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This series breaks more than a few molds. It's truly zany with some fantastic over-the-top style acting, especially by this series' star, Masaki Kuda. (btw Kuda is also amazing playing the punk rocker Toya in Takeru Satoh's epic series "Glass Heart"). But this rather odd series is about 180 degees from Glass Heart stylistically; It unfolds like random acts of a surreal play. It begins (as plays generally do) with a mood setting Act One: Like an alley cat that wanders into a seedy bar seeking refuge from a storm, a dejected young theater director has a fateful drink with a sultry woman. Clutching a satchel stuffed with dog-eared volumes of the plays of William Shakespeare, Sensei Kube is about to wander down a bizarre rabbit hole. Long before the story arcs vector and twist, we surmise that Kube views himself as a nothing-left-to-lose outcast; he's a manic man on a quest for artistic expression and redemption with a dose of revenge. Meanwhile, stricter enforcement of rules regulating exotic dancing in Tokyo spells out a financial catastophe for the plucky denizens of the backroom strip joint that Kube has stumbled upon down the "rabbit hole". So in a last ditch effort for survival, a scrappy band of offbeat strippers and comedians will join forces with Kube & Shakespeare, and together they'll all stop at nothing to get the Shibuya rent paid somehow. It's like a carnival rollercoaster ride, with a funhouse and seductive sideshows thrown in. If you've enjoyed offbeat Japanese comedies like "tiger and Dragon", you'll definitely like this.

You may have read about the Nation-shaking "submarine" murder of journalist Kim Wall in front page stories the NYTimes ran. With ties to Denmark, and being semi-fluent in Danish, I was able to follow the story unfold in real time through Danish news outlets every day. The slow mounting evidence of her gruesome fate was unbelievably grotesque. This series is a formidable retelling of how her murder was investigated and the dogged attempt by so many dedicated professionals to leave no stone unturned so that a "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" verdict could convict the one of the vilest monsters of a human being in Danish history. Every actor is flawless; and you may recognize two of the stars, Soren M and Pilou A. From their acclaimed work in the classic Danish drama, Borgen. If you like Scandi Noir, this series is must see television. Not quite a spoiler, but a warning: There is a scene where Kim's emotionally devastated parents embrace that will haunt you.

Don't know why exactly but I love this crazy series. It's just so wholesome, offbeat and every episode has a heart warming ending. Even the manga inspired corniness of it's premise is charming. No matter which way the wind blows, a parade of hilariously quirky themes, details and recurring friends and foes that run through both seasons, kept me paying attention. It's even educational in many ways. I learned a lot about Japanese city life. The lead realtor Nagase Saichi and his ever-smiling mentor Tsukishita are an odd couple: An adorable pair of young realtors on a quest to succeed in business while doing the right thing, or at least trying to-even if it means losing a commission. The transformation of Nagase, the easy-on-the-eyes, slick con-artist type into Tokyo's most painfully honest realtor, is a fun watch. You just never know what painful truth he'll blurt out next. I hope there's a season 3 but recently read its such a hit series in Japan that it's getting a movie adaptation. Can love ever bloom between clueless N. And sidekick-starstruck T.?? No doubt that's a super-size maybe, but I'm definitely rooting for them. Why not? Maybe the kaze-wind gods are too.