English Subtitles by: KemushiChan
Oh! I didn"t see you there... I was binging Netflix! .... AGAIN.
Hey Guys! It's Loretta and welcome to my channel KemushiChan!
Welcome back to another fun corner about everything I've been binging from Netflix Japan
while I haven't been editing and posting for you guys...
OOPS!
Japan is going through a series of State of Emergency pseudo lockdown things
and with all this extra time at home I've been using this extra time to study my Japanese...through...Netflix. :)
I am a HUGE fan of finding new ways to jazz up your language studies
and Netflix Japan specifically has been a really cool way
to infuse my Japanese with new, interesting, shiny, crazy, scary words and vocabulary that's actually USEFUL.
So today I'm back with round 2 I think? Or 3?
I'm back with another round of shows that will help you enjoy your studies
and enjoy something new to watch in the meantime.
Hey Japan! Are you still watching my channel?
My videos have been really English and foreigner-focused recently
I feel like I've lost a lot of you by now
but today is just a casual video about my favorite Netflix shows
so anyone who watches this video should be able to enjoy I think.
So let's just sit back and start the review!
(Dark, Drama, Fantasy)
No. 1 is pretty recent! It came out with a HUGE buzz, a HUGE bang!
if you've been watching ANY of Netflix Japan you've probably already seen it!
Alice in Borderland!
Most anime lovers probably already know the manga, but this is the Netflix produced original live-action series that was released back in Dec. 2020.
When this first came out the train cars, and if you got out at Shibuya Station
the underground passages in Shibuya and all over the station were decked out with posters of Alice in Borderland.
Fantasy, thriller, horror Battle Royale meets Alice in Wonderland
in a parallel universe that sits over Shibuya Station.
The entirety of Tokyo is transformed into VR game space
anything from Shibuya, all the way out to Odaiba and everywhere in between
and the different neighborhoods are different games spaces where you literally play to survive
We you watch the pilot episode it starts very anime-esque, very cute
looking at families and how friends can be more family than real family
and then they're running through Shibuya and as the three guys are texting you can see their texts on the screen
you think : " I can read this Japanese! I can learn this Japanese !"
I was so excited by the first 30 minutes and I IMMEDIATELY ran to Twitter like "YOU GUYS LIKED ERASED?! TRY ALICE IN BORDERLAND!!!"
it was so immersive...like magic fell over Shibuya again!
Honestly, one cool thing is that I have NEVER seen Shibuya look so empty
I'm curious how they produced this, like was it shot live or in CGI?
its like all of your favorite places in Tokyo, all of your favorite stores and places you recognize
its so weird because everyone knows the Shibuya Scramble intersection but its like POOOOF! Gone!
The series centers around the main character played by Kento Yamazaki
you guys may know him from the Live Action version of Death Note
(feel free to leave your comments about THAT below...)
so you'll probably recognize him, HeArThRoB and their other friend
3 friends just trying to figure out WHAT HAPPENED to the world as they know it, and it gets REALLY crazy....REALLY fast...
It escalates REAL quickly and by the time you get to episode 3 you will be SCREAMING.
I literally was like oh my god NO... NO!!!!!!!!!
There's a total of 8 episodes but from episode 3 to 8 I was watching it like this
I would give 10 points for action... for thrill...for excitement... literally you WILL scream
in terms of the actually Japanese youre going to see a lot of casual, young slang
there's a lot of casual young people type of talk around places that you already know in Tokyo. So that's cool.
Once $hit hits the fan you start to see some crazy Japanese
that maybe isn't more realistic... its more anime-ish this way but still very enjoyable.
I will say this -- very true to the Alice and Wonderland theme
if you watch this entire series from the beginning to the end you will know your way around a deck of cards
you will know how to talk about a deck of cards in Japanese...and all about your poker face..because this is just CRAZY.
To be honest, I'm not sure if you'll be able to concentrate on the Japanese as much because it is that visually, and storywise, just so JARRING.
If you are intermediate N3 level and your frustrated and pissed off with Japanese, watch Alice and Borderland
it'll get you crazy excited about Japanese all over again. Even if you can barely look at it!
One disclaimer, if you are not a fan of gore
if your normal everyday is already stressful than this will only stress you out more
its already renewed for season 2 and I feel like I HAVE to watch it just to finish but seriously....like PHEWWW WOWWW.
you all asked me to talk about more dramas, good dark dramas from Japan
and if you're looking for that, this is your show.
Ailce in Borderland is your show, if you're OK with a little bit of violence.
The production level--- you can tell that this was made by Netflix. You can tell a lot went into it which made it such an exciting watch
but if you're looking for the same good quality production without all the nerves, anxiety and horror,
I think watching Erased might be better, as I said in my first Netflix review.
I still think the live action series of Erased was one of the best produced cinematic series that has come out of Japan in a while.
For the faint of heart, watch Erased. For the crazy people out there, watch Alice in Borderland.
(Quirky, Political Comedy)
#2 is "Tamiou" (eng.: "Wise and Foolish" )
Think of it as Freaky Friday meets Doctor X
If you've seen Doctor X you're used to these sort of satire comedies that mock the Japanese workforce
where Japanese people poke fun at their own "serious work environments"
Tamiou is the same genre, but its the Prime Minister, and his son who just can't get a job.
(this is not a spoiler this is the premise of the show)
They do a whole Freaky Friday switch and the son becomes the Prime Minister at random, they can't control it
and the father figure, the prime minister, who thinks he's just so cool
he is now a college kid who just can't make it through a job interview.
This is business Japanese, real N2 level Japanese... with a sense of humor.
Everything you wanted to learn to do well in school or at a job in Japan, but you're going to do it while laughing.
The son character is played by Masaki Suda (please ignore the typo on the screen)
if you're into Kamen Rider or have seen any commercials in Japan recently you'll recognize him
I didn't expect much from him because I never really like young Japanese actors
but he was actually really really good!
To play the elderly PM in a young guys body, but you still have to be convinced its the Prime Minister character
you have to actually believe the switch happened and he pulled it off!!
They switch so many times during the show but you really ALWAYS know when he is which character.
I feel like he really has the method acting down
like he really is living each character that he plays.
The dad/Prime Minister figure is one of my ALL TIME favorite actors! Kenichi Endo.
He's actually why I found this show.
I'm really picky with Japanese shows and Japanese Netflix
So I usually find one actor that I really like, and then just watch everything they've ever been in.
So I was really into Hiroshi Abe.... er.. .I mean obviously I still am
but now I'm REALLY into Kenichi Endo. He used to do a lot of yakuza and drama films
but now that he's enjoying the tail end of his career you can tell he likes this goofy roles
like Robin Williams (rip) or Billy Crystal, he's not trying to impress anyone he's just having so much fun
He was Ebina-sensei in Doctor X (Change and Challenge!!!)
We saw his face on the title card on Netflix and just had to watch!
So Endo Kenichi and Masaki Suda are such a GREAT combo.
This is a perfect Saturday afternoon binge.
DISCLAIMER: its going to seem really goofy and cheesy at first, but that's intentional.
this slapstick... gaffaw humor is really rich and they REALLY milk it
and the Japanese you learn between your laughing is the level you need to pass interviews
if you have to do sales meetings for work. Like I said: N2, with a sense of humor.
(N2 has a sense of humor?! Thats a lie!!!) (Right? They make those?!?!)
(feel-good, comedy)
#3 is "Let me Call you Father-in-Law"
this is another one of those shows I found while finding the show list of Kenichi Endo
this is an affluent family that lives out in Futako-Tamagawa, like near Rakuten
The dad is a CEO in IT, the daughter is in tech too, shes a Systems Engineer
the son is in his first year of nan office job
the mom has her own wiles and storyline
it starts with this family dynamic where they're all trying to keep up appearances, but the more you watch the more you see they're all personally dysfunctional
the whole premise of the show, why its called "Let me Call you Father in Law"
the daughter, the Systems Engineer... the tech queen gets engaged to her boyfriend
theres an age gap of about 30 or so years between them
basically, her fiance is the same age as her dad, and her fiance KNOWS her dad and they have conflicting business values and business styles
she finally brings home her fiance to her excited family and they are completely appalled that he turns out to be this older guy
who's like, "let me call you daddy"
"lemme call you daddy"
Dad: "OH HECCCC NAW. NOT HAPPENING !!!"
"Ok.. then... Papa?"
"DONT CALL ME PAPA."
"..papan~?!
"DO NOT CALL ME PAPAN"
its this hilarious back and forth because the dad wants to be a cool, hip family
but no matter what their lifestyle choices just keep them so wonderfully, awkwardly human
The show is hilarious. Truly a great laugh.
But it gets even funnier when they introduce the grandfather figure, Toru Shinagawa
he's a veteran actor in Japan but he is not putting up with ANY of their facade.
The dad is so caught up in them being a picture-perfect, normal family
but the grandpa walks in like "Are you serious? Cut the crap"
He's the only character that see's each family member for who they really are
he's kind of the mediator between the two dad-figures and its just comedy gold.
In terms fo the Japanese, you will see a lot of IT words, office, workplace vocab
you will see university level collge words
and some real interpersonal family issues
it does touch on some LGBT themes and ideas of women's roles
it touches on deeper themes than you probably would expect from a drama
If you're looking for real, usefull talk with a sense of humor "Let me Call you Father in Law" is a great choice.
So those are my most memorable watches in the last 6 months or so
I have a whole set of favorites that I'll share with you next time
where I took my Hiroshi Abe track and found some real good, heartwarming good stuff
Thermae Romae... its not a show, its a movie.
a guy in Ancient Rome falls through an ancient portal in the public bath
and finds himself in a Japanese hot spring or onsen
Like whoaaaa a hot spring?!
He tries to take what he learns back to Ancient Rome
and reinvenits all the modern amenities of a Japanese onsen.
This is another slapstick, unapologetically goofy stories
So if you're feeling a bit off or down, watch Thermae Romae for a funny boost!
Plus, they actually even shot it in Italy so there's good budget, funny humor
and unapologetically good humor.
For more honorable mentions I said I would watch Tsuri Baka Nisshi and I finally finished!
if we're talking about Japanese cinema, THIS is the show that I would recommend
to you, your mom, your dad, your kids, ... HERE I COME WITH THAT GOOD CINEMA!!
Tsuri Baka Nisshi is good humor but its so relatable
its a guy who just cannot be asked to stay in the office he's always running
and ripping open his shirt like superman but its a fishing shirt underneath
By watching this series you are going to impress your friends in Japan
this is the show you tell your landlady or your sempai or boss
this is how you tell Japanese people you REALLY are learning Japanese language and culture (its like the Seinfeld of Japan)
(starts singing themesong)
I've had some awkward, strange ice-breaking moments with relationships in Japan
and telling people you watch Tsuri Bakka Nisshi is one of the quickest ways to break past that awkward level.
So if you're looking to break past that wall, I recommend you give this a watch.
OK! So this is just part 1 of my Netflix picks, I have a whole other batch that'll cover in Part 2
and one that is a little controversial... we'll talk about it next time.
Part 2 might just be the nextflix shows I really DIDNT like from Japan.
See you in Part 2 of the Netflix series!
OK, so to everyone from Japan, you made it! Did all this English help YOUR studies?
I'm adding more Japanese subtitles across all my videos
so I hope you'll come back again soon and stick around!
Stay well! See you next time! Bye!