Ghostwriter - J-Drama on Crunchyroll

[pfarber]

Ok, Hulu and Netflix SUCK ASS for international stuff. Hulu just has anime and Korean Dramas.. Netflix, fuck Netflix.. cancelled them like 6 months ago.

But Crunchyroll has anime, manga, and tv dramas (which many are live adaptions of anime.. which come from manga.. so like three layers of stuff to watch). Anyway, Ghostwriter was my latest binge and it was ok.

Each of the 10 episode is 56 minutes without commercials (ad block FTW!!!) but like most J-Drama there are tons of llllloooonnnnggggggg silent shots where sensei ponders whatever the fuck sensei's ponder. I mean each episode could be at least 10 minutes shorter EASILY. But I guess they have to fill the time somehow. From http://asianwiki.com/Ghostwriter_(Drama) :

"Risa Tono (Miki Nakatani) is a novelist in her 30's. She's highly respected, but she worries that her talents have been exhausted. Risa also has Yuki (Asami Mizukawa). Yuki is in her 20's and possesses talent as a novelist. She works as a ghostwriter. Risa and Yuki face off against each other, but also form a friendship. "

Well, cue lots of writers in chairs at desks pondering novels, editors hounding about deadlines and sales, and typical Japanese 'good work', estranged family members, failed relationships (I have no idea why it was ever brought up that Yuki was engaged.. it played such a minor plot point and other than a few cell phone calls from here ex/fiance there is absolutely no romance.. at all. But I guess they had to check the box for 'love interest'.

I mean the women are pretty, the scenery is nice, there are a few dramatic moments.. but also a ton of failures. Like the 'court battle', and how Yuki simply passes out at the sight of Risa... ok... The son... what? Why? The mother with dementia... the main reason for Risa's personality is trapped in a old woman who doesn't even recognize her own daughter anymore... not sure how that was supposed to trigger the feels. Risa tries to kill herself (in a hotel fire) and then 'accidentally' get shanked by her life long personal assistant who she hires back at the end? Take 100 random plot points, throw them against the wall and see what sticks. Arrange the rest into a timeline and make the main character a writer. Ta Dah! Ghostwriter is born!!!

It was a ok series. Yuki (Asami Nizukawa) is the only reason I stayed interested in the series... pretty girls be pretty and I like strong female protagonists.