Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo III

Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo III is one of several series based on Kindaichi Case Files.  This one stars a very young, amazingly skinny, and lovably dorky Matsumoto Jun as the title character.  Kindaichi, a highschooler, is the grandson of a famous detective, and in grand anime/manga/dorama tradition, no one seems to mind that he's a teenager, and that he and his friend/girl-who-he-has-a-mutual-crtush-on-but-is-oblivious-on-both-sides, Miyuki, always come to crime scenes with his uncle Kenmochi(though I'm not sure he's technically Kindaichi'sd uncle.)  

The series assumes some familiarity with the characters, but not enough for the uninitiated(like me) to be lost.  Unlike every other dorama mystery series I've watched, where the mysteries were more of an afterthought to the relationship between the leads and the issues of the male lead, Kindaichi is a straightout mystery series.  As with most anime/manga/doramas, the killer always had some justification, and was doing it to get revenge for the death of a loved one, with at least one victims often deserving death.  Apparently, Asia doesn't like their bad guys to be flatout bad, they have to have justifiable reasons.  Anyway...

Like any good mystery series, it succeeds based on it's lead.  Kindaichi may be a brilliant detective, but he's utterly hopeless in all other areas, and is a complete daydreamer.  For example, the first arc is at sea(most of the stories were homages to Grand Mystery Traditions) and every 5 minutes, he'd  wander off into a Titanic daydream, complete with rising music.  The thing he's the most clueless about, however, is Miyuki's crush on him, no matter how hard he tries to clue her in.  He's not COMPLETELY oblivious on his side, however, given the scene where they have adjoining rooms and there's a one-way-mirror with the window part on his side, and he tells her to put her cheek against the window and he kisses it, then walks off, embarassed, while she's asking what he's doing.

One thing I realized here is that, while I'm not a Matsujun fangirl (and certainly not enough for me to be able to watch the excessive fanservice of the end credits without bursting into a fit of giggles) I have a fair bit of respect for him...every role I've seen him in has had almost nothing in common with any other, but he's been comvincing in all of them.

Anyway, good series in general, but especially if you like a good mystery show.

Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo III

Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo III is one of several series based on Kindaichi Case Files.  This one stars a very young, amazingly skinny, and lovably dorky Matsumoto Jun as the title character.  Kindaichi, a highschooler, is the grandson of a famous detective, and in grand anime/manga/dorama tradition, no one seems to mind that he's a teenager, and that he and his friend/girl-who-he-has-a-mutual-crtush-on-but-is-oblivious-on-both-sides, Miyuki, always come to crime scenes with his uncle Kenmochi(though I'm not sure he's technically Kindaichi'sd uncle.)  

The series assumes some familiarity with the characters, but not enough for the uninitiated(like me) to be lost.  Unlike every other dorama mystery series I've watched, where the mysteries were more of an afterthought to the relationship between the leads and the issues of the male lead, Kindaichi is a straightout mystery series.  As with most anime/manga/doramas, the killer always had some justification, and was doing it to get revenge for the death of a loved one, with at least one victims often deserving death.  Apparently, Asia doesn't like their bad guys to be flatout bad, they have to have justifiable reasons.  Anyway...

Like any good mystery series, it succeeds based on it's lead.  Kindaichi may be a brilliant detective, but he's utterly hopeless in all other areas, and is a complete daydreamer.  For example, the first arc is at sea(most of the stories were homages to Grand Mystery Traditions) and every 5 minutes, he'd  wander off into a Titanic daydream, complete with rising music.  The thing he's the most clueless about, however, is Miyuki's crush on him, no matter how hard he tries to clue her in.  He's not COMPLETELY oblivious on his side, however, given the scene where they have adjoining rooms and there's a one-way-mirror with the window part on his side, and he tells her to put her cheek against the window and he kisses it, then walks off, embarassed, while she's asking what he's doing.

One thing I realized here is that, while I'm not a Matsujun fangirl (and certainly not enough for me to be able to watch the excessive fanservice of the end credits without bursting into a fit of giggles) I have a fair bit of respect for him...every role I've seen him in has had almost nothing in common with any other, but he's been comvincing in all of them.

Anyway, good series in general, but especially if you like a good mystery show.

Sword Stained With Royal Blood eps 1-5

Yyyyyyeeeeessss...new wuxia for me...

Sword Stained With Royal Blood is about Yuan Chengzhi, the son of a general who was killed by the emperor.  After seeing about 9 out of every 10 people he knew get slaughtered in the streets (a few of whom were sent through brick walls by a guy with some pretty awesome kung fu) Chengzhi is sent off to be trained by a kung fu master Mountain Hermit.  Now, as anyone who's seen a wuxia drama goes, Mountain Hermits are the best LIVING kung fu masters.  All the really good dead ones died in caves and left detailed manuals for young men to find and study.  For the next twelve years, the only company Chengzhi had was Mountain Hermit, and their neighbor, Other Mountain Hermit.  This led to several important things for Chengzhi:

1.  Awesome kung fu abilities.
2.  Absolutely no social skills.
3.  The inability to tell a pretty girl from a handsome boy(see under cut.)
4.  Most importantly:  really, really bad hair.  (Yang Guo: Raised in tomb by amazingly beautiful Tomb Girl.  Yuan Chengzhi:  Raised on mountain by Mountain Hermits.  See the connection?)

Actually, midway through the second ep I stopped noticing the hair...Bobby Dou wears it as manfully and bravely as it can be worn, and his fight scenes and clueness face make up for it.)

( more, including what has to be the best wuxia backstory EVER )

Sword Stained With Royal Blood eps 1-5

Yyyyyyeeeeessss...new wuxia for me...

Sword Stained With Royal Blood is about Yuan Chengzhi, the son of a general who was killed by the emperor.  After seeing about 9 out of every 10 people he knew get slaughtered in the streets (a few of whom were sent through brick walls by a guy with some pretty awesome kung fu) Chengzhi is sent off to be trained by a kung fu master Mountain Hermit.  Now, as anyone who's seen a wuxia drama goes, Mountain Hermits are the best LIVING kung fu masters.  All the really good dead ones died in caves and left detailed manuals for young men to find and study.  For the next twelve years, the only company Chengzhi had was Mountain Hermit, and their neighbor, Other Mountain Hermit.  This led to several important things for Chengzhi:

1.  Awesome kung fu abilities.
2.  Absolutely no social skills.
3.  The inability to tell a pretty girl from a handsome boy(see under cut.)
4.  Most importantly:  really, really bad hair.  (Yang Guo: Raised in tomb by amazingly beautiful Tomb Girl.  Yuan Chengzhi:  Raised on mountain by Mountain Hermits.  See the connection?)

Actually, midway through the second ep I stopped noticing the hair...Bobby Dou wears it as manfully and bravely as it can be worn, and his fight scenes and clueness face make up for it.)

( more, including what has to be the best wuxia backstory EVER )