• nl Nederlands
  • en English
AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
  • AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine, who?
    • Join the AVO Magazine team
    • AVO Magazine presents
    • AVO Magazine Podcast
    • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
    • Submit News to AVO Magazine
    • Support AVO Magazine
  • Japanese Music
    • Music News
      • Music Announcements
      • Musical Snack
    • Curtain-raiser
    • Weekly MV Roundup
      • Weekly MV Roundup
      • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
    • Interviews Musicians
    • Music Reviews
    • Music Reports
  • Japan-related Events
    • Anime Events
    • Convention and expo announcements
    • Music Announcements
    • Other announcements
    • Reports
  • Japan-related Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Film Reviews
    • Game Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Other Reviews
    • Product Reviews
    • Series Reviews
  • Colophon
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • nl Nederlands
  • en English
No Result
View All Result
AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews Series Reviews

J-Drama Review: Beach Boys

Matthew Elliott by Matthew Elliott
13 May 2019
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
0
Beach Boys © Fuji Television Network, Inc.

Beach Boys © Fuji Television Network, Inc.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditShare on LINE

It’s easy to forget that the year 2000 was almost two decades ago, in the nineteen years since the start of the 21st Century. Life has changed so much and so irreversibly with the rise of mobile phone technology, smartphone addiction, the ever-expanding internet, social media and the speed in which we all live now. It’s almost impossible to remember how peaceful, relaxed and carefree the final years of the 20th century felt.

In a time before mobile phones and the internet took over, when it was difficult to find others who feel the same way as you, there was value to be found in storytelling that perfectly encapsulated how the reader felt, a story that connected to you on a spiritual level. So if like me, you ever felt that life was getting too stressful and you just wanted to walk away from your day-to-day life and start again, perhaps beside the sea – then I think that Beach Boys is for you.

Beach Boys (ビ ー チ ボ ー イ イ) is a 1997 Japanese drama, which told the polarizing stories of Sakurai Hiromi, an easy-going former athlete with no direction, who after being kicked out by his girlfriend, decides to make his way to the ocean, and Suzuki Kaito, an elite employee and dedicated workaholic, who is forced to take responsibility after losing a key client for the company, a situation which forces Kaito to step back and re-evaluate his life choices.

In a strange twist of fate, these two polarizing characters both find themselves drawn towards a small beach B&B (minshuku), the Diamond Head, ran by ageing surfer Masaru and his granddaughter Makoto. Initially, the differences in character between Hiromi and Kaito make for an amusing slapstick-style dynamic, and following a comedic series of events, both. Makoto, the local residents and each other, and day-by-day, they start to feel more and more at home by the beach.

This drama consists of twelve episodes, which originally ran from July to September 1997, and a 1998 feature-length TV special (SP). Beach Boys is a fundamental story about two different characters, drawn together by the desire to get away from their own personal problems, who are looking for something new, a place they can find shelter from a world that can be too overbearing, a chance for them to re-discover themselves – it’s a story about trying to find peace. Beach Boys stars Takashi Sorimachi as Hiromi, who would later star in the 1998 drama adaptation of GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka and Yutaka Takenouchi as Kaito, who would star in the 2016 film Shin Godzilla. And Ryoko Hirosue who would star in 2001 French film Wasabi alongside Jean Reno.

Beach Boys boasts a heartwarming and insightful slice of life story, transporting you back to the summer of 1997 and giving you an unforgettable lesson in today’s chaotic living, is more relevant than ever.

I hope to see you on this beach this summer.

Rating: 100/100.

Tags: 1997Beach BoysdramaRyoko HirosueTakashi SorimachiYutaka Takanouchi
ADVERTISEMENT
Matthew Elliott

Matthew Elliott

I am an obedient slave to the Japanese music industry.

Related Posts

Kyoto Garden (Holland Park, London) | Photo by Henry Kellner via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other Reviews

A walk in the park of Kyoto Garden (Holland Park, London)

by Peter Dennis
4 July 2022
0

In a bustling metropolis such as London any moment of peace and tranquillity is a welcome relief and there’s no...

Read more
Esprit D'Air - Oceans (album cover)

CD Review: Esprit D’Air – Oceans

4 July 2022

Product Review: Heart – Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure Rainbow Jelly

8 June 2022
Product Review: Pigeon – Microwave Shortcake

Product Review: Pigeon – Microwave Shortcake

4 May 2022
Goodbye Eri/SAYONARA ERI © 2022 by Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA Inc.

Should you say hello to “Goodbye, Eri”? — Bite-Sized Review(s)

28 April 2022
Next Post
© FAKE ISLAND

FAKE ISLAND announce Summer tour in Europe

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Donate a digital coffee to keep AVO Magazine online
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Soundcloud Discord


Online magazine since 2012. AVO Magazine is a Japan-related entertainment website with information about events in especially The Netherlands, Belgium and the rest of Europe. There is a big focus on Japanese music. Other contents we publish are reports, reviews, informative articles, and interviews. AVO Magazine originated from AVO Forum, started on 16 May 2003.

Contact (Francisca Hagen): info[@]avo-magazine.nl

Please do not use text and photos made by AVO Magazine without permission. An email is easily created. Let's support each other!

Affiliates

JPU Records

1_General CDJapan

Featured on

HYPER JAPAN TV logo Lucydafirst - Crate Culture logo

AVO Magazine Approved

  • Arlequin Photography
  • Get Your Genki
  • Idol is SHiT
  • Japan Jams
  • Japone Artists
  • The Sushi Times

Join our Discord Server

©2003 - 2022 AVO Magazine - One Click Closer to Japan!
*Donate to keep AVO Magazine online *

No Result
View All Result
  • AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine, who?
    • Join the AVO Magazine team
    • AVO Magazine presents
    • AVO Magazine Podcast
    • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
    • Submit News to AVO Magazine
    • Support AVO Magazine
  • Japanese Music
    • Music News
      • Music Announcements
      • Musical Snack
    • Curtain-raiser
    • Weekly MV Roundup
      • Weekly MV Roundup
      • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
    • Interviews Musicians
    • Music Reviews
    • Music Reports
  • Japan-related Events
    • Anime Events
    • Convention and expo announcements
    • Music Announcements
    • Other announcements
    • Reports
  • Japan-related Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • Film Reviews
    • Game Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Other Reviews
    • Product Reviews
    • Series Reviews
  • Colophon
  • Contact
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.