It's no secret that I am a huge anime fan, but I also watch shows with real people in them. Recently I finished a couple of Japanese dramas and thought I'd share some thoughts on them.
[CHANGE]
I was intrigued by the theme and the lead actor Kimura Takuya and decided to watch this. The world of Japanese politics is obviously not a subject I'm familiar with, but the show makes it so that the audience can learn and understand it better along with the protagonist Asakura Keita. The show is a human drama with politics, conspiracy, comradeship, and romance.
It's moving to see Asakura touching people's lives and walking toward the goal of making Japan a citizen ruled nation, with his honesty and willingness as well as his gradually increasing group of trusty allies. The ending puts things back to square one, yet turns a new page in Japan's political history. What an ending. A great show indeed.
[クロサギ]
I picked up this show randomly without knowing what it's about, and it wasn't too bad. The lead actor Yamashita Tomohisa was a new face for me, but I've seen the two female leads from other shows before. Given the show's theme and nature, it's full of mind boggling frauds and countering swindles. It also centres around the conflicting emotions of the two converse leads.
With the original manga still on-going, it's expected to have an unresolved ending. At least the two were given the chance to face their feelings and reaffirm their resolution on what they want to do, so it's all good.
[Tomorrow～陽はまたのぼる～]
I actually picked up this show because I was impressed with Kanno Miho in the Hatarakiman drama. That, and I recognized the name Takenouchi Yutaka from Long Vacation (possibly my brother's favourite Japanese drama), and I've always enjoyed medical dramas. Nothing really conjures deep consideration like life and death matters do. And I was not one bit disappointed by the show.
The episodes dealt with various issues, including personal, family, and even municipal. I was moved to tears quite a few times, and the ending theme song Hikari always seemed to play at the right time to intensify the emotions. I really liked the climax at the end and how it brought everything together in a full circle and connected with the beginning. The cast as well as the town were able to overcome their difficulties and stood up strong at the end, just as the title implies. Excellent drama. Strongly recommended.
[Code Blue-ドクターヘリ緊急救命-]
Another medical drama I picked up along with Tomorrow. Code Blue deals with emergency cases and has a more serious aspect on the capacity and limit of medicine when it comes to people's lives. While Tomorrow has a wider cast (hospital staff & townspeople) and doesn't dwell on the issues of the main characters for too long, Code Blue has a narrower cast of medical staff and focuses on the progress and development of the main characters.
The official pairing seems to lean toward Aizawa x Shiraishi, but I prefer Aizawa x Hiyama. Shiraishi feels too much of a 'good girl' and hasn't grown much by the end IMO. Hiyama, on the other hand, has developed nicely and doesn't hesitate to show her care and passion. One funny thing was that I didn't realize Aizawa was played by Yamashita Tomohisa. He looked and felt so different from his role in Kurosagi; I wouldn't have suspected him being the same person at all if I didn't accidentally match the name with Kurosaki one day. I blamed it on the hair. XD
It may just be a coincidence, but I've found that unless romance is a main focus of the show, the male and female leads are rarely together by the end of the show. Oh well. It's fine with me as long as the main theme, be it politics or medical or whatever, is properly explored. I guess it leaves more room for imagination for the audience and fanfic writers...
I don't follow Japanese drama so I don't know what's in line for the next season. Considering that October marks the start of a huge season for anime, I probably won't have time for Japanese drama. Just from glancing over the list of the new anime, I've already decided on at least 8 as must watch and 5 more as considering...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
劇場版BLEACH The DiamondDust Rebellion もう一つの氷輪丸
I've been waiting to see this ever since news of it came out in 2007 and I was very excited when I managed to get the high quality raw last night. I couldn't get the Japanese subtitle to display but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the movie. And I was not disappointed.
Unlike the first movie, which a lot of people choose to ignore and pretend it never happened (myself included), this second instalment keeps the new cast and original content to a minimum and has everyone in character. This can easily fall within the Bleach universe and not feel out of place. In fact, it offers another glimpse into the past of the child prodigy, as well as the significance of the monarch and the way Soul Society runs.
Hitsugaya is one of my favourite characters in Bleach (Park Romi being one of the reasons). Despite his captain status, he is younger than most cast and is still learning and going through adolescence. Yet because of his strength and intelligence, he walks side by side with other leaders and carries the 10th Squad on his small shoulders. Being the sane voice and often judges the situation with a cool and informed air, he is not one to reveal his inner pains and is eager to take the responsibility and the blame. There's likely other burdens hidden in his heart, but at least with the resolution of the royal seal incident, the child captain can be at peace knowing that he and Kusaka were still friends forever.
As for other characters, most people have a reasonable amount of screen time depending on their roles and get to show off their skills in battles. The enemy boss isn't terribly strong; just big and have swarms of regenerating hollows. I like how everyone plays a part in the final battle. It's pretty hot blooded, to say the least. Ikkaku even bankaied! That makes it four shinigami knowing his secret now. I really think Rukia is the second strongest in her squad after all these battles. Oh, and I just had to laugh when I saw Mayuri's bankai helping to suppress the berserk spirit sphere from expanding. XD
There's three new characters for the movie, but there's only one new seiyuu, Ishida Akira (my favourite male seiyuu!). Yin and Yang are voiced by the captain and the vice captain of the 4th Squad. Some kind of conspiracy? XD Ah well, it's not the first time they have one seiyuu doing multiple characters. There's already Shuuhei/Keigo, Tousen/Isshin, and Karin/Nemu.
The art isn't quite consistent throughout the film, especially with the profile shots, but it's not too prominent. The music is fitting as expected, although I don't care too much about the theme song. Over all, I liked the movie a lot. Now if they'll just hurry up with the DVD release this side of the Pacific... and have BestBuy or London Drugs pick up the title! I've had enough of the pathetic state of anime presence in our local stores.
On a last note, I saw the trailer for the next Bleach movie, Fade to Black 君の名を呼ぶ, and I really really want to see it. The spot light is finally shining on our dear Rukia! But I suppose the DVD won't be out until around this time next year... orz
I've been waiting to see this ever since news of it came out in 2007 and I was very excited when I managed to get the high quality raw last night. I couldn't get the Japanese subtitle to display but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the movie. And I was not disappointed.
Unlike the first movie, which a lot of people choose to ignore and pretend it never happened (myself included), this second instalment keeps the new cast and original content to a minimum and has everyone in character. This can easily fall within the Bleach universe and not feel out of place. In fact, it offers another glimpse into the past of the child prodigy, as well as the significance of the monarch and the way Soul Society runs.
Hitsugaya is one of my favourite characters in Bleach (Park Romi being one of the reasons). Despite his captain status, he is younger than most cast and is still learning and going through adolescence. Yet because of his strength and intelligence, he walks side by side with other leaders and carries the 10th Squad on his small shoulders. Being the sane voice and often judges the situation with a cool and informed air, he is not one to reveal his inner pains and is eager to take the responsibility and the blame. There's likely other burdens hidden in his heart, but at least with the resolution of the royal seal incident, the child captain can be at peace knowing that he and Kusaka were still friends forever.
As for other characters, most people have a reasonable amount of screen time depending on their roles and get to show off their skills in battles. The enemy boss isn't terribly strong; just big and have swarms of regenerating hollows. I like how everyone plays a part in the final battle. It's pretty hot blooded, to say the least. Ikkaku even bankaied! That makes it four shinigami knowing his secret now. I really think Rukia is the second strongest in her squad after all these battles. Oh, and I just had to laugh when I saw Mayuri's bankai helping to suppress the berserk spirit sphere from expanding. XD
There's three new characters for the movie, but there's only one new seiyuu, Ishida Akira (my favourite male seiyuu!). Yin and Yang are voiced by the captain and the vice captain of the 4th Squad. Some kind of conspiracy? XD Ah well, it's not the first time they have one seiyuu doing multiple characters. There's already Shuuhei/Keigo, Tousen/Isshin, and Karin/Nemu.
The art isn't quite consistent throughout the film, especially with the profile shots, but it's not too prominent. The music is fitting as expected, although I don't care too much about the theme song. Over all, I liked the movie a lot. Now if they'll just hurry up with the DVD release this side of the Pacific... and have BestBuy or London Drugs pick up the title! I've had enough of the pathetic state of anime presence in our local stores.
On a last note, I saw the trailer for the next Bleach movie, Fade to Black 君の名を呼ぶ, and I really really want to see it. The spot light is finally shining on our dear Rukia! But I suppose the DVD won't be out until around this time next year... orz
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
機動戦士ガンダム0080 ポケットの中の戦争 (Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket). As expected from a UC Gundam series, this 1989 OVA stands up to time and still leaves an impression.
I haven't seen very many Gundam, but War in the Pocket struck me as a unique work. Not only was the protagonist an 11-year-old civilian and remained a non-combatant at the end, but the battles also occurred in a peaceful neutral colony where the residents mainly view wars as gossips materials. Despite the casualties and destruction caused by the Cyclops Squad in an attempt to seize/destroy Gundam NT-1, most of the people of Side 6 went on business as usual when the One Year War ended and didn't give it much thought.
Except for Al, who experienced first hand the tragedy of war and what it could bring. I think it's fair to say that War in the Pocket is a story of maturity through the coldness of war. It was Al in War in the Pocket, but it could as well be anyone.
To be frank, I didn't like Al at all in the beginning and found him to be a brat at first. Loud, nosy, self-centred, eager to prove himself, complete with a hero worship mentality. Through that fateful night of the attack, the lies and burst bubbles revealed by Bernie, and lastly the final strikes by the Zaku and the Gundam, the boy was forced to grow up and shoulder the consciousness of the cost of peace which was too heavy for his young mind.
While it's not uncommon to have people from opposing sides being attracting to each other, I think this is the first time I've seen it ended like it did here. Without knowing the truth of the final battle, that the colony would be nuked if the Gundam isn't destroyed and that the battleship equipped with the nuclear warhead was apprehended, both stood their grounds and threaded down the path they believed in. And at the end, neither knew the identity of each other. It's tragic that Bernie died in battle when there was no longer need for him to fight, but I think the irony only served to emphasize the cruelty of war.
Due to the age of this thing, I wasn't expect to recognize any seiyuu, but I managed to pinpoint 林原めぐみ(Hayashibara Megumi) and 秋元羊介(Akimoto Yousuke). I was suspicious of Bernie's seiyuu, but I'm not familiar with 辻谷耕史(Tsujitani Kouji)'s younger voice so I missed it. The biggest shock was when I saw 浪川大輔(Namikawa Daisuke)'s name in the credit as the CV of Al. After learning that Shinji from Evangelion was voiced by Ogata Megumi, I was convinced that all young boys were voiced by female seiyuus, and I thought it's the same for Al. I'd have never guessed. It's not even similar to Eigetsu's voice, which is the youngest I've heard Namikawa-san so far! That's really something.
On a last note, it may be just me, but I find 美樹本晴彦(Mikimoto Haruhiko) and 安彦良和(Yasuhiko Yoshikazu)'s character designs to be much better suited for a Gundam series than all the post-2000 ones. But who am I to talk? I haven't seen enough Gundam...
Next Gundam series on schedule: Gundam 00. Probably won't be able to finish it before the 2nd season airs, but I'll see where I can get.
I haven't seen very many Gundam, but War in the Pocket struck me as a unique work. Not only was the protagonist an 11-year-old civilian and remained a non-combatant at the end, but the battles also occurred in a peaceful neutral colony where the residents mainly view wars as gossips materials. Despite the casualties and destruction caused by the Cyclops Squad in an attempt to seize/destroy Gundam NT-1, most of the people of Side 6 went on business as usual when the One Year War ended and didn't give it much thought.
Except for Al, who experienced first hand the tragedy of war and what it could bring. I think it's fair to say that War in the Pocket is a story of maturity through the coldness of war. It was Al in War in the Pocket, but it could as well be anyone.
To be frank, I didn't like Al at all in the beginning and found him to be a brat at first. Loud, nosy, self-centred, eager to prove himself, complete with a hero worship mentality. Through that fateful night of the attack, the lies and burst bubbles revealed by Bernie, and lastly the final strikes by the Zaku and the Gundam, the boy was forced to grow up and shoulder the consciousness of the cost of peace which was too heavy for his young mind.
While it's not uncommon to have people from opposing sides being attracting to each other, I think this is the first time I've seen it ended like it did here. Without knowing the truth of the final battle, that the colony would be nuked if the Gundam isn't destroyed and that the battleship equipped with the nuclear warhead was apprehended, both stood their grounds and threaded down the path they believed in. And at the end, neither knew the identity of each other. It's tragic that Bernie died in battle when there was no longer need for him to fight, but I think the irony only served to emphasize the cruelty of war.
Due to the age of this thing, I wasn't expect to recognize any seiyuu, but I managed to pinpoint 林原めぐみ(Hayashibara Megumi) and 秋元羊介(Akimoto Yousuke). I was suspicious of Bernie's seiyuu, but I'm not familiar with 辻谷耕史(Tsujitani Kouji)'s younger voice so I missed it. The biggest shock was when I saw 浪川大輔(Namikawa Daisuke)'s name in the credit as the CV of Al. After learning that Shinji from Evangelion was voiced by Ogata Megumi, I was convinced that all young boys were voiced by female seiyuus, and I thought it's the same for Al. I'd have never guessed. It's not even similar to Eigetsu's voice, which is the youngest I've heard Namikawa-san so far! That's really something.
On a last note, it may be just me, but I find 美樹本晴彦(Mikimoto Haruhiko) and 安彦良和(Yasuhiko Yoshikazu)'s character designs to be much better suited for a Gundam series than all the post-2000 ones. But who am I to talk? I haven't seen enough Gundam...
Next Gundam series on schedule: Gundam 00. Probably won't be able to finish it before the 2nd season airs, but I'll see where I can get.
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