OLIVIA is so cute! is English her native language? her entire message at the end of this episode was in English except for the last sentence. i wonder if she learned the two languages at the same time... (i'm thinking about my psych lecture where the guy told us it's nearly impossible to learn a new language after puberty).
Hachi is pissing me off. the stuff she was saying about how she'd just find another guy if Takumi doesn't work out reminded me so much of ... okay, psych has taken over my life ... of how you can only worry about self-actualization and things like that after you've covered the bases (food, shelter, clothing, etc, there's a whole freaking ladder below it). is whining all we can do? seriously, why is everything so much more intense than it has to be. or probably is in real life. i'm sure that everyone feels lonely, but we don't all sleep around to ease that feeling. not that there's anything wrong with her having sex. it's just, accept the consequences of your actions. i don't know, i guess it's valid that she's upset about her life like all the time but it's annoying having to hear about it as though there were nothing she could do about it. especially the way she gets jealous over everything. Nana having a job, Junko and the other guy and their art gallery, great now she feels left out. she's everything i don't want to be.
i guess in general that's something that tends to bother me. people who personify all the qualities i hate and would be afraid to possess.
on the other hand, i really am a big fan of Nana. :D that scene with the cake was so sad!
often times when i'm watching Jdrama i get the feeling, "wow we're living in a totally different universe." in Japan it seems like there's a lot more assuming responsibility for other people, whether or not they want it. for example, Ishida decides to give Fujii Minami up to the big-haired guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) because he thinks he's not good enough himself. does Fujii want to be with mr. big hair? no. she specifically chose Ishida. she likes him. she wants to have his babies. why isn't that enough?
i always feel like i'm missing the big picture, that things become more complicated as we age. that's probably true. but in reality Ishida is running away from himself; he feels inadequate and probably is scared that Fujii will see through him and realize how irreconcilably incompatible they are. he's afraid that he won't have a future, despite what *everyone* is telling him. he just needs more experience, but he's afraid to learn.
i'm not saying they're an excellent couple. they definitely seem a little awkward together, from the aesthetic perspective at least. but if they both have these feelings for each other, then why deny them?
but about the responsibility thing--maybe american culture is an anomaly here, because i rarely hear about people "giving" someone they like to their rival. are human emotions so easy to manipulate anyway? a NANA scene comes to mind: Yasu telling Ren that if he doesn't hurry up, Yasu will take Nana for himself. he might not have actually done it, but just saying something like that is weird, isn't it? because how will he take Nana if she has no feelings for him?
when i watch these shows, it becomes obvious how wired i am to accept things that are fed to me. anything, really. when i'm watching with other people and witness their reactions, which are usually much more pronounced than my own, i feel like i should be questioning more instead of just nodding yes to everything i see. the thing is, i've always tried to justify other people's actions, and when something goes wrong, i've more often than not found fault with myself. it's still hard, though, to realize something's not quite right, especially when it's subtle and so prevalent in other shows.
i'm not going to bother with an actual review or anything, from now on. too lazy and tired for that. anyway. ami remarked that the series didn't look like it would end happily, so i put off this episode until today. i was feeling a little crummy, alone in my room, considering whether i should tidy it up, do homework, get lunch, or whatever, when i decided to finally watch Honey & Clover.
it's an optimistic episode, i think. hopefully Hagu will internalize what Morita said. the brief flashback to Hagu's childhood makes me wonder. people always romanticize being alone. i hate that. most people don't feel lonely all the time. it's so hard when shows are just in your head, because then it's hard to get out.
H&C has a knack for being relatable in an awful way. every morning i wake up and wish i weren't here, wish my friends were with me, etc. mornings are the worst. that's what H&C feels like to me. unfamiliar, unsettling, but tough--we have to deal. Shuu-chan holding Hagu made me cry so hard. and then the scene with Morita. i know there are things i have to do right now, but God, i hate doing them alone. that's what i mean about shows with main characters who feel the same way. most people DON'T. it's misleading. i'd rather watch a show about someone who's not lonely because at least that's conducive to getting out of a funk.
but anyway. i liked the episode.
Kame is sort of like, adorable. >_< actual post coming eventually..
While working at a seaside inn with his high school buddies, Kouji Fujishiro (Yamada Takayuki) meets Kaoru Amane (Sawajiri Erika), a street musician. Kaoru is suffering from an incurable disease called XP (xeroderma pigmentosum), and can’t be exposed to the sun. Under the sun, the two would never have met. Still, destiny brings the two together. Since the day he suddenly lost his job, Kouji has lost sight of his dreams. But when he meets Kaoru, who is making positive efforts to become a singer, Kouji regains his long-forgotten passion for music.
i hate to make a comparison to 1 Litre of Tears but it's inevitable since 1) i picked up this series because of Sawajiri Erika's performance as Ikeuchi Aya and 2) she's dying again. once again she plays a character with a fatal disease, only this time the show is more romance-oriented. 1 Litre focused on how Aya coped with her illness, while Taiyou no Uta has several plotlines and doesn't assume from the start that Kaoru is going to die. Kaoru is also unable to face her disease the way Aya did--not to mention she's angstier and does quite a bit of whining, too.
not that her whining isn't justified or anything, considering her condition. it's just the way Kaoru is portrayed in the series (i have yet to watch the movie). she's not ... likable. let me rephrase that. it's more like this: when you're watching Sawajiri act as Kaoru, you get the feeling that she's talking to herself. even when she's smiling very cutely and interacting with other people, her character still feels extremely self-involved. it's similar to the Tom Cruise Syndrome, except Tom Cruise makes you want to listen to him complain. whereas with Kaoru, i'm tempted to fastforward.
it might not be Sawajiri's fault; it could be the direction or the script. either way, Taiyou no Uta puts a sort of distance between its audience and itself. none of the acting feels real, and it's hard to connect with the main characters. the supporting characters are less intriguing than they are stereotypical, serving as meek attempts to insert humor into what would otherwise be a very serious show about a serious subject. but the comedy doesn't mesh with the rest of the melodrama, and it isn't very funny period.
but bad direction, bad acting, and a lame script could be saved by a good soundtrack--and unfortunately, Taiyou no Uta doesn't have that either. whereas 1 Litre had "Konayuki" by remioromen, which would play during every Aya-and-Haruto (her love interest) scene and basically break a lot of hearts in the process, the music in Taiyou no Uta comes off as mostly bland background songs that you wish you didn't notice were playing. even if they were building up to a good moment, the music would sometimes kill it.
that's my general impression of the series. NOW, about episode 5 :D it had some good scenes, i thought, most of which included Kaoru's guitar. Sawajiri's most moving moments are when she looks utterly helpless. that and her singing face. but it's the face that says "Save me" that gets me every time. just when i think i don't want to watch any more of this show, she pulls the "Save me" face and--yeah, well i'm still here. i know i went on and on about how the music isn't that great, but they had a new insert song (not sung by Sawajiri, i believe) that played while Kouji confessed about his past and relationship with Tachibana Asami. and then it led into Kaoru suddenly saying, "i have a new idea for a song" and taking out her guitar to strum the first few chords of her new song, "Taiyou no Uta" as it's later named. i loved this part. she's just strumming the same chord four times, and then another chord four times, etc. it reminded me of when i used to try to write songs on the guitar, and had a raw, honest quality that's missing from the rest of the show. not to mention the beautiful violin playing in the background of that scene--i don't know why there's a violin, but it sounds good.
the other scene i liked was of Kouji playing the guitar for Kaoru after she finds out she can't use her right hand anymore. since the right hand controls chords, this is the end of her life as a guitarist and, she assumes, singer, too. Kouji's strumming sounds much more experienced than Kaoru's, and in his impromptu performance he's already tweaked her new song a little for her. the contrast between their guitar-playing skills was interesting to see, especially because Kouji is the reason Kaoru started playing in the first place, and it makes sense for him to be better. it also hints at all the history that Kaoru still hardly knows about, Kouji's past, and why he gave up music. this was a good way to end the episode and made me want to watch the next one, if only to see more of Kouji's guitar-playing =D
one question i have regarding Kaoru's narration throughout the episodes: does this mean she's not going to die?
a pretty enjoyable episode. Nana gets back with Ren, although she acknowledges that they can't really be together so long as she has her singing career. Nana's reunion with Ren makes Hachi more desperate for happiness, and she begins coping by fantasizing about other guys, namely Yasu and Takumi. Yasu, however, seems to treat everyone with equal kindness, and she quickly moves on to Takumi, whose autograph Nana promised her. meanwhile, Nana has given Ren Hachi's cell number, and Ren contacts Hachi (well, Nana) about a get-together at their place. Hachi gets extremely excited and can't focus at work... at all. she comes home to a smiling Takumi who greets her at the door in that low sexy voice of his, and promptly bursts into tears, thinking that this is Nana's wonderful thank-you gift.
Nana and Ren's reunion doesn't feel as happy as they deserve, and it really reminds me of how they are adults now. sigh, things are more complicated now, aren't they? i don't really understand why, but that's probably because i'm not Japanese. they mention a few times that Nana chose pride over love, and i never figured out why she couldn't have both. once again, the theme of the working woman gettin' no love.
Hachi is a little ridiculous in how fast she moves from one guy to the next. i understand this is time for her rebound, but she overdoes it with the constant fantasizing. she seems to like every good-looking guy she meets, which to me is a sign that she hasn't grown up yet. next to Nana, Hachi really is "mada mada," da ne. =D seriously, though. rather than "do i like him?" she thinks "could he like me?" and that determines whether she'll go for the guy. like with Yasu, she sees that she's not his type--not the other way around. Hachi needs something in her life other than guys and ... Nana's life. the only time she appears less childish is when standing next to Shin, who's grown "less cute" and acts more and more like a know-it-all with each episode but is just a floater. he doesn't have a place of his own but stays with random older women who probably possess a weakness for pierced underage boys and will gladly be his pimps. i'm guessing he's not exactly diggin' this lifestyle either, since he's suggested that he'd rather stay with Nobu, except it'd be too much trouble. i don't really think so, though, since he seems pretty good at taking care of drunk-Nobu... and drunk-Nobu probably needs taking care of, anyway. i also understand now why so many people disliked Matsuyama Kenichi's portrayal of him in the NANA live action--though not lacking in charisma, he didn't exactly get across that "young, naive, lost" feeling. Shin needs an episode of his own, but i doubt that's coming anytime soon... especially since Yasu and Nobu haven't had theirs.
i'm excited about the next episode because the anime has finally gotten to where the live action left off, and i haven't read past it in the manga. it'll be interesting to see how Takumi and Hachi's relationship develops and hopefully learn more about the other Blast members. this episode also featured the new ED song, "Starless Night," by OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (Trapnest). it doesn't have as much of an emotional impact as "A Little Pain," with which i fell in love at first sound and which also has a great intro that can be dragged out for minutes if needed. who knows, maybe "Starless Night" will get better with more listens, and the chorus is pretty interesting, but the opening just sounds kind of bland to me.
edit: after a third listen, it is sounding better. i think if "A Little Pain" was Hachi's type of song, "Starless Night" is more like Nana's.
Episode 1: "So what if I like to be alone?!"
Summary from Fuji TV:
A man is cooking a steak in an apartment kitchen. Although his skills are a bit rusty, his usage of spices and way of pouring brandy to light a fire is quite a sight. He's Shinsuke Kuwano, an architect. He starts taking bites of the steak when his cell phone rings. It's Eiji Murakami, Shinsuke's assistant at the office. He has called to remind Shinsuke of a party that he was supposed to attend.
"Mr. Kuwano, you were the one invited. Why aren't you here?" "Eiji, did you know that the ancient Romans partied by lying on the floor and feasting with their hands?" "You have to come. There's somebody that wants to build a house soon."
Later on at the party, Shinsuke finds Eiji hitting on a girl. "Did you know that five-story pagodas are actually one-story high?" This is a piece of trivia that Shinsuke had told him. Shinsuke stands out at the party with his handsome looks. When he learns that a girl at the party is interested in him, for some reason, he starts talking endlessly about architecture, eventually boring the girl. Eiji says, "Mr. Kuwano, if you don't do something about your personality, you'll never be able to get married." "I like being alone!" replies Shinsuke.
In the meantime, at a Japanese restaurant, Natsumi Hayasaka is reluctantly having dinner with an arranged date. When Natsumi feels that the topic of conversation is heading towards marriage, she finally speaks up.
At a later date, Maya Sawasaki, who works in the housing industry is giving a tour of a house Shinsuke designed. Maya is confident of landing a deal with a customer, but Shinsuke just can't keep his mouth shut, ruining the deal. Although Maya and Eiji are fed up with Shinsuke's personality, they still respect his way of designing homes focusing on the kitchen—the place in the house where family warmth is built upon.
i started watching this show for two reasons: high ratings and Abe Hiroshi. he also played the business-minded teacher ("but i'm actually a lawyer") in Dragon Zakura and was the reason i kept watching. Abe Hiroshi actually reminds me of the main character in House MD, except younger and not as unkempt. he's a very attractive older man :D and doesn't disappoint in this series either as the eccentric Kuwano.
female client: why did you become an architect?
Kuwano: because God told me to.
(silence)
Murakami: that was a joke just now.
i loved the first scene of him eating by himself and then later at the party where Murakami had to translate to a client nearly everything Kuwano was saying. i don't know if anyone else can pull off this role like Abe Hiroshi, honestly, because there's a thin line between being an asshole and being funny. he doesn't try to be an asshole, however, it just comes naturally to him. Kuwano doesn't seem to know how to act around people; he relies on his genius to make a living and is used to getting things done by himself and his own way. because his coworkers respect him as an architect, Kuwano can get away with being rude to clients or even chasing them away--but the strangest part is that he doesn't do it on purpose or sometimes even realize that he's doing it. which makes me wonder about whether he's actually lonely. because naturally solitary people don't have to be longing for human companionship... but certain scenes suggest that Kuwano doesn't always want to be alone. for example: when he remembers his own birthday he asks Nakagawa, his brother-in-law, to celebrate, and is rejected. and when Sawasaki, his female doctor and possible love interest, invites him to cake at the hospital, he declines because he doesn't want her invitation to be out of pity. in fact, Nakagawa's friendliness angers him, most likely because he doesn't think she genuinely cares. all of which suggests Kuwano does have some desire for friendship.
all these shows about love, work, and marriage remind me of what my Tokyo Free Guide told me when i visited in July. "unmarried women after 30 are referred to as 'Christmas cakes,' which are no good after Christmas." here is another series featuring an unmarried woman approaching or past the age of 30, hardworking, successful, and described by others as not "kawaii" enough. it seems like in Japan especially, women have to choose between their love life and their career goals. i wonder about the "kawaii" thing, though. the line "you'd have a boyfriend if you only acted a bit more kawaii" has been used and reused in scores of shows now. why is "kawaii" what makes a woman attractive, and not "determined" or "confident"? still, the times are changing, since most of these shows have career women finding love after all.
since i'm already up to episode 4, i'm going to stop writing here and insert more pictures instead.
i am dying to see this. not only is it BL, it also contains two Tenimyu stars, Kotani Yoshikazu (Taka-san in the musical) and Saitou Takumi (Oshitari).
not sure exactly what the movie will be about, but Kotani plays a magazine editor, Mamiya Akira, and Saitou a high school model, Kisaragi Noeru.
more pictures can be found at the official site. they are delicious. *ded*
to be released 11/24/06
a 1998 movie that follows the original manga pretty closely from what my hazy memory can recall, featuring Hong Kong actors Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung. summary taken from LoveHKFilm: Stephen Fung is Jet, a male hustler who approaches his job with the demeanor and style of a professional. All that is thrown out the window when he falls for Sam (Daniel Wu), a seemingly straight cop with a beautiful girlfriend (Shu Qi, in a short cameo). Enchanted by Sam’s beauty and quiet grace, he draws closer to him. He doesn’t mean to deceive Sam about his sexuality but he’s powerless to walk away from him. Little does he know that Sam has secrets of his own, which involve Jet’s colleague Ching (Jason Tsang) as well as a teen-idol pop star named K.S. (Terence Yin).
boy this is not a fun film. i'm all for boy-lovin' but the layers of angst buried in Bishonen are enough to make even A.W.1 Date Kouji cry. Wu's character, Sam, reminded me of Rufus from James Baldwin's Another Country in his self-hatred. he spoke of having two personalities, one that acted rashly and was capable of betrayal while the other, as described by his mother, was hardworking and just "good." his mother even said that she sometimes wished he would be a little bad, so he could relax more. the best word to describe him would probably be "repressed." he spends most of his time trying to be good to others, being straight in front of his parents, that when he met KS he was finally able to do something for himself... even if it meant cheating on the adorably nerdy Ching (who later got buff and less adorable). but since it didn't work out with KS, Sam got even more messed up in the head...
Stephen Fung was great as Jet, suave yet still maintaining [what should seem by now like an impossible] boyish charm. the opening scene with him catching the old man's eye and leading him eventually into a public restroom without any verbal exchange was so powerful, though i can't say the same for the whole movie. Jet's immediate attraction to Sam was believable because it showed us the loneliness of his lifestyle. i found his reaction to Sam's finding him later after their three chance meetings adorable--Fung's portrayal of Jet's childlike side was one of the highlights of the film. his transition to being "tamed" seemed a little abrupt at the time, but in retrospect it makes sense because of how much he probably wanted it.
i can't say much about Terence Yin except that his English was fantastic!! was that really him speaking? his character KS was really awful though, and i don't mean the acting, although casting him as an 18-year-old does seem a little ridiculous. regardless of his actual age, he looked closer to 30 than 18. KS's natural charisma didn't come across the way it did in the original manga, and he seemed more contrived than young&brash. as a result, i had a hard time believing that Sam would give up everything for this "teenager."
Sam had a really great family. it's funny that the actors playing the parents spoke like mainland-ers, while Wu struggled with his Mandarin. and the rest of the movie is in Cantonese. it's like 2046 all over again. also, Shu Qi is gorgeous. she reminds me of Dawson's-Creek-era Katie Holmes and that girl that Orlando Bloom was (is?) engaged to who starred in Superman and Blue Crush. however, i don't quite understand her role in this movie, other than looking pretty and mysterious. although she does deliver Sam's last letter to Jet at the end, that could've been handled without her.
1After Watermelon. B.W. (Before Watermelon) Date Kouji was something of a crybaby according to his cast-mates and basically every human being on Earth who has seen a Tenimyu DVD backstage in which he often looks like he just lost his lollipop. A.W.D.K. however is more confident and generally happier; he feels that heavy, fruity roundness in his arms and thinks, no, FEELS that life is complete now that suika-tan is by his side. check this picture for reference.
i don't watch this show regularly, but it's becoming more interesting as more character development is introduced. episode 20 focuses on the twins, their isolation from others, and Tamaki's efforts (and success) in penetrating their shell. there's a good deal of information about how the twincest came about (Tamaki's idea, who else?) and the host club was formed in the first place.
i enjoyed this episode because finding out more about the twins is always interesting. they, along with Kyouya, were the least engaging characters to me from the start, but that's started to change.
although their games may be seen as harsh at times, it's more than a little ridiculous that no one except Haruhi can tell them apart. by now their classmates should have realized that Kaoru has a softer and more effeminate voice. also each guess has a 50% chance of being right, so how is it possible that they get it wrong every time (except that one time with Tamaki)? and the girl who confessed to Kaoru was pretty stupid... how could she like him if she couldn't even tell them apart? i felt no sympathy for her at all.
personality-wise, though, i think it's still pretty hard to distinguish between the two. from the episode where Kaoru tricks Hikaru into going on a date with Haruhi, it'd seem like Kaoru's the more mature one, but i don't think this observation is entirely consistent with previous episodes... although no examples come to mind at the moment XD;; the episode didn't give much insight as to their individual personalities but we learn a bit about them as a pair. the maid made me want to crack up, because they called her the only person they'd liked so i'd envisioned a warm, caring motherly figure. then they showed her cracking the safe. XDDD that was great. but it gives us an idea as to the type of people the twins are attracted to. although that doesn't explain their feelings for Haruhi...
i didn't like the metaphorical door at the end, or how they manage to squeeze Haruhi into every episode even when it's got nothing to do with her. (yes, yes, she's the only one who can tell them apart, and there's a nice cohesiveness to ending the episode with her appearance... but i still don't like her!) although, here's to hoping they'll give her a personality sometime soon. on the other hand, Tamaki's looking better with every episode. i love his self-delusional tendencies <3 he's like a ditzy girl, minus the helium. plus his seiyuu is the orally-fixated Mamo, aka Ishida in Tenimyu who taught us the beauty of pained expressions and ANGST OH TACHIBANA-SAN galore.
