this point in time however, he shows no sign of coming back. One day, Aki's friends who are determined to find her a new boyfriend, invite her to watch an ice hockey game. There she sees Halu for the first time.

After the game, Aki and her friends join the players for a party celebrating their victory. Aki, however, is not so excited to be there. When she leaves the party, she bumps into Halu, who was slightly injured from a fight. They exchange e-mail addresses and part.

The sparks of mutual attraction are ignited in a second encounter between Aki and Halu, arranged with the help of her friends shortly after a party.

Hyodo Yuichiro has come as a replacement for the team's coach who has been hospitalized. Halu has a lot of respect for the hospitalized coach. Unfortunately though, he can't stand Yuichiro's way of doing things. Bringing with him a lot of coaching experience from overseas, Yuichiro criticizes the former coach's strategies. Whenever Halu and Yuichiro see each other, they get into a quarrel; consequently influencing Halu's behavior during games.

Seeing that his game ended in a brawl, Aki visits Halu to comfort him. But he tells her that she is being too friendly with him.

Aki is hurt, Halu is irritated, and his teammate Sakaguchi can't stand seeing Halu like this...
**1 DVD Only..(Pride)

**English Subtitle..

Hello Dr Black Jack

Cast:
Tsumabuki Satoshi - Dr. Saito Eijiro
Suzuki Kyoka - Nurse Akagi Kaori
Kato Koji - Dekune Kuniya
Matsuo Masatoshi - Munakata Masaomi

Genre: Medical Drama

Episodes: 11


Summary: Eijiro Saito is a graduate of the prestigious Eidai Medical School and is sent to Eidai Hospital as a trainee doctor. There, under the supervision of Dr. Shiratori at the surgery department, Eijiro trains hard with Dekune and Munakata. But all they seem to do is take care of the menial work. They work on average 16 hours a day for 38,000Y per month. It's so bad that they have to do part-time work at other hospitals just to make ends meet. Eijiro picks Seido Hospital, run by Dr. Hattori, for his part-time job. The surgery is like a battleground. Eijiro is very impressed by his senior Dr. Ushida and the nurse Kaori . But one night, when he is on duty, Eijiro runs from the surgery leaving a badly injured patient behind.
**2 DVDs..(Hello Dr Black Jack)
**English Subtitle..

Sushi Oji

• Name: スシ王子!
• Name (romaji): Sushi Oji!
• Title (English): Prince Sushi!
• Episodes: 8

Synopsis

Maizu Tsukasa grew up with his famous grandfather and father. He has been called Sushi Oji since the age of 10. An unfortunate accident happened which caused him to develop Fish Eye Phobia. With such a phobia, how can he continue to make sushi? With the help of Master Burusu Riri and Okudaira Kurage, can he get over his Fish Eye Phobia and once again become the Sushi Oji that everyone remembers? --love song

Cast

• Domoto Koichi as Maizu Tsukasa
• Nakamaru Yuichi as Kawahara Taro
• Kato Natsuki as Minamoto Umi
• Taira Tomi as Burusu Riri
• Yamashita Shinji as Okudaira Kurage
• Sasai Eisuke as Asahina Shougetsu
• Hakamada Yoshihiko as Samejima Ryuta
• Ichikawa Yui as Hayashida Hikari (ep3, 4)
• Nobukawa Seijun as Oneko (ep5)
• Narimiya Hiroki as Ichiyanagi Hiroshi (from ep5)

**2 DVDs..(Sushi Oji)
**English Subtitle..

Proposal Daisakusen

Cast:
Yamashita Tomohisa - Iwase Ken
Nagasawa Masami - Yoshida Rei
Fujiki Naohito - Tada Tetsuya
Eikura Nana - Oku Eri
Hiraoka Yuuta - Enokido Mikio

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 11



Summary: Yamashita Tomohisa and Nagasawa Masami play a young man and woman who have been friends since elementary school. Yamashita's character, Iwase Ken, is obstinate and unskilled in love, but he fell long ago for the lively and cheerful woman, Yoshida Rei, played by Nagasawa. But Rei is about to get married to another man. While Ken and other friends from high-school attend the wedding ceremony, a fairy appears and sends Ken back in time, giving him a second chance to win the girl he loves.
**2 DVDs..(Proposal Daisakusen)
**English Subtitle..

Dragon Zakura

Cast:
Abe Hiroshi - Sakuragi Kenji
Hasegawa Kyoko - Ino Mamako
Yamashita Tomohisa - Yajima Yuusuke
Nagasawa Masami - Mizuno Naomi
Koike Teppei - Ogata Hideki
Aragaki Yui - Kousaka Yoshino
Nakao Akiyoshi - Okuno Ichirou
Saeko - Kobayashi Maki

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Episodes: 11


Summary: Sakuragi Kenji is a destitute lawyer and one-time member of a motorcyle gang trying to guide failing high school students with an average score of 36 into Japan's most prestigious educational institution, Tokyo University (Toudai).

"If you want to change your life, get into Toudai!"

For no other reason than Sakuragi's personal ambition, he has advertised his intention to produce 5 successful Toudai applicants from the students of a nearly bankrupt failure of a school.

"If you want to change your life, get into Toudai!" He will get them from this lowest of all schools into Japan's number one!!

This third rate lawyer soon becomes the homeroom teacher for the special advanced class aiming for Toudai University entrance. Ino Mamako is the english teacher and Sakuragi's opponent. This awaited original work and fascinating world view is brought to you from the popular serialized comic in Shuukan Morning (Kodansha) and has even been updated!
**2 DVDs.. (Dragon Zakura)
**English subtitle..

Stand Up!!

Cast:
Ninomiya Kazunari as Asai Shouhei
Yamashita Tomohisa as Iwasaki Kengo
Suzuki Anne as Oowada Chie
Narimiya Hiroki as Udagawa Hayato
Oguri Shun as Enami Kouji

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Episodes: 11


Summary: Four schoolboys find themselves the last virgins left at school. During the summer holidays, a girl they knew as children 11 years ago, moves back to the neighborhood. Despite their childhood attraction to her, they realize she is a mere shadow of the "princess" they all thought they knew. This story of summer - love, friendship, school, family, the hypocrisy of adults, complications of life, experience and failure is set in an everyday shopping district and shows the clumsiness of children who have developed a little later than their peers. It's a bright romantic comedy that both young and old can appreciate.

**2 DVDs..(Stand Up!!)
**English subtitle..

My Boss, My Hero

Cast:
Nagase Tomoya - Sakaki Makio
Tegoshi Yuya - Sakurakouji Jun
Tanaka Koki - Manabe Kazuya
Aragaki Yui - Umemura Hikari
Murakawa Eri - Hagiwara Saki
Kashii Yu - Minami Yuriko

Genre: School, Comedy

Episodes: 10


Summary: Sakaki "Tornado" Makio, the tough 27-year-old wakagashira (young master) of the Kantou Sharp Fang family loves alcohol, fighting, women and pudding. However, he is a high school drop-out and by academic standards, pretty dumb. He is illiterate, extremely bad at math and cannot even fully write his name in kanji. His father, who is also the family's oyabun (boss), worries for the future of his son and his organization as he wishes for Makio to succeed him. He decides to force his son to return to high school to receive his diploma. He asks an old friend who happens to be the principal of a nearby school to admit Makio. If Makio doesn't graduate, the position of boss will be given to his younger brother Mikio.

Furthermore, he must pose as a 17-year-old during school hours and in the presence of any classmates or teachers outside of school. If his cover is blown, it would be the end of his high school career as well as his hopes to become boss. Things start out rough and tough as Makio's violent temper is tested. As the lessons and days go by he learns there is much more to school than just tests and studying.

**1 DVD Only..(My Boss My Hero)
**English Subtitle..

Anego

Cast:
Shinohara Ryoko - Noda Naoko
Tomosaka Rie - Sawaki Eriko
Akanishi Jin - Kurosawa Akihiko
Toda Naho - Katou Hiromi

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Episodes: 10


Summary: Naoko Noda, who works in a trading company, is called “anego” by her younger co-workers. What is “anego”? It means “older sister,” but in this case it is given as a nickname to Naoko because she is like a big sister to her coworkers, who depend on her to give them advice about everything.

This drama, based on a popular novel, depicts realistically how Naoko lives her everyday life, including her love life, the problems she faces, and her uneasiness about the future. Naoko, 32, works in the corporate strategy division. She is single, and has been working hard for 10 years, now she often finds herself in the role of training and guiding the younger female workers. Recently she realizes that most of the temporary and contracted workers’ goals are to find an elite male employee within the company to marry. Naoko also hopes that the man of her dreams, a prince on a white horse will one day come into her life, but it seems like her younger co-workers are always the ones who win the hearts of all the elite men.

One day, on the way home from work, a handsome man saves Naoko from a drunk man who was bothering her, but she sees the wedding ring on his finger, and feels the emptiness of being single. One day, Naoko goes out to play golf with the general manager and other co-workers, and there she unexpectedly meets her former co-worker, Eriko Sawaki. Eriko seems to have a picture-perfect life; she is married to a company president, and already has one child. Naoko gets distracted by Eriko and the happy atmosphere around her, and ends up with a terrible golf score. After finishing the round, Eriko’s husband comes to pick her up, and Naoko is surprised when she sees his face. Eriko’s husband is the handsome man who saved her from the drunk man. Naoko’s heart starts pounding, and she can’t help but envy Eriko’s happy life.

When working women reach their 30s, they start to worry about various things; “How long should I continue working for this company?”, “Will I marry the man I am dating?” “If I continue living like this what will I do when I grow old?” etc. In this drama, the main character, who is a 32-year old single woman working at a prestigious trading company, suddenly finds herself as one of the elders at the office, being a big sister to her younger co-workers. From the outside, it seems like she is a happy and successful businesswoman, but inside she is insecure and worried about her future. This drama, through the main character, portrays the everyday life of working women realistically; what they are really thinking, the problems they face, and how they do their best to survive in this world.

**1 DVD Only.. (Anego)
**English Subtitle..