The show’s overall worldview bothered me as well. Since making morally “good” decisions tends to get folks squashed like ants, the drama, perhaps unintentionally, leaves viewers with the problematic suggestion that, since the game is rigged and everyone is cheating anyway, it’s better to choose open corruption over hypocrisy. I’d personally vote for “not corrupt” but that isn’t presented as a viable menu option. There are lots of strong moments, but I wanted to care more about the final outcome, rather than being forced to pick, as one character put it, between a “bad person and a slightly less bad person.” Because even a slightly less bad person is still, well, bad.
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Junichi is to all intents and purposes a loser and lowlife. He is a nightclub scout which means he talks girls and women he meets on the street into working for the nightclub and/or adult video industry. Nanami on the other hand is a straight laced music teacher at a girls school. She leads a very staid and mundane life. She is looking for excitement and something different. She has a chance meeting with Junichi which then leads her to have a conflict with the decisions she has made in her life.
Around the same time her father arranges a marriage meeting for her with a colleague from his office. This man is really keen on getting married to her and so she sees a normal ordinary life stretching out and on the other hand a life of danger and unpredictability with Junichi. The story then follows her inner struggle in doing what her parents and society expect her to do and what she really wants.
Junichi for all his street smart conman ways is quite naive and vulnerable. People use him and take advantage of him. He assumes responsibility for his friend who looks up to him as a role model. It is apparent from the odd comment that Junichi would have liked to better himself but unfortunately society has labelled him as a lowlife loser and he has found it difficult to break free from the only life he knows.
The acting by Sorimachi Takashi, who incidentally I had never seen before, was excellent. He played the character with a lot of swagger and cocky confidence which is masking an inner hurt and vulnerability. Nanami is played by Tsuruta Mayu and she played her role well too.
Do not be put off by the fact that this is an old drama 1999. It does not feel as dated as more recent K dramas I have seen. The story is very good and the romance between the main couple is compelling.
The music - we have some classical pieces as obviously she is a piano teacher. And also some nice instrumentals. The main theme song is a song by Shania Twain which sort of fits the mood of the drama I suppose although it's a genre of music which doesn't really appeal to me.
All in all I would highly recommend this drama...... that is if you can find it!
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Unless you are a Peter Ho completionist, I wouldn't recommend this drama. It is so short that the episodes seem completely plotless and all the actors' emotions just seem too over the top for the scant amount of storyline.
Filming-wise, it is nicely shot and the music is quite lovely as well. Unfortunately, both seemed designed for a much longer series. You only just settle into the episode and, suddenly, up swells the beautiful theme music. It only leaves you with more and more questions.
Peter Ho (and his magnificent nose) does a fine job expressing a tortured soul. What made him so tortured we may never quite know.
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I just finished watching this dorama, and, I must say, I loved it. I didn't expect it to be so action-packed, and sometimes the bloody scenes were disturbing (not my cup of tea), but the special effect, man. Wow. I didn't see that coming for sure.
The main cast did a great job! Both Kimura-san and Shibasaki-san are so pretty that I don't know if I ship them together or with me, but that's something for another time.
I loved how Kimura-san could keep his acting fresh, playing Reiji and Lloyd in a different way, just changing the look on his face. On this note, I just loved Reiji's expressions, so sweet and clueless. I also loved his relationship with Asahi, and I would have liked it if we could have seen more of that.
As for Asahi's character, the way the dorama started, I had the impression that she was going to be a more active part of the story, but instead she's just there - sometimes yelling, some crying, some being extremely cute... but... that's it. It was kinda disappointing, I must say.
On the other hand, Nanase-chan and Reiko were amazing characters, surprisingly enough. I don't want to talk about them for fear of giving stuff away, but I will just say... *slams fist on table* MOAR NANASE-CHAN!!
The music was really good - and in English! And, speaking about that, there was a lot of English in this dorama! (And, yes, it was English, not Engrish - even though you have that occasionally as well)
As for what I disliked, there's only really two things that bothered me: 1. I felt like some things were not coherent in the dorama itself - like unanswered questions or incomplete storylines - but maybe it's just me; 2. the very last scene of the ending - but I won't say any more here, because it would be spoiler.
To conclude: watch, watch, WATCH!! I don't understand why there are so many negative comments on this dorama, really! If sci-fi is not your genre, then don't watch it. If it is, you're good. ENJOY!
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First of all, it is a different drama with different touch and original story. It's not some epic or extraordinary unique one but still it is a different drama than other historical ones. Simply cause we're used to watch all historical dramas from the point of the nobles, kings and princes but in this drama the main focus is on the maids which is very cool. We do see also a nobles and their stories but all that goes through the eyes of the maids and servants.
There are no boring moments at all, drama has 20 episodes but still you don't feel it's dragging at all. Yes, a couple of last episodes were too slow and they could have shortened it to16 episodes but still it was good this way too.
I quite enjoyed in this drama, the script is very intelligent, witty, with so many emotional and heartbreaking sentences, it really got me, I admit. ;)
Costumes were so wonderful and painted with so many beautiful and vivid colors, from the dresses to the clothes for men, it was such a nice sight for the eyes and the music was heavenly-those instrumentals perfectly fitted to the scenes between certain people and when I think of it I couldn't imagine any other music except those astonishing sounds that were floating through the whole drama.
In the end about acting I would like to say a few words. It was brilliant. All the actor have done really great job in portraying their characters but there are a few of them I have to point out as the best ones. Jung Yoo-mi was just outstanding, the girl just freaking nailed it and showed what the word "ACTING'" really means. She demonstrated the way of a noble girl who falls into the mud and bottom and rises again proudly and strongly in such a marvelous way, I cried, I smiled, I cheered and rooted for her the whole time, simply I loved her. The other one who definitely stole the show was Kim Dong-wook, the guy was brilliant and incredible, his acting was the most believable from all of them and his character has graved in my heart forever. The most pitiful one, Eun-gi was the guy who only wanted to marry the girl he loved and lead an ordinary life of a scholar but he couldn't do that. Because he had to carry the scars from the tragic past events in his famil and all that troubles, worries and happenings were put on Eun-gi shoulders and he had to take everything in his own hands. But why he did that was only because of the girl he loved. Every move, every word, every detail was for her, for her own good. He broke my heart many too many times with his sentences, with his words and deeds. His love for her was something we all crave to feel and have, his undeniable desire and wish that she stays alive and healthy was so powerful that I was wondering too many times how someone could love that much and be so selfless? Why I liked him that much was because he's not typical good guy who was stupid and second male lead always being a shadow for the girl, he was fighting for her until the end and he went against everyone, even the King to protect her, he didn't care about money, power, status (there are some powerful sentences about that at the end when he talks to her, I won't be saying which ones), he cared only for her. Of course he has done some unforgivable things but still I loved him more than most of the characters in this drama. Oh Ji-ho was fine in acting, I think he portrayed his character in a appropriate way and with exact amount of emotions. He was a cold guy who was raised without proper education, only learning how to fight and use weapons, and at the first glance you could say that he is a emotionless, cold blooded ruthless man but when you dig a little you could see how he was caring, good and ready to give his own life to the people he loves. And my fav. girl Sa-wol, the most loyal character I've seen, she was so firm and determined in her loyalty and love for In-yeob, so protective and fearless, positive and kind and I truly adored scenes with her and how she showed a few badass scenes towards the rest oft he maids and servants. :P
One character I hated the most and she definitely goes on my list the most hateful characters ever and that would be Heo Yoon-ok, the most despicable creature ever, I really despised her from the bottom of my heart. The one who is your friend, the one who should be with you in your worst moments and tragic ones, that one stabs you in the back and in the most awful way humiliate and insult you with not single sign of respect. I've never seen such a truly bad character and I do love and respect more those who openly don't like you and hate you than those who do that secretly at first and then in front of everyone intentionally torture you, humiliate and offend you in the most detestable way, that kind of person I would gladly punch, hit and torture myself really hard. ;)
To sum up, this is a drama worth watching and definitely every person could and should see, I don't think that after watching anyone could say it is a bad drama, it has just right amount of everything and the acting plus the script are done without some real flaws. Although it shows a real cruelty and injustice in the world and it'll bring you some real tears, at the same time it will show you how to never give up, how to fight even if you have to fail, fall and crawl a few times, in the end you'll succeed. Cause yeah, that is a life, we fall and we rise, we fail and then we succeed, we cry and the we smile, the never ending circle called life.
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This drama is the dramatization of the life of Kuroda Kanbei (Okada Junichi), a daimyo during the Sengoku period, known to be the chief strategist and an adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As a history drama, many of the events were described accurately and at the right timeline. As for the characterization of those historical personalities, it most definitely is bias. Except for the last 3 episodes, Kanbei was always shows as this angel with saint-like qualities. The same can be said about some personalities who were know to be on his side. You can conclude that the drama was made based on Kanbei's point of you on those people. However this doesn't come in the way of learning about history and appreciating those personalities.
As I said, don't let the number of episodes scare you. The episodes are short enough and the events that are being covered can cover four times this amount of time. I found the drama well paced, and keeps you hooked throughout the whole time of his running. Every couple of intense episodes, we get a breather that is both relaxing to watch, and fun to experience the way of life of that era. The graphics and effects were alright, the drama overall is nothing fancy, but good enough to convince you of it's timing and era. Some places I loved most are the tea places. If I were to compare it to another taiga I started recently, Tenchijin, I'd say this one looks much better, but that is only because Tenchijin looks 10 years older than it really is (but once I gave it a chance I still fell in love with it XP). As for the music, that is one soundtrack I really enjoy. It has a very calming side to it that is used during the travelogue.
Despite being a political drama, what makes this drama shine most is the human relationship seen here, mainly between lord and retainer, but also between husband and wife, parent and child, and those are what bring out the emotions out of you. The performances that emphasize on those relationship is what makes me want to keep watcing. Starting with Okada Junichi, don't let his background as a JE idol fool you, he did an excellent job portraying Kanbei throughout his life, from 16 years or to the end of his life. Then there's the lovely Nakatani Miki playing his wife Teru. I just love seeing those two together, even when they got to old age. They definitely had the chemistry, and the looks they give to each other makes it feel like they're looking into each other's souls not selves. Matsuzaka Tori playing his son Nagamasa also did a great job. I did feel he needed a little time to get used to his character, but that may be because he was playing a young inexperience teenager. We later see his growth and the different phases of his relationship with his father.
Then there is the retainers. This drama has succeeded in finally making me understand the relationship between the lord and his retainers. It definitely is not an equal relationship, but it is more of an equivalent exchange, and the basis of that exchange is loyalty, and that goes both ways. Seeing Kanbei's retainer's growth was one of the highlights of this drama. Takahashi Issei, playing Inoue Kuroemon, was by far my favourite. He was a natural. Seeing his reaction always told me if I need to worry about what is going on. Hamada Gaku and Hayami Mokomichi playing Zensuke and Tahe, took a little while to get into character, but when they finally did, they became perfect for their roles.
Other than the Kuroda household, there were many great personalities of the era in this drama. Oda Nobunaga ovliously tops the list, where Eguchi Yosuke's performance was unbeatable. Period. I had a hard time digesting Takenaka Naoto but later I grew fond of it. The character is pretty unconventional which is weird considering the era and people, however it seemed true to his character, and his background as a farmer. The taiga was as much about kanbei as it was Tomoyomi's rise to power. Anothers really interesting personality is Tanaka Tetsushi as Araki Murashige. His character went through the most phases, and at each phase, he shows a different face. Seeing him going from a man with ambitions to a person who has lost his mind. There are many others, many interesting women of the era, but this taiga concentrate mostly what these men go through with each battle they fight and what motivates them to go to war.
To conclude, it is a very well paced drama, with many interesting events, during a very interesting time in Japan's history, that honours many historical figures with excellent performances, and heartwarming interaction. I think it is a drama that can be appreciated by anyone if given the chance. Once you're done with it, I'm pretty sure it'll wake up the history lover in you.
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The drama is only 5 episodes long, so there's hardly any boring parts. The background music is amazing. It's so well done and fits the drama and the mood perfectly. I am really looking forward to the OST being released.
Anyway, this is seriously a must-watch. Best japanese drama in a very very long time.
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Pretty much the story is about three women end up living together and all of them, with different reasons, have issues with love. Which isn't anything new, but the way it was portrayed made if feel more down to earth. The different situations they were in are what real women deal with all over the world. Also, what the men went through is very real too. So as much as I didn't like certain situations or how it played out (because I'd prefer the lovely dovey stuff) I can't really be upset at it because real life isn't always a fairytale and I feel like that's a point this drama is trying to point out. Yes, you can find happiness but it doesn't always come easy like in the dramas. Oh & I loved the quotes that was shown at the end of every episode.
Acting/Cast I liked the group. Nothing really outstanding but I wouldn't want them replaced.
Music I really loved. I have a soft spot for instrumentals with nice, sweet melodies. When You Fall In Love and The Reason I Can't Find Love (Ballad ver.) have been on repeat for the whole day. Also loved Namie Arumo's theme/insert song.
As for rewatching, probably unlikely. It was a good drama don't get me wrong but I don't think i'd ever have the urge to come back to this. But I do suggest at least giving this drama a shot! Nice short drama you can get out of the way in a day or two.
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1) It may sound absurd, but for my taste I love when there is one or more evil characters on a drama - they make things more fun and the main leads' reunion at the end more earned. This didn't happen over here. We had great material: the cold halmeoni, the calculating uncle and Do Hyun's mom... not to mention Cha Ki Joon (the cousin) or Chae Yeon. Every time one of them appeared on screen, I expected them to make a smart move and surprise me, but all they did was utter the wrong words. Seriously, I REALLY expected some serious threats to make the whole situation more anxious and interesting! This was a big let down. Maybe as a melo and makjang fan who has probably seen a lot of things whil pure evil enemies, was waiting for something more. Ok, but this can be forgiven because what is important here, is the DID and the road to recovery. Let's say the seemigly "bad people" including Do Hyun's father were only a backstory to that.
2) There were too many flashbacks and at some point it was confusing. Ok that they could help us viewers understand the backstory more, but do not let the footage be longer than 5 minutes! On the last episodes it was really TOO long, and could have been told through another telling method. In my opinion, a shorter FB gives a mysterious tone to the narration and makes the audience would want to look out for more. The FB's almost told everything we still needed to know, dragging the whole thing.
3) And this brings me to point 3. I honestly felt that up from episode 15 to 20, the writer just wrote stuff to "fill" the episodes, since they had them. I felt like 16 episodes would have sufficed. This is why the long flashbacks and long scenes with the main leads with basically 5 minutes or less of screentime for the secondary characters that as I wrote above, could have been given more 'evil' things to plot, instead of just walking away emotionless as they did. I don't like stories that drag out too much.
4) This may sound silly, but I was REALLY disappointed by the romantic part. I had watched Ji Sung and HJE in "Secret Love" and loved them because they portrayed a sweet yet bitter kind of romance. Here the romance was also messed up because of the personalities and the "triangle" between Do Hyun, Se Gi, and Ri Jin (quadrangle if we also add Ri On or pentagon with Chae Yeon). Don't get me wrong, I think they had the chemistry but somehow, when they kissed they seemed uncomfortable. Their kisses were just too simple and lasted FOOOOOREVER, I felt like sighing everytime. Bear with me, but if they are potraying something that has romance in it, to make me feel the whole thing, the romantic part has to be done in a way that I could enjoy, and here it was partially done so I feel a bit let down.
5) And maybe last point. I think the writer focused too much on the psychological part and the overcoming of the past. Like I said above, the romance is important when I watch something. If the ulterior plot besides the romance is not played in a way where it compensates for the lack of it, then even if it's well written like in this case, it leaves me with nothing much but a story about things I have studied in school (yeah, I was a psychology student). Had it been more evil touches and conspiration, I would have been more forgiving on this part. But since it didn't happen, I can just say I really appreciate how the writer explained this disorder and was creative about the personalities and what happens to people who suffer of DID, I can just compliment him/her on this aspect.
Finally let's talk about the cast and acting. I have already mentioned that I first saw Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum on "Secret" two years ago. They did not disappoint me. I find both of them good actors, JS was really good at playing seven different personalities - it really felt he was a different person each time. HJE was also good but when she shouted I didn't like it. They were good together, you could tell there was already a friendship between them, but I felt that one of them (maybe JS) was restraining themselves while acting. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I perceived it. Nothing to say to the other actors, they were ok and no one stood out more for me to comment about them.
Musically speaking, the only song that remained in my head is the main one with the rapper and the female voice. It is a good song with nice lyrics about the drama, and I'm surely not going to forget it soon. The other songs were ok.
This being said, I will give the whole drama a 7.5/8. Even if I complained, didn't mean I haven't enjoyed the whole thing... ;) I think it is worth the watch.
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Saigo no Kizuna: Okinawa Hikisakareta Kyodai
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The plot is very realistic not just because it is based on a true story but because it does relate to more than just one family. Like many immigrants in the early 1900s, the eldest son usually ventured off to the United States hoping to make enough money to send home. But sadly in the way of their hard work, WWII hits the United States and two brothers are forced to fight against each other to show loyalty to their countries. What's more sad is that Takeru's character, along with his friends, were only kids. Kids who were taught to hate Americans, had to fight in a war and risk their young lives to serve the Emperor.
But what is really so great about this whole drama special is the fact that they had the people who actually went through this to talk about the situation that was happening in the drama. Hearing the real story from the people who lived it is something you can't learn in a history class.
I adored the cast. Mainly Takeru. His acting is superb. He has the skill to make sure us, as watchers, forget all his other roles so we can solely focus on his current role. He got so into his character. He put so much emotion into Yasuharu that it almost felt like it was real, as if he was experiencing everything as his own. I loved the rest of the cast too. I already love Kaname Jun films/dramas, and the supporting cast did an outstanding job.
I scored music low because I was disappointed in the fact that they used the music from "Letters from Iwo Jima" also watch that if you haven't) Though I do love the instrumental and it fits in any war movie, I couldn't help but think about Letters From Iwo Jima while listening and watching this.
I've already watched this drama more than once. It really is great. I think this a story that isn't really taught. So even if war movies aren't your genre, give this one a shot. It's more than just a war story.
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this is my first review and, the reason is that this drama is just SO AMAZING!
I did not expect it to be half as good, the actors convinced me,
I got so into the story that I honestly cried, laughed and just truly lived it!
The music is perfect, it is my fav soundtrack ever!!
IT MADE ME THINK, and that is what I like. It was not predictable, it was not simple, it got me, and that is not an easy think to do. I am a psychologist, and it made me to go to my DSM 5, and argue about some diagnoses xD, it made me really hooked and I wish that I could just unwatch and re-watch it every week.....
I must admit that it got pretty heavy at times, I sufferd from what I call PDSD (post drama stress disorder, similar to PTSD). I could not listen to the song "Hero", cause it made me cry (including flashbacks of the drama)....I could not hear the phrase "I miss you" in any other drama without getting all teary-eyed (that is actually still the case, but it got better after re-watching the whole thing).
But maybe also because of the sad parts I liked it so much, because I am not easily moved, and I rarely cry.....I would love to convince all of my friends and family to watch this!
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