Seirei no Moribito season 2

It’s hard enough waiting for weekly episodes of a currently airing drama, but it’s sheer torture having to go months without the sequel of a drama you liked. That was the case of Seirei no Moribito, whose first season was a solid and enjoyable watch, and it took almost a year for season 2 to air. So it was with pleasure that I sank my teeth into the drama as soon as I could get my grabby hands on it.

Balsa (Ayase Haruka) and her herbalist/shaman friend Tanda (Higashide Masahiro) rescue a brother and sister who are about to be sold off by human traffickers. They discover that the girl Asla (Suzuki Rio) possesses a strange power that can cause great destruction when unleashed. Balsa decides to become Asla’s bodyguard upon realising that a number of people are after Asla. Meanwhile, Chagum (Itagaki Mizuki) is on a mission to save New Yogo Country from the conquering ambitions of the Talsh Empire…

Saikou no Rikon

A drama about divorce doesn’t have to be heavy and melodramatic, as Saikou no Rikon proves. This was touted to be one of the best dramas of 2013, with a stellar cast and solid writing, and eventually I took the plunge to try it out.

Hamasaki Mitsuo (Eita) is a salaryman working for a vending machine company. He is whiny, OCD to the nth degree, and not particularly good with people. Married to Yuka (Ono Machiko) for a couple of years now, Mitsuo is realising that he and his wife don’t really have anything in common. On the spur of the moment (or not?), they end up divorcing but have trouble breaking the news to their respective families and are forced for a good part of the drama to continue sharing their (ex-)matrimonial home as though nothing has happened. One day, Mitsuo runs into his ex-girlfriend Akari (Maki Yoko), and has thoughts of rekindling their relationship, only to find out that she is married to Uehara Ryo (Ayano Go), who is apparently cheating on his wife…