I was really looking forward to watch that show. I liked anime, which is not best anime in the world but has some really enjoyable moments. Sadly the live action drama turned out to be a work of an amateur. Literally everything that made anime entertaining was threw out and replaced by... THIS. Costumes look cheap, the wigs are unnatural. Acting is very poor, except for Yuki Kubota who is the only experienced actor in the whole cast. But even his role was ridiculed by making Goro Fujita act like a grumpy teenager all the time. The main actress is young and unexperienced but she is very pretty. As for the male cast... Well, let's say it's the matter of an individual taste. I didn't like anyone because all the characters lacked the depth. There was one thing I liked though: the shooting location, namely the Meijimura open air museum in Inuyama. I vsisited Meijimura myself last year and this place is magical. XIX century industrial Japan, frozen in time. Some locations are even directly connected to the characters (Ougai mori's house, for example). I recommend paying a visit. As for watching the show... It's up to you. I watched it for Yuki Kubota. I even bought a DVD, so I won't throw stones at anyone who unlike me enjoyed the show.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews