Hi wa Mata Noboru (2011)

Like the other reviewer, I started this drama on a whim and mostly because of the cast; however, as I watched, that quickly became untrue.

I miss seeing Narimiya Hiroki in dramas, movies, and tv so I looked for things he was cast in and found this show. It wasn't until after episode 1 that I realized this show was in my "plan to watch" list and had a few more actors/actresses I recognized and like. Though I have to say I didn't find this show interesting until episode 3, I do have to say that it was an amazing show, very worthwhile in watching for a multitude of reasons; not just for the cast alone.

The story itself is something I grew to admire with each episode. I can't say that I liked all the characters immediately at once, however, the people grew on me; as actors, as characters, and as people themselves. For example, I've only seen maybe one other drama Miura Haruma was in (plus an episode of VS Arashi), however, I can honestly say that I was not a fan of his... until this drama. Watching this drama as I did (aka... binge watched lol) showed me a new side to a few people cast in this drama. It was refreshing to see people as actors/actresses that I adore(d) being different to the first, second, or even fifth show I've seen them act in. Including some people whom I immediately disliked in one show or people who inadvertently made me drop a show because of them. Somehow, I've grown to like them because of this show.

Sato Koichi definitely fulfilled the role and definition of tough love, hard-ass, demon teacher. Yet, his teachings were crystal clear and even I learned something from this show just by watching how he carried out his life, let alone his classroom or police skills. A lot of people or even just a few people may not like this show because of his "tough love" demeanor, and I too believe that in some cases he went over the line or was not as caring as he could have/should have been, but I do agree with his reasoning from time to time and I believe the outcome of each episode, each student, and even the ending had something to do with Sato Koichi as a person and as Tono Kazuyuki.

It was an amazing thing to watch so many people grow as much as they did within a 9 episode drama. I feel like I've left this show proud of my child/friend/brother/boyfriend/husband/etc... graduating from the police academy; even though I'm a fire chief's granddaughter. I would have to say, most definitely this drama tried to play off the typical: hard ass, uncommon teacher + demanding, strict, yet common and afraid of change/different school + ridiculous, even insane dramatic circumstances + feel good, emotional stories. You know the ones, right?

Although I believe this show took that typical genre to the extremes. Yes some parts were cheesy or overbearing, and yes some parts were taken way out of context or even given too little context, and yes... sometimes it was way too predictable or even frustrating at how little information they crammed into a 9 episode drama; but this drama is definitely, absolutely, 100% perfectly one of a kind. This is my longest review here on this website, but I can absolutely promise you that this show is worth watching.

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I started this show on a whim and it became painfully obvious in the first episode that this show wasn't going to go anywhere. If anything i would probably only recommend this show to someone that just wants to kill time on a weekend or something, because although it has nothing of substance its perfect to watch with some friends and make fun of. The characters irked me to no end especially Sato Koichi's character, rather than the presumed 'tough love' the show wanted to present it only depicted him as a cold hearted instructor and there were numerous moments where his strictness was meant to show that he cared for his students when in reality it just came off as cruel. Other characters were also inconsistent. There were certain reveals that felt weirdly timed and failed to have impact as much as i had imagined they would. Despite all this i still managed to finish the whole show within a few days, the reason being that even though it is in no way a 'good' drama it is definitely enjoyable to make fun of and honestly just fun to watch when you don't want to think too much. Which is why i gave it a higher rewatch value since you can go back to it after a bad day and just laugh at how silly it is at times.

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