The upcoming Mokuju (Thursday at 10) J-dorama is the highly anticipated (by me) Last Cinderella starring Shinohara Ryoko, Miura Haruma, and Fujiki Naohito. I’ve noticed for the last few years there has been a spate of old maid dramas from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, though always starring a truly gorgeous woman we are asked to believe can’t find a man to love her. A few have been solidly done, with a very believable and prickly heroine that we can see why she might have trouble with opposite sex issues even if she has self-esteem and professional success. I adored My Name is Kim Sam Soon, and was surprisingly won over by My Queen. Will Last Cinderella manage to find that perfect combination of funny and poignant without resorting to cheap shots? Shinohara Ryoko is one of Japan’s A-list actresses, and two babies later she’s still got that beautiful natural attractiveness about her. I tried so hard to like her Anego but something was off, and I can’t figure out if I was bored by the cookie cutter office setting or that neither of her leading men made compelling options for her to choose between. Here I think the both of those problems won’t exist – the setting is a quirky neighborhood hair salon called Happy Go Lucky (adorable name) where the heroine works as a talented stylist, and Fujiki Naohito plays her boss and perhaps something more? As she starts growing facial hair due to a hormone imbalance, her friends push her to venture out into the dating scene again and that is where she meets free-spirited lothario BMX biker played by Miura Haruma. It’s hilarious how unattractive Haruma looks with his lion’s mane gone wild, while conversely Naohita is making my toes curl and my stomach do twirly whirls with his scruffy look and casual attire. The man cannot look bad even if he tried. Another bonus? The PD for this baby did Rich Man, Poor Woman. I am so sold it’s not even funny. LC premieres this Thursday April 11th. Continue reading →