* Creating Enchantment *

Matapos kong panoorin ang Beach Boys, hindi pa rin ako nakuntento at dali-dali kong sinimulan ang Dream Again kung saan bida muli si Sorimachi Takashi (ng buhay ko ;)). Tungkol ito sa isang “retired” professional baseball player na nais matupad ang kanyang pangarap na makapaglarong muli ng baseball, ngunit bago pa man siya nakagawa ng kahit anong hakbang upang mapalapit muli sa kanyang pangarap ay nabawian siya ng buhay. Kung kaya’t nang siya’y maging ispiritu na lamang, sinabi sa kanya ng “heaven’s guide” na maaari siyang bigyan ng isa pang pagkakataong mabuhay para matupad ang kanyang pangarap, ngunit sa katawan na ng ibang tao, at hindi niya pwedeng sabihin sa kahit sino kung sino siya talaga kasi kung mangyari ‘yun, ay bigla na lang siyang mawawala at ‘di na makakababalik muli.

Mag-E-English na’ko dahil medyo mahirap mag-fangirl ‘pag Tagalog. Hehehe.

Sorimachi Takashi is a little older in this drama (of course, since it was shown only last year) as compared to Beach Boys and GTO, which were shown in the late 90’s. So naturally, Sorimachi Takashi looks slightly different. He doesn’t have that kind of face some actors have where their age doesn’t show. But I think Sorimachi-san pulls the early 30’s off well. He looks just right–too old to be a teen idol, but young enough not to be labelled an old man. Hence, I still like him. Anyway, this drama is also a bit different from those I usually watch, which are school dramas (as in dramas set in high school (college, tops)). This one is about people who work in the office, and about, er, sports, which if you know me, you know I’m really not interested in. But it seems that Sorimachi Takashi and sports are an inevitable combination since all his roles involve showing off his physical strength somehow — he was a professional swimmer in Beach Boys and a karate expert in GTO. I guess they’re really banking on his physical skills ‘eh? Why would anyone cast Sorimachi Takashi and not have him do lots and lots of physical activities? That would be a complete waste of talent.

Anyway, I’m getting off-topic again (although since I’m really just spazzing about Sorimachi-san then I can prett much say anything I want). The point is that I realized that I would probably watch just about anything if it has one of my favorite actors in it. I actually attempted to watch The Ring again, just so I could see Matsushima Nanako. (Note: I only saw the first 15 minutes. I got too scared and turned the TV off after that. I guess I’m still not over that movie, after 5 years. Haha!) Although I’m doubting if I can take Fulltime Killer and that other Sorimachi movie that’s set in traditional Japan (like the Tokugawa era or something). I guess we’ll see in the future.

So far, I’m liking Dream Again. It’s probably something that a lot of other people will find boring. I’m already on Episode 6 and there are so far no big scandalous memorable scenes, or anything really really funny. There’s nothing all that notable about it and if you’re not a Sorimachi Takashi fan, you probably wouldn’t be all that interested. But I’m not saying that it’s a bad drama. Actually, the conflicts that they thought of are pretty good– how the new person Sorimachi-san becomes is this “evil” company president who his lawyer ex-girlfriend goes up against in a lawsuit, how he suddenly gains an illegitimate daughter, and how he’s suddenly so out of shape to be able to qualify for any pro baseball team. It’s all very interesting and fun to watch, but I guess because it’s a lot more serious than GTO and Beach Boys then it doesn’t really give a lot of chances for me to spaz like a ditzy fangirl. But oh well, I love Sorimachi Takashi anyway.

I love dramas. And I realized recently, that I love different kinds of dramas, too. I used to think that I only liked those that involved love stories, but after watching Beach Boys, which hardly has any romantic arc, I discovered that I could like stories that don’t involve love as well. (And that dramas that are only about love stories can get boring after a while, too.) I’m really liking how I’m finding out more and more things as I watch more and more of Sorimachi-san and Kubozuka-san and Tamaki-san and Yamapi-kun (Yes, he’s kun because *sigh* he’s unfortunately younger than me). I’m happy I’m a fangirl.

Well, it’s been over for at least a month, but according to the Beach Boys, summer ends when you want it to, or when you really feel like it’s over. As for me, I guess it just ended today. The 1st of July. (Technically, it’s July 2 now, but I haven’t slept yet so I’m considering this as July 1st still.)

For one thing, today’s the official start of the fiscal year. I don’t want to explain all the details (I think I’m not allowed to anyway), but that’s sort of a big thing in our office. And I did kind of tell myself that I’d definitely make this fiscal year better than the last. So technically, I should be starting to get better right now.

And next, my Elementary 2 Japanese classes have finished. Just last Saturday in fact, and earlier today a representative from the school called me and asked if I was going to continue studying Elementary 3. I said I was, and she said for me to bring my tuition fee this Saturday, because that’s when the next class will start. I don’t get a break at all! But I guess that’s fine, since it’s a language anyway, and you’re really supposed to be learning things continuously.

I also finished the “summer edition” of my office’s unofficial newsletter. For those of you who don’t know, I actually “run” a blog that reports the events of our team (and another department who we’re friends with) in our office. It’s unofficial, and it’s mostly about our birthdays or trips to the beach or wherever, but it’s fun nonetheless. And there are some funny articles about life, and whatnot. Not all of them are written by me of course. We get contributions from the other members. I actually mainly am just the one to post them on the internet, and I take care of the horoscopes, but anyway, the point is that whenever I finish an issue, I do feel a bit proud of myself, for having been able to organize all the information. And this latest issue was particularly difficult for me, because so much has happened in the past month (make that 2 months), that I didn’t know how to consolidate everything into just one issue. Although it’s technically supposed to be a weekly newsletter, but alas, work got in the way, and some personal matters (which mostly refers to my laziness), so I was only able to finish it now. But I think my officemates are pretty happy about it. Maybe you’d like to give it a look, too. It’s in here.

I guess the second half of the year has begun, so everyday we’ll be a little bit closer to 2009. Gah. 2009. It’s such a big number ‘eh? I’m not really fond of this “transition period” in the year, because it also means that it’s nearing my birthday (which is in September), meaning I’ll be a year older again, and that always sucks, since I have a Peter Pan complex and I don’t care how many people older than me tell me that I’m still young. I’m way too old in my opinion. Way too old for my state of mind. I still feel, think, and act like I’m 13. Can’t you tell?

Actually the reason I wrote this entry (and titled it this way) is because I just finished watching Episodes 1 to 12 of Beach Boys (1997), the drama which starred Sorimachi Takashi (Yes, the GTO guy), before he became GTO. It also stars Takenouchi Yutaka, who happens to be the actor who’s got a picure on Fuyutsuki’s wall. (Fuyutsuki is the love interest for GTO, by the way.) So now, I totally get why that poster’s such a big deal in the GTO drama. It’s like an inside joke of sorts, which you probably would’ve gotten if you were Japanese, and you watched the dramas during that era.

I really want to write a review on Beach Boys, but somehow the words to describe it escapes me. Why is it so difficult to talk about beautiful things? I was complaining before on how the summaries for Beach Boys in the drama websites and forums are all so vague. But I know now why they are. It’s because it’s really hard to explain. I think, it falls under that category “everyday drama”. You know, the kind of show where you think nothing’s happening because everything seems so normal, but when you stop to think about it, you’ll feel like you’re learning life’s secrets? Japan has a lot of those things. Not just in TV dramas, but in their books and movies as well. And in manga and anime. I think that’s why I like Japanese shows so much. But I won’t talk about that right now. I won’t be able to stop.

So, Beach Boys is a summer drama (I mean, it’s about summer), and I’m quite happy that I watched it when I did–during the transition period from summer to rainy season. Oh, and I’m happy it won Best Casting during the time it was famous. Because as I watched it, I really felt that the casting was great. The chemistry between the actors (and not just those in the lead roles) was absolutely perfect. You would totally know them, and feel like their friend. Not many dramas can do that. But this one really did.

Anyway, sorry if this entry feels disorganized, the ideas disjointed. I always have a hard time writing, or talking, when I finish watching something really really good. Add to that my love-hate relationship with the 2nd half of the year, my anxiousness on starting a new lesson in Japanese, and all the worry about the things I should’ve done but didn’t because I just watched Beach Boys instead, and well, yeah, this kind of entry is what you get. So I’ll end this now before I embarrass myself more.

Happy 2nd half of the year everyone. If the first half sucked for you, then here’s your chance to make 2008 a great year still. Good luck to all of us.

Also, just a tidbit of news: I just found out that the artists Jon Zamar and Syeri Baet tied the knot (as in got married) last Saturday!!

So, I’m not really close friends with them, but I’ve seen them around in conventions and have had a conversation or two with them. I think Syeri still recognizes me but she’s probably forgotten my name, which is okay really, since I don’t see her that much anyway and the last time we had a conversation that was more than two sentences long was way way back; 5 years ago at least.

That’s actually why I’m happy to hear they’re married, because when I was introduced to them, they weren’t even a couple yet. Just two artists in the same circle, and I was one of the first witnesses to their budding relationship, was even one of the people who teased them (well, I teased Syeri. Jon and I aren’t close at all. I don’t think he knows me.) about it. And now, some years later, I find out they’re married! It’s so cute, right?! I wish happy endings for everyone!!

(This is just a rumor, I think he proposed to her in last year’s Komikon. Or was it the year before? Or was it the day before last year’s Komikon? Ah, whatever. It was around that time.)

This’ll be a quick post/review as I’m technically supposed to be studying. But I couldn’t resist watching the last episode of Long Love Letter, since the ending of the 2nd to the last episode was such a cliffhanger! (Although I totally saw it coming hehehe.) Or maybe I just want to be nitpicky again because I’m not liking people’s reaction to this drama. Well, sure, it’s something not everyone will like, but some people are just downright mean when they say it’s stupid or that they want 11 hours of their lives back. I honestly think this show deserves more love than that.

Anyway, it’s all about this group of people who were coincidentally in a school, during winter break. They experience an earthquake which inexplicably transports the entire school, including everyone who was in it at the time, several years into the future. Or, at least a version of the future, where the Earth is nothing but a desert, and there are dangerous chemicals in the air, and humans have mutated into some sort of creepy species.

I don’t know why people are confused with how the drama went. It totally made sense to me. Okay, some parts admittedly were confusing, but that’s what happens when you tackle time travel and parallel worlds. What you have to remember is that it’s all fiction anyway, so even if you can’t wrap your mind around a certain concept (let’s say that it’s blatantly scientifically impossible), you just have to think that it’s just a story, and for the universe the story is in, breaking scientific laws is possible. If you’re able to accept that, then you’ll probably enjoy this drama, and really get its messages.

The most obvious one being “Live for the moment”, because you never know when you will lose the people or the things you have around you, as was shown by the characters in the show who lost everything they had in an instant. And then there’s also all that stuff about saving the environment. I think this is mostly the reason why I like this show, because I like it when people remind other people to be careful with the Earth’s resources as they’re not unlimited. The last one, which I think is the most important would be to “never lose hope“.

Okay, okay, that’s a little cliche (or cheesy), but I think what this drama did really well is to tie all those messages together. It’s like saying that you should live for the moment, enjoy your life, and do what you can while protecting the Earth from destruction. But if all your effort fails, and you still end up in a world with no rain and hazardous chemicals mixed in the wind, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seize the moment anymore, and still try to save what you can of the Earth, even if you’re armed with absolutely nothing.

And regarding the ending…

[Spoilers galore ahead. If you don't like spoilers, just watch the drama!]

I totally got it. I don’t know why people say it’s stupid, or that it just opened up another can of worms, without answering the questions that the first episode asked.

The entire story began with Asami (Kubozuka Yosuke) having his cellphone stolen, causing him to lose contact with a girl he met, Misaki (Tokiwa Takako). Now, we know that what happened next was that he finished college, became a teacher, and didn’t see Misaki again until after a few years, when Misaki went to his school to deliver some flowers. And when they meet in school, we know that before they parted ways, the earthquake happened, causing all of them to be transported into the future.

Now, in the last episode, because fragments of the “time capsule” they sent from the future made it to the point in time where Asami was about to lose his cellphone, the effect was that he didn’t lose his cellphone, and so he didn’t lose contact with Misaki, hence, the future where they only meet again in school when Asami’s already a teacher, no longer happens. Hence, even if the earthquake occurs in 2002 and affect the school, the circumstances wouldn’t be the same, because it wouldn’t have been the first time Asami and Misaki meet again. And so you can conclude from that, that the bleak future where the characters fought for their survival amidst a barren desert, doesn’t happen anymore.

Get it?

Hmm… maybe I’m not good at explaining stuff. But seriously, the bits and pieces of paper falling from the sky into Asami’s lap as he sits in that bench, really wraps up the story.

It’s consistent with the Chaos theory/Butterfly effect that says something like:

“It is possible that a very small occurence can produce unpredictable and sometimes drastic results by triggering a series of increasingly significant events.”

Ah… Just watch the show and you’ll see what I mean. Although it’s not the best J-drama I’ve seen, it’s most definitely not a bad one.

Of course, it’s not as dramatic as how he saves the lives of the students in his story, but I think GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) came to me at just the right time.

You may or may not have noticed it, but I’ve been feeling down the past couple of days (weeks, months, year…). But now, I’m feeling a lot happier, and it’s all because of Eikichi. Or, Onizuka-sensei, I should say. Not because he’s my sensei, but because I also learned some things from him. Is it weird to feel like just one of his students, despite my being no longer in high school, and not actually having the problems that his students have? Well, even if it is weird, I still feel happy about it now, that even if I just saw him on a TV show, even if he’s fictitious, he still had an impact on me. It’s not just real people who can influence you after all.

Sorimachi Takashi as Onizuka Eikichi is <3 <3 <3 . I cannot say it enough. Maybe I’m giving the show too much credit and it’s childish to say I learned a lot from it, but I’m honestly grateful for this series, because although it’s nothing profound, it was able to help me cope up with things going on in my life, that I have very much difficulty dealing with. I’m not saying it solved all my problems, but you know what I mean, right? Surely there have been TV shows and movies and songs and other works of art that, although aren’t all that great, or deep, were able to speak to you still, and make you think, even make you act a certain way.

I’m glad I only saw this now, and not when it was at its peak (when it was shown in the late 90’s). I don’t think I would’ve appreciated it this much if I’d seen it then. Maybe it’s fate? Or maybe, for the first time, time is cooperating with me. Maybe fate enlisted its help. (Because I’m fate’s best friend. If you know me personally, you’ll understand this statement. If not, er, maybe you can just ask me next time because it’s too long a story to put here.)

Point being, I really just want to say

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU ONIZUKA-SENSEI!

Today is the 3rd day that I’m listening only to Poison by Sorimachi Takashi AKA the theme to GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) Live Action Series. Okay, okay, I listened to his other song last night (in YouTube), but only to know how his voice sounds like when he’s singing something else. I haven’t listened to any other artist since. And so, I think something is seriously wrong with me.

I don’t know what it is. Admittedly, GTO is not the best drama I’ve seen. Sorimachi Takashi is not the best artist I’ve known. Poison is not the best song I’ve heard. But for some reason (maybe the combination of all three) I’m so obsessed with all of it, and everything related to it. Like Matsushima Nanako. She’s the lead actress in GTO, and is Sorimachi Takashi’s wife, so I’m researching about her as well (even considering watching Ringu again, just to see her! (And you know how scared I am of Ringu.)). And the rest of the cast, Kubozuka Yosuke, and Oguri Shun, although I’ve known about them for a long time, it’s only now that I’m really curious about what’s happening to them. (It’s easy in the case of Oguri Shun, hello, Hana Kimi. But Kubozuke Yosuke doesn’t have as much exposure.)

Anyway, this is probably going to be my review of the drama series. I just finished watching it last night including the special episode), but I still haven’t seen the movie yet (I’m saving that for later). Reading the reviews of GTO, I can understand why most people give it a 10/10 score, or say it “The BEST DRAMA EVAR!!!” For most people (at least those on the internet, and aren’t Japanese), this is the first J-drama they’ve seen. So naturally, they’ll fall in love with it, just like how I fell in love with Hana Yori Dango (because that’s the first J-drama I’ve watched). It’s got the right elements to make a good show after all– quirky characters, interesting situations, unorthodox ways of solving problems, and a love story between two people unlikely to get together in real life (in this case, the goody-two-shoes girl and the bad-boy). But other than that, I think the reason that this is one of the greatest series ever (I read somewhere that when the last episode was aired in Japan, it was the most watched show on TV ever in Japan’s history), is because they hit everything, every aspect, perfect.

The co-teachers, for one, are all very interesting both individually, and as a collective. Onizuka had a line that went “So there’s bullying among the teachers, too.” I think it’s just so clever that they chose to show the different sides of the faculty as well, rather than having everyone gang up on just Onizuka, because they showed everyone’s individual reasons for not liking him, it makes their ploys to get him fired all the more believable. The only one I don’t understand really is the director. I mean yeah, she’s unorthodox and that’s why she hired Onizuka, but I kind of wished that she treated the other teachers fairly. It’s maybe because of her favoritism that the others really hated Onizuka. In this aspect, I like what they did better in Dragon Zakura, wherein the director was so sad about her husband’s death that she made weird decisions that no one could understand. That was more believable to me.

The characters of the students are great as well. They only focused on a few of them, but let’s face it, you can’t solve each and every problem of each and every one of your students, you’ll have to prioritize those whose problems are bigger than the rest of the class, right? So for me, it was okay how Onizuka was only really close to some students, and the rest of the class just followed. Isn’t that how it is with big groups anyway?

I think that their angst was just right for their age, and their bullying, and how their feelings manifest, was all very interesting, and touching. Even their attitude towards teachers (or grown-ups in general) that developed when their friend died, is something that makes the story work. If there’s a good enough reason for it, you can justify anyone’s actions, right? Like Ashiya disguising herself as a boy, and flying halfway across the world to go to an all-boys school, can be justified by her passion and her belief that her idol shouldn’t quit sports.

The ones whose reasons I didn’t understand actually, were Fuyutsuki-sensei (Matsushima Nanako), although this could be attributed by her being confused as to how she feels for Onizuka. Maybe she did fall in love with him on sight when she first saw him at the school entrance, but didn’t know then what she felt, and that’s why she kept helping him throughout the series, despite not having a need to. I’ve always believed anyway that you’ll know that someone likes you when they do things for you that they don’t need to, i.e. Fuyutsuki-sensei prepping Onizuka for his exam, talking to the rest of the faculty to defend Onizuka’s actions, etc.

And Onizuka. His reasons for becoming a teacher was never fully explored, but because he’s already such a bold character, who’s made it clear by all his actions that he doesn’t care what anyone thinks, then he gets away with things like that. And he did say something that seemed like a reason for wanting to become a teacher: He used to be a bully in high school, and hardly attended class. Now that he’s older (and presumably wiser), he regrets not having enjoyed his school days, and so he wants to be a teacher, so he can spend more time in school. I don’t know about you, but I actually think that this reason is good enough.

My absolute favorite moments were: (Skip this part if you don’t like spoilers.)

> Onizuka and Fuyutsuki moments: Talking on the phone, chasing each other around campus, eating dinner together, Onizuka saving her from the stalker-teacher, Onizuka carrying her around… Their romance is so high school. I love it. And I give them plus points for having been able to equate a condom with romance. That’s something no other show has done. My most favorite part (apart from the cute phone call) of the two of them is the airport scene. Wah, this I guess blows my cover as a jaded cynic and lets everyone see how much of a hopeless romantic I am: I just love those big “airport” scenes. Seriously. Onizuka standing at the tarmac, shouting at the plane for Fuyutsuki to come down, and Fuyutsuki running into his open arms… Waaahh!! Would’ve been way cooler if it were sunset, but that’s already a bit much. So the way it played in the drama was just right. XD

> Onizuka tearing down the wall of his student’s house: This being the first big dramatic scene, it does a good job of establishing Onizuka’s character.

> All the Kikuchi (Kubozuka Yosuke) scenes: He’s my favorite of the students! I loved it when he played the tape to prove that Miyabi was bullying Noburo. I even liked it when he got beat up by street thugs. Haha. I’m no sadist, but he totally deserved it, being so arrogant and self-righteous. And I’m glad he didn’t turn into a disappointing character, even until the Special episode, where he becomes the boyfriend of their classmate who became an idol (Tomoko). I think that pairing was brilliant.

> The school festival: I was actually waiting for this scene, because there’s always a school festival in high school dramas, right? I guess it’s really a big part of the high school experience, and I am so glad they saved this part for last. It was all just way way… brilliant. (Yes, I’ve run out of positive adjectives.)

And for my absolute favorite scene, I decided to post a screenshot:

Nah, I’m kidding of course. This isn’t my absolute favorite scene. But it’s just so kakkoi, I had to post it. Well, it’s my favorite in the opening credits. And that part where his back is to the camera, and he’s walking towards the school, too. That’s also a great scene. I totally loved the Opening Credits of this series. What the heck, right?! Who falls in love with the “opening credits”!?!? But… but… Sorimachi Takahshi is just so *swoons* … There are no words.

So, even if I’m saying that my “unbiased” opinion is that this isn’t the best J-drama ever, I’m still giving it 10/10 because the level of enjoyment (not to mention obsession) is that high. Maybe even higher. I’ve been listening to its theme song for 3 days straight, haven’t I?

OKAY, I know I’m a little late (about 10 years) in watching it, but what can I say? J-Dramas weren’t as famous then as it is now (in our country anyway), and it’s only this year that I got a computer (and with that comes the oppportunity to watch the J-dramas I like, and not just those that my friends hand over to me), and the time (I think when GTO was famous here, I was in college and I was working on my thesis so that didn’t give me a lot of time to do anything not thesis-related) to see it. I’m actually glad that I’m seeing it only now (after all the fuss is over, which is when I like obsessing over things anyway), because I can really take my time in watching and obsessing over every little detail of the show, taking in each and every expression, dialogue and whatever else that’s worth taking in.

I’ve only seen up to Episode 7 (so don’t tell me any spoilers). I would’ve seen more, but I was just so sleepy, I couldn’t keep my eyes open (I stayed up until 3AM to see it). Actually, I wasn’t even going to watch it, I accidentally opened the file (does that ever happen to you, when you’re on Windows Explorer and you accidentally click on a file? It happens to me a LOT.) and the player had an Auto Play function, and I decided to see the first few minutes of it, but then, without even noticing it, the first few minutes had turned into the whole episode, and soon I was watching the next one and the next one– I just couldn’t stop!!

Call me crazy but Sorimachi Takashi as Eikichi Onizuka is just… <3 <3 <3 !!! *fangirly sigh* And I know, I know, he’s married to his co-star (in GTO as well), Matsushima Nanako (who played his love interest in the drama, Azusa Fuyutsuki), but that’s why it’s so nakakakilig. (Waaah, sorry for the non-Tagalog speakers, there’s no translation for this term, but the closest I can think of at the moment is “giddy”.)

(L-R) Matsushima Nanako as Azusa Fuyutsuki and Sorimachi Takashi as Onizuka Eikichi

My favorite Eikichi/Azusa part is when Eikichi’s friend was pressuring him to get a girlfriend and he called Azusa and she answered the phone and she smiled when she found out Eikichi was on the other end. <3 Sure, it’s not a big scene, like the one where he carried her and dumped her in the fountain, but… XD XD XD it was just so cute!!

So maybe I’ll give my serious/full review on this later on (even though it’s probably pretty useless by now, this is an old drama), but in the meantime, let me be a fangirl and say Wheeee!!! XD Eikichi-Azusa forever!! <3 Hahaha! Oh, and want to comment on the other actors in this drama– Can’t believe that’s Oguri Shun being bullied ‘eh? And, Kubozuka Yosuke, whom I first saw in Onatsuki is waaahhh so young!! But kakkoi as ever! XD He’s my favorite of the students. Aiyah! I always like the smart/geeky/stoic ones. Hehehe.

I’m entering the J-drama fans scene late, as I’ve only had my own computer for a month (Wow! It’s been a month! (Actually a month and 2 days)). And I don’t really want to watch the new dramas anyway, because waiting for episodes is just . I mean, it’s really hard for me. I’d much rather do all the waiting now, and then watch it in a marathon a few months from now. I don’t care too much about being updated anyway, since I only really have a few friends I can talk to about this stuff. So yeah, haha I’m really just doing this for me.

Anyway, I think writing a review would also be pretty useless since most of the people have seen the dramas anyway and have formed their opinions about it, so this is really mostly just a reaction.

NOBUTA WO PRODUCE

So after discovering Yamapi on Proposal Daisakusen (Yes, I saw that before I saw this one. See, I told you I’m watching these things late and so not in the order they came out :P), I began mentioning his name like crazy, and whenever I did, people kept recommending this drama to me. And that’s why it’s my first ever torrent-downloaded drama. I’m quite proud of myself, honestly. Because the torrent world is so weird, isn’t it? There’s so much stuff you have to know about codec and others. And then the Asian drama torrent world is even weirder, because there are soft-subs and hard-subs issues involved. Anyway, I managed to figure it all out (I think) from reading pages and pages of text -_- so I was able to watch this drama uninterrupted.

And after that somewhat crazy (and useless (I don’t need to justify why I watch dramas! XD Wala lang, gusto ko lang mag-share)) background, here’s what I think:

[BTW, you have to have already seen the drama (or don't mind knowing spoilers) to read this, because I might mention some spoilers along the way.]

The beginning was actually a bit dragging. I didn’t want to admit it at first because the 3 main characters– Shuji (Kamenashi Kazuya), Akira (Yamashita Tomohisa), and Nobuta (Horikita Maki) are all so cool. (Okay, I didn’t really want to use the word “cool”, but there’s no other translation for kakkoi :’( ) But really, because the first episode is mostly just expository, there isn’t too much story in it, or too many events happening. Although it wasn’t that boring, because I still watched all of it. Besides, the ending line “We didn’t know then that we would eventually come up against the most evil of all.” was enough to keep me interested until the end.

The series picks up around the middle of Episode 2, when Nobuta goes to school in her own clothes. It’s the first time you’ll see Horikita Maki’s entire face, and the first time the 3 main characters really look like friends. After that, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable drama that you’ll stay up until the wee hours of the morning just to see what happens next.

What I like most about this drama is how it was able to use such a simple theme– friendship, and use it in a not so simple way. Unlike when they tackle friendship in some other shows (Mojacko, for instance. Although in fairness to that anime, it was really made for kids.) and it makes the characters seem corny and too sentimental, in this drama it was really nice how they showed how people can do things for other people and not get too mushy about it.

The only thing I don’t like were the weird unexplained scenes that didn’t seem all that relevant. I’m talking about the last 2 episodes, because those really have some weird stuff going on. @_@

First, the way they ended the issue with Kasumi (Hiiragi Rumi) was really weird–they all had the same dream wherein she leaps to her death, okay. That can be unexplained. Sometimes weird things like that just happen. But why did there have to be a mark on the ground floor of their school that seemed like a person did jump? They didn’t say whether another student did commit suicide or not. And I think that if it was going to be that open-ended just to make things more mysterious, I think the part where the four of them had similar dreams is mysterious enough.

Secondly, the ending was really bad. I mean, I could forgive Lovers in Paris for its weird ending, since it just sort of suddenly implied that it was all a dream. But for this drama, I think the ending may have ruined the whole thing. What was the point of having Shuji move to a different place if Akira was still going to be there anyway? I’d thought that the internal struggle of Shuji was that although he was so cool on the outside, in reality he didn’t know who he really was. And I’d thought that the point of “producing Nobuta” was for him to know himself better, and eventually find himself, so that he can “become a good adult”. So, having Akira beside with him in the new school wouldn’t accomplish that at all. Plus, having only Akira with him and not Nobuta as well made it even worse.

Okay, if the point was so Nobuta could be more independent, then fine. Shuji having moved was a good way to show that they were really able to help Nobuta come out of her shell and handle herself. But having Akira move to where Shuji was just showed that it was only Nobuta who’s able to handle herself, and the two boys still needed each other to go through life, which is just so wrong. Was Nobuta really the only character that had to develop?

The ending scene where Shuji and Akira are playing at the beach and Akira thinks, “We can live this life together, wherever we are.” is just, well, for me, it just sent Shuji’s character right from the beginning of the drama where he didn’t know anything yet. I mean, yes, it’s good to have your friends with you, but if the point was really that they could still be friends “wherever they are” then wouldn’t it had been better if they just had a mini-reunion or something, instead of having one of them follow the other to the the same school? Not to mention that it’s a bit weird to have just 2 of the main characters at the ending scene. As much as I love Yamapi and Kazuya-san, I don’t think any drama deserves to have a weird ending just for fan service or whatever. Really, it was disappointing.

Oh well, save for that ending, the drama isn’t all that bad. In fact I really really liked it, until that part where Shuji saw Akira in the same classroom in his new school. So, again, I’m going to do a little editing in my head and convince myself that that was just an outtake. The real ending was when Shuji said “The next Kiritani Shuji, no matter what happens, will not fall.“

And then he goes into the classroom of his new school, and then the screen fades into white. (While I was watching it, I honestly thought that this was really what was going to happen. I furrowed my eyebrows when the line “Please take your seats.” was said by the teacher, and when Shuji went inside the classroom and introduced himself, I felt that something was really wrong.)

With that new ending in mind, now, I think this drama is really really nice. Nobuta Powaa!! XD

[Disclaimer muna: Don't be misled by the title. This isn't about some sort of political or economic or cultural (well, kinda cultural) whatever. Mababaw lang. But kind of related to something that's a bit unique to the Philippines, kaya 'yan ang title ng post. (Plus, you might not understand it if you're not Filipino.) Anyways...]

Nakakapikon! I was looking for articles and reviews comparing the two versions (Taiwanese and Japanese) of the drama Hana Kimi, and it was just, wah! It was really upsetting! I’ve nothing against two TV stations running the two dramas at the same period. They’re competitors, so fine, let their shows compete. What upsets me though is that majority of the audience are formulating their opinions about the shows, based on which network they like better.

“Kapuso? Or kapamilya?” is always the question that’s asked when they compare the dramas. Gusto ko tuloy mag-comment sa lahat ng forums na may ganyan ng “UTANG NA LOOB! Neither network came up with the shows, they just imported them!” Of course, whichever one that gets the higher rating would probably show which network makes better decisions when choosing which international shows to import, but I have a feeling that because of the running rivalry between the stations, it’ll all still boil down to which network has more loyal fans.

Don’t you think it’s a bit unfair to judge a drama just because the network showing it is the network you don’t like? I mean, some people hadn’t even seen the other version yet and already they’d said that it was stupid. Hel-lo!? How can you say it’s stupid when you haven’t seen it?! And why can’t people stop complaining about the irrelevant things, like the fact that ABS-CBN changed the characters names? I would’ve thought the answer to that was obvious–Chinese names are difficult to remember (for us non-Chinese). I mean, didn’t anyone notice (during the Meteor Garden days in 2003) how hard it was explaining to people that “Dao” isn’t actually the first name of “Dao Ming Si”?! What more when the names given to the characters are even harder to pronounce than Dao Ming Si, like “Rui Xi” and “Quan”? If the Japanese characters had really difficult names, too, GMA probably would’ve thought of changing them as well. They’re just lucky because “Ashiya” and “Shun” are easier to remember than Rui Xi and Quan. Right? Besides, there’s really nothing wrong with changing the names. They changed all the other words to Filipino, didn’t they!?

And then there’s that thing about the Japanese version not being faithful to the manga. Argh! My argument here is the same as my argument to those people who just can’t accept that movies and books are completely different mediums. The drama is no longer a manga! It’s liveaction! Naturally, a lot of details will be changed. I read one comment that said “In the Japanese version, Sano gave Ashiya her shoes. The item he returned weren’t shoes! There was nothing about shoes in the manga!” WTF?! So what?! The point was that Sano returned an item that Ashiya forgot. If she happened to be carrying a jacket and he returned that, that would be fine, too. What item it is doesn’t change the plot anyway. [And no, this isn't a chance for you to get smart and say "What if it was her cellphone? He would've read her messages and have known that she was a girl right away! That changes the plot." Phooey! It wasn't her cellphone that Sano returned.]

Anyway, I could go on and on (because OMG the comments on all the forums and articles I saw really did go on and on), but my point would be the same: It totally sucks (!) that there’s this “war” going on between the two networks in the Philippines, because people aren’t judging the dramas fairly. Nakakainis! At lalong nakakainis ‘yung mga nagsasabing “Nagsasabi lang naman kami ng totoo! Mas-maganda talaga ang Hana Kimi (insert either Taiwan or Japan here)!” Grrr!!! Hindi ba kasama sa curriculum ng lahat ng English courses sa grade school ang difference between Fact and Opinion?!! Bakit ang pagkaalala ko ako mula Grade 3 hanggang Grade 5 ‘eh pinag-aralan ko ‘yun? Laging may section sa test na ganun, ‘yung susulat mo kung ‘yung sentence ba ‘eh “Fact” or “Opinion”. Ano ba?!

Okay, sorry for the angsty post. I’m just really frustrated that I had such a difficult time finding reasonable and justified reviews. Actually, this goes for movies as well. Sa ClicktheCity, tignan n’yo minsan ‘yung mga reviews ng GMA films (e.g. My Best Friend’s Girlfriend) and Star Cinema (e.g. One More Chance). Ang daming comments na tipong “This movie sucks! ABS-CBN sucks!” or “This movie is the best movie ever dahil GMA ang gumawa nito!” I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being fans of a station, or being loyal to a certain station, pero naman, nacocompromise ang opinions (and taste) natin sa art! ‘Di ba nakakainis?