Bloody Monday (2008)

I only began Bloody Monday because I was told by a dear friend that Miura Haruma was hot. What I didn't know is that he happens to be a good actor, of which I suspected but needed some time (about 2 episodes) to confirm. But there you have it. The reason why I watched a Japanese drama about a terrorist cell intent on destroying Tokyo with a deadly virus known as Bloody X was because of Miura Haruma. Our then 18 year old lead star plays Takagi Fujimaro, aka Falcon – an internationally acclaimed master hacker who of course becomes unwittingly involved in… dun Dun DUN… saving the world. Or at least Tokyo.

Needless to say is that Bloody Monday is an intense action-thriller that successfully kept my interest in its 11 episode run. Before I get down to knit-picking it, let me just say that for the most part I was pretty sure on how much I liked it. It was a staunch 8/10 from at least episode 3 onwards. Whether that was because Miura Haruma proved to be so efficient at portraying a genius high school boy/hacker whose world is thrown off balance by the intrusion of downright evil and plot-twist-worthy terrorists is a moot point. I try to be objective, but the only proof I have right now is to say that when he cried, I cried. No Kdrama heroine-esqe tears from this boy. I believed him! I was also impressed with the nearly endless series of plot twists, some of which I predicted from day 1 and some of which I never in my wildest dreams saw coming (and I seriously dream plot twist detection - it’s my one consolation before bed that at least my brain is smarter than Dramaland-ish plot twists). In the last five minutes, I hastily changed my 8 to a 9. I like a good emotional twist. So sue me.

While Bloody Monday is an overall exciting watch with notable acting (even among the supporting cast), I’m just going to have to say that thrillers, even more than comedies, come under my scrutiny for gaping plot holes. For instance, I’m pretty sure I could hand in my current resume, and instantly get a job with the number one Japanese intelligence agency (in this drama, Third-i), because obviously my rationale for thinking out logical strategies is higher than half the plans created by the master spooks in Bloody Monday. I also know that when you’re gearing up for a gun-fight, you really shouldn't walk up to your intended target close enough to where your target can easily disarm you and aim that gun directly at your own head. But I digress.

And all plot holes aside, I really did have shivers most of the times I sat down to watch this drama unfold. Having genuine anxiety for fictional characters goes a long way in my book of Appreciating Entertainment 101.

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This drama really had been on the edge of my sit till the very end. It's one of those dramas where the producers throw you a twist in every episode, and for that reason I really liked it. The storyline was something I enjoyed pretty well, and the cast did a great job in making that happen. The music was great as i still listen to the songs sometimes. The rewatch value is pretty low since for dramas that are based off of twists and turns, once you already know what's going to happen, it loses the wow factor. Overall though, I'm giving this an 8, since this is really a top tier drama.

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Bloody Monday was my first ever suspense drama. I didn\'\'t quite know what to expect, but I had heard wonderful things about this drama and figured I had to give it a go. I believe it was the seventh drama I ever watched.

This drama made me a Miura Haruma fangirl. He is a great actor for his age. As someone who has read the manga (after the drama, though) I have to say he portrais Takagi Fujimaru very very well. The only thing I have to criticize him for is his hacking. Just hitting random keys won\'\'t hack anyone - at least try to make it belivable.

For me the plot for this drama is great. I like that Falcon isn\'\'t some superman with superpowers and unnatural psyche and is \"the one to save them all!\". He is a normal high school boy who gets involved in some really dangerous affairs - and is afraid. I like to see the sense of humanity in it.

To be perfectly honest I don\'\'t really remember the music in this. It\'\'s nearly a year since I\'\'ve watched it, but I remember liking the theme song. :P

This drama actually seems to suit everyone. It has high schools (for the school drama lovers), cops (for the cop-drama lovers), suspense (for the suspense lovers) and Miura Haruma (for the fangirls). There really isn\'\'t a reason not to watch this, and it\'\'s just brilliant in my opinion.

Definitely falls under my \'\'must watch\'\' list.

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I adored this drama- its was incredibly well written and kept you guessing until the very end. The plot is very intricate and would need full concentration otherwise you may miss something- however, with a drama this well executed its doubtful your attention would stray. The story is flawless, which is why I give it a 10. The pacing was perfect and gave you enough time to make your own judgements on everything and then leaving you utterly surprised at the twists and turns of the plot. While the series is fast paced the time given to each small arc is paced well and you don't feel like its rushed.

The cast is perfectly chosen- the acting is superb and the cast is incredibly in tune with each other pulling off any scene with ease. There were 3 actors who really made this show perfect for me- Miura Haruma, Satoh Takeru, and Narimiya Hiroki. I would like to especially mention the latter at his portrayal of J was chilling and so well acted I was almost rooting for the character just because I wanted to see more of him. The cast is a perfect 10 for me!

I admit I didn't really pay much attention to the music- however, the bits I did pay attention to were incredibly well executed and I saw no fault with it. With some shows he music can be a distraction and with Bloody Monday I barely noticed it which to me indicates how well it actually fit with the show. So I give the music a 10.

The rewatch value I would also put at a 10, because while there is a second season I will be watching this again.

Overall, a flawless and spectacular series!

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This show is one word: intense! I was on the edge of my seat every episode as I watched the plot unfold. It was so intriguing, and it kept me guessing about who was really good and who was actually bad.

The acting was amazing. Miura Haruma was perfect. This was my first drama I watched with him and I was amazed at his acting ability. I totally fell for his character, and I loved everything about him in this role.

The plot kept moving every episode, and I was completely hooked. It was hard to stop watching, I just wanted to watch the next episode.

The characters are believable, the plot-line amazing, and the overall feel of the show was a high-intensity, adrenaline filled show that will keep you guessing with each cliffhanger ending!

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This is absolutely my all time favorite drama...I've already seen it and the sequel through four times, and introduced several friends to the show. The plotline is fabulously written, and surprisingly believable considering the genre. Some of the scenes are a little forced, but not nearly as many as usually appear in this type of show. The bad guys are not entirely stupid and incapable of winning, which makes the struggle between the heroes and the villains that much more attention-grabbing. The characters fit their parts perfectly, and each one keeps the story moving along until the end. The philosophy that was behind this show is probably what caught my attention the most. It actually raised several concepts that my friends and I spent a great deal of time discussing. It was both entertaining and interesting. Furthermore, this is one of the first mysteries I've seen in ages where I actually didn't know who the bad guys were or what was going to happen until the very end. Bloody Monday is suspenseful, fast-paced, well-thought-out, and wonderfully acted from beginning to end. I watched them all in 2 days and instantly got the second season (which is just as good as the first). Definitely a must watch!

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This is not an average "virus infection" series.
The story is very good with lots of details. You have to see all the episodes to understand everything, everyone and to catch up with the storyline. They selected the best actors/actresses for playing the characters. Along the happenings you'll get confused by them and don't know who the good and bad guys anymore. It's just amazing! I didn't get bored during the episodes because everything happens so fast and there's no stop.
By the way I haven't read the manga, but still love this drama. It's a very special series of investigation stories. It's very exciting!
For the rewatch value I gave only 5 because I don't think there's any meaning of watching it again there's a lot of thing that won't make a great impression on you for the second time.

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Story- I gave it a perfect score mainly because it was really Ozmmm, Awesome, Fantastic, Masterpiece.

Acting/Cast- Nothing's wrong with the casting, I guess?

Music- I don't really care about the music of any drama, but I guess the negative 1 would be mainly because the song was sad? (I'm so unreasonable, sorry =D)

Rewatch Value- Once you watch it, you'll definitely want to to watch it all over again, I mean, it's so great that's what I felt.

Overall- 10, Masterpiece.

Hmm, When I was watching this, I was like "I wanna finish this ASAP". It makes you think what would happen next and makes you wanna finish it all in an instant. The twists were great as well as the cutting of scenes per episodes.

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The following is an Everything HONEST review. Sarcasm up ahead. You have been warned.


From the network which has brought Death Note and Ataru to television sets all over Japan and computer screens all over the world comes Bloody Monday. Not a girl's period day.

Meet Takagi Fujimaru(Miura Haruma), a legendary hacker nicknamed Falcon for hacking into something by chance during junior high which happened to lead the police to prevent a possible terrorist act. And my friends were watching porn on their laptops, the culture difference is appalling. He promises never to hack again because its NOT like he didn't help save a lot of people. But when his friend is sexually harassed by a hentai sensei Takagi hacks into his computer to expose his sadist and masochistic ways to the school. Good thing because things were turning into a cliche, disgusting, hentai scene. Too bad his kind act causes the sensei to seek revenge along with a emerging terrorist group set on becoming kamisamas by destroying Tokyo. Which basically uses him and other people as a pawns to satisfiy their need of destruction. Fathom at how are hero miraculously surivive hostage siutations and deadly showdowns, but how his sister keeps letting strangers in their house. Seriously you almost got killed because of it. A story with so much twists and plots it'll have you guessing who is on the terrorist side, but still have plot conviences for the main characters. Kinda like a book.

Starring
The Yellow Falcon(Falcon)
Rookies player(Otoya)
MILF(Maya)
Yankee J(J)
Bloody Monday... I understand why everyone was complaining that the police unit missed ample opportunities to just shoot the terrorists, but is it necessary to post spoilers along with your comment. Really took away some of the mystery.
Cliche Counter:
Annoying sister cliche
Single parent household cliche
Pervy sensei is from the science department
Pervy sensei is into bondage
Pervy sensei is into dressing like a girl
Only one person knew about "the plan"
The boss is the least expected person
Japanese high school uniform...wait they didn't wear uniform! Not a cliche
Good guy with a troubled past
Bad guy with a troubled past

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“Human beings store their memories in the surround space. Happy memories - upwards. Sad memories downwards.”


I finally finished Bloody Monday, a drama that had been requested by numerous people, and I am very happy that they requested it. I love this type of drama, action, thriller, and all that kind of stuff. It’s a really good break from watching the same old romantic comedy that tends to bore me after a while. The plot in this drama is something interesting, and caught my eye right away, from hacking to terrorism; I knew that I would love this drama.

The characters in this drama, man are they diverse. You never know what to expect from them, because they all have different sides to themselves. The main character, Falcon, his character is really good, for the fact that he wants to do right, and be just but then he is put in these situations in which he has to be bad, for the sake of his loved ones. Damn those terrorist, right? Then there is J, the so called leader of the terrorist organization. May I say he stole the show? Like seriously, Narimiya Hiroki’s acting was on point. He portrayed a character with such depth and can I say psychological problems very well. He was really good at playing the bad guy. But other than him, I think my favorite character had to be Kano Ikuma, he was pretty much just a bad ass. I mean he didn’t give a fuck, and he did what he wanted, he was ballzy, and I liked that about him!

This drama had so many twists; I didn’t even know what to do with myself. It seemed that everyone and their mom wanted to be a terrorist, a “God”. Like some of these people, I didn’t even see coming from a mile away. Wow. Really? The thing that the terrorist want to accomplish in this drama, is sort of strange to me. They want to kill people? They want to become Gods. I don’t understand, well I do, but I guess I can’t get my mind set into thinking that whipping out an entire city or country is making you anything other than a murder…let alone a god.

There were many times I found myself crying, watching this drama. I think it’s because of my love for human life, and everyone living, or the fact that I have become too emotional lately, either way. There are also a ton of amazing quotes in this drama. I think I just really like the way people worded things in this drama. It made it seem more deep and intelligent when they spoke. The ending to this drama was a little bit of an opened ended one, which is because there is a second season, which I will have to watch sometime, or if it gets requested. Like you will see that people you thought were dead, aren’t, and that stuff has just gotten to the surface, I don’t mean to spoil stuff, but I think shit was just now getting real, and things are about to go down in season 2. But not saying that season one didn’t have some serious shit going down in it.

Over all I enjoyed this drama. It gave me an insane paranoia of viral terrorism, but other than that I really enjoyed it. I love dramas where you don’t know who is who, and who to trust or not, that kind of keeping you on the edge sort of drama, to me are the best. So for those who are looking for something a little different than the standard romantic comedy or the overly emotional melodrama, this would be something that may interest you. Be prepared for some pretty graphic scenes, but sometimes those can be exciting. So if you love, computers, blood, crime, hot men and women, and some bad ass stuff, you should probably check it out. I mean hey, it’s only 11 episodes long, you have nothing to lose, other than your hope in humanity and your feeling of being safe at night.

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Loved: I only watched Bloody Monday because it has Miura Haruma in it - but I'm glad I did. The storyline is well crafted, there are continual emotional and plot developments and our hero bravely battles on when hope seems gone. There are also some real tear-jerking moments - something I totally didn't expect in this dorama. Narimiya Hiroki as the terrorist 'J' is a treat to behold - he totally pulls it off in a charismatic, slightly insane way! The rest of the supporting cast (including all the THIRD-i agents) are great as well.



Didn't Love: I wasn't particularly fond of the violence in Bloody Monday but it's a given in this type of dorama. The idea of Falcon being a genius able to hack anything and everything is a bit too unrealistic (although understandable as he is the hero).



Bloody Monday is a suspense dorama so I wouldn't recommend it for the really squeamish (it should be fine for most viewers though). There are plenty of other aspects to Bloody Monday that more than make up for the occasional 'scary bits'. I think ultimately it's about the bonds which bring people together (love, friendship, family, sacrifice) and the things that destroy them (jealousy, hate, and selfishness). Not a lighthearted show, but worth watching if you're a more serious viewer - plus you get some great Haruma eye-candy!



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