Identity Checks
Jul. 14th, 2008 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dvampyrlestatFirst things first.
I AM A GIRL, HOKAY?!
*grinz*
It appears some people read my name Jeffer and immediately think it's short for a guy's name. And...apparently, I scare them for being an Arashi fanboy. (yay!muchingching must've felt immense relief, eh?)
So there ya have it.
Today was a special non-working day in my city (our region's foundation day). A couple of my guy friends from High School came over and, after an hour or so of chatting with my folks and waiting for our other girl friend to come over, they asked if I had something good to show them.
And I just finished watching Maou 2 with subs. (Don't ask how.) And I am on a Maou high. Yes. The next thing I knew, they were set up in front of the comp, two guys, a girl, and my mom. Yes. My Ohno-fan-mom.
So let me tell you a bit about these two guy friends of mine. I'll call them J and K. J is your usual popcorn-movie guy. His fave movies include Blade Runner, Terminator....and The Notebook. YES. What he likes are thrills, no matter how cheap, and those tiny bits in stories that really grabs at you.
Meanwhile, K is your dissecter. He thinks chick flicks are for chicks. And you cannot drag him to watch...a J.Lo movie, UNLESS it was directed by the likes of Coppolla, or Scorsese. I enjoy trading barbs and opinions about stories with him, because his mind actually works. Plus, he owns almost all the Dragonlance books that are now in my possession.
So. We watched Maou ep 1 and 2. And what follows is our collective analysis.
Minna, have you seen CAMP ROCK?
Please don't laugh at me if you have, or have heard of it. I DO NOT WATCH THE DISNEY CHANNEL, OK? OR NICKELODEON. Did I even spell that right?
I downloaded it, and dang. Love the songs. Love it. Love it.
Waaay better than HSM. The singers, too. And the songs. Mainly the singers. *hides from HSM fans*
*off to listen to the OST*
I AM A GIRL, HOKAY?!
*grinz*
It appears some people read my name Jeffer and immediately think it's short for a guy's name. And...apparently, I scare them for being an Arashi fanboy. (yay!
muchingching must've felt immense relief, eh?)So there ya have it.
Today was a special non-working day in my city (our region's foundation day). A couple of my guy friends from High School came over and, after an hour or so of chatting with my folks and waiting for our other girl friend to come over, they asked if I had something good to show them.
And I just finished watching Maou 2 with subs. (Don't ask how.) And I am on a Maou high. Yes. The next thing I knew, they were set up in front of the comp, two guys, a girl, and my mom. Yes. My Ohno-fan-mom.
So let me tell you a bit about these two guy friends of mine. I'll call them J and K. J is your usual popcorn-movie guy. His fave movies include Blade Runner, Terminator....and The Notebook. YES. What he likes are thrills, no matter how cheap, and those tiny bits in stories that really grabs at you.
Meanwhile, K is your dissecter. He thinks chick flicks are for chicks. And you cannot drag him to watch...a J.Lo movie, UNLESS it was directed by the likes of Coppolla, or Scorsese. I enjoy trading barbs and opinions about stories with him, because his mind actually works. Plus, he owns almost all the Dragonlance books that are now in my possession.
So. We watched Maou ep 1 and 2. And what follows is our collective analysis.
None of them have seen Mawang. But I did tell them about it, or its main premise, about a younger brother seeking vengeance for the death of his older brother, also resulting to the demise of their mother.
J happens to be the big brother in a brood of three, with two younger sisters, and their dad died when they were in elementary school. I asked him how different it would be for a younger brother to lose an older one, than the one presented in Maou, where an older brother loses a younger one. And their mother.
He said the pain would be no less in either case, just...different kinds. A younger brother might feel bereft at the loss of guidance, or feel the crushing pain of seeing someone he so admired and wished to emulate be snuffed out just like that.
But being an older brother had that responsibility tag tacked on it. Especially in Naruse's case. He's the older brother to an innocent boy, and naturally the anchor to a single mother after the death of their father. Technically, he is the Man of the House. Then, his younger brother is murdered. His mother died. There would be that feeling of uselessness, or that crippling inability to protect them when he should have.
I never looked at it that way before. Until J, the non-thinker, pointed it out.
Symbolism and Angles
aatash pointed out how the lighting in the story helped in building up the characters and the plot itself. I am addin g something in, something K pointed out, how the camera angles were manipulated in such a way as to convey irony in the scenes.
- How Naruse seems to stand against radiant light often
- How objects of divinity seems to hover behind him. The cross, the statue, the stained glass windows....
- And just as he tells Shiori about the meaning of lilies (chastity, purity...), he nevertheless shows his affinity towards the flowers.
- How he seemingly takes comforts in hymns
Acting
I mentioned before how Ohno has this presence on the screen. A small smile, a movement in his eyes...many used the word creepy. I guess that means he's doing something right.
Note the smirk as he saw VICTIM tagged on Naoto. Or that sideways glance he slid.
I recently just watched an indie Filipino film where one of the supporting characters did not have a SINGLE line for the whole hour and a half duration of the film. His character raped the female lead, he taunted her after, then he had to live through the remorse of his act. And NOT A SINGLE WORD. He just used his eyes, his hands...
And his background was theater, too. Just like Ohno.
Ohno does not have a lot of speaking lines in this film, as compared to Naoto or the other characters. His solitary character requires him to be alone, and use his body and face to convey his emotions. His speaking lines, though, are meaty, the double entendres not escaping the viewers - but escaping Naoto's. LOLZ.
And I gotta admit, ELOQUENCE was not a word I would've used to associate with Ohno. I love being proven wrong sometimes.
I enjoy watching Toma's growth as an artist. And we see him grow here. Sometimes we might say he overacts in some scenes, but I love it when I see him strike a balance along the way and find his footing. A bit shaky at first, but he's definitely 'walking' it.
His shining moment, undoubtedly, among viewers would be the reenactment scene in Episode One. I agree. J was like, "Galing a. Kapani-paniwala." (Very good. Very believable.)
But if you ask me, if I were to pick the scenes where I thought he did great, it would be his confrontation scenes with his Dad. In Ep 1, he did not even utter a word, simply glared at his father. In Episode 2, he asserted his authority as a detective over his obligation (to be obedient) as a son.
I've developed a new girl crush. Tee-hee.
She's becoming a stronger character now, maybe because she is given more to do, more to work with. (And she's totally crushing on Naruse. Remember her reaction at the cafe when Naruse excused himself at Naoto's arrival? ooooh, yeaah....)
Musical Score
Who loves the opening theme? *raises hands. both.*
I have this cardinal rule (lesson learned back when I was completely fangirling Westlife and byrne-ing for Nicky. omigodican'tbelieveisaidthat) about buying CD singles.
It is "NEVER BUY CD SINGLES."
"Truth" made me break that rule. *sigh*
I wish they release an OST of this, because the background music is just....compelling.
I love contrasts. And I, too, cannot wait for Episode three.
Well. Needless to say, my mom asked if I had any of Oh-chan's earlier dramas, and I was like, "No. This is his FIRST drama. I have Tensei Kunpuu, but we already watched that, and you were whining for subtitles."
She loves his black hair, too, just like I do. But she wishes he would smile more in this drama. Right. Like that would be something Naruse would actually do.
J happens to be the big brother in a brood of three, with two younger sisters, and their dad died when they were in elementary school. I asked him how different it would be for a younger brother to lose an older one, than the one presented in Maou, where an older brother loses a younger one. And their mother.
He said the pain would be no less in either case, just...different kinds. A younger brother might feel bereft at the loss of guidance, or feel the crushing pain of seeing someone he so admired and wished to emulate be snuffed out just like that.
But being an older brother had that responsibility tag tacked on it. Especially in Naruse's case. He's the older brother to an innocent boy, and naturally the anchor to a single mother after the death of their father. Technically, he is the Man of the House. Then, his younger brother is murdered. His mother died. There would be that feeling of uselessness, or that crippling inability to protect them when he should have.
I never looked at it that way before. Until J, the non-thinker, pointed it out.
Symbolism and Angles
aatash pointed out how the lighting in the story helped in building up the characters and the plot itself. I am addin g something in, something K pointed out, how the camera angles were manipulated in such a way as to convey irony in the scenes.- How Naruse seems to stand against radiant light often
- How objects of divinity seems to hover behind him. The cross, the statue, the stained glass windows....
- And just as he tells Shiori about the meaning of lilies (chastity, purity...), he nevertheless shows his affinity towards the flowers.
- How he seemingly takes comforts in hymns
Acting
I mentioned before how Ohno has this presence on the screen. A small smile, a movement in his eyes...many used the word creepy. I guess that means he's doing something right.
Note the smirk as he saw VICTIM tagged on Naoto. Or that sideways glance he slid.
I recently just watched an indie Filipino film where one of the supporting characters did not have a SINGLE line for the whole hour and a half duration of the film. His character raped the female lead, he taunted her after, then he had to live through the remorse of his act. And NOT A SINGLE WORD. He just used his eyes, his hands...
And his background was theater, too. Just like Ohno.
Ohno does not have a lot of speaking lines in this film, as compared to Naoto or the other characters. His solitary character requires him to be alone, and use his body and face to convey his emotions. His speaking lines, though, are meaty, the double entendres not escaping the viewers - but escaping Naoto's. LOLZ.
And I gotta admit, ELOQUENCE was not a word I would've used to associate with Ohno. I love being proven wrong sometimes.
I enjoy watching Toma's growth as an artist. And we see him grow here. Sometimes we might say he overacts in some scenes, but I love it when I see him strike a balance along the way and find his footing. A bit shaky at first, but he's definitely 'walking' it.
His shining moment, undoubtedly, among viewers would be the reenactment scene in Episode One. I agree. J was like, "Galing a. Kapani-paniwala." (Very good. Very believable.)
But if you ask me, if I were to pick the scenes where I thought he did great, it would be his confrontation scenes with his Dad. In Ep 1, he did not even utter a word, simply glared at his father. In Episode 2, he asserted his authority as a detective over his obligation (to be obedient) as a son.
I've developed a new girl crush. Tee-hee.
She's becoming a stronger character now, maybe because she is given more to do, more to work with. (And she's totally crushing on Naruse. Remember her reaction at the cafe when Naruse excused himself at Naoto's arrival? ooooh, yeaah....)
Musical Score
Who loves the opening theme? *raises hands. both.*
I have this cardinal rule (lesson learned back when I was completely fangirling Westlife and byrne-ing for Nicky. omigodican'tbelieveisaidthat) about buying CD singles.
It is "NEVER BUY CD SINGLES."
"Truth" made me break that rule. *sigh*
I wish they release an OST of this, because the background music is just....compelling.
I love contrasts. And I, too, cannot wait for Episode three.
Well. Needless to say, my mom asked if I had any of Oh-chan's earlier dramas, and I was like, "No. This is his FIRST drama. I have Tensei Kunpuu, but we already watched that, and you were whining for subtitles."
She loves his black hair, too, just like I do. But she wishes he would smile more in this drama. Right. Like that would be something Naruse would actually do.
Minna, have you seen CAMP ROCK?
Please don't laugh at me if you have, or have heard of it. I DO NOT WATCH THE DISNEY CHANNEL, OK? OR NICKELODEON. Did I even spell that right?
I downloaded it, and dang. Love the songs. Love it. Love it.
Waaay better than HSM. The singers, too. And the songs. Mainly the singers. *hides from HSM fans*
*off to listen to the OST*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-14 04:33 pm (UTC)btw i love the background music too. i mean, for now i just love everything about maou ^^
no subject
Date: 2008-07-15 12:27 am (UTC)My crazinesss is rubbing off on you, that's why. LOLZ!
i just love everything about maou ^^
Same here. So...this won't be the last I'll speak of Maou. count on that. Tee-hee!
Thanks!!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-07-14 06:11 pm (UTC)I really like that Maou consciously took a different approach to the whole thing than Mawang did, just to emphasize the differences between the two even more.
Like you, I totally made my mom watch the first ep, too. She's a full-time drama addict (more so than myself), but lately she's more into the Korean/Chinese ones. Her very first comment [on Ohno] was "What a tiny person." And she's never even SEEN him before prior to watching this XDDD
no subject
Date: 2008-07-15 12:33 am (UTC)Plot-wise, they didn't change a thing, IMO, but it's in the execution where the differences can be seen, no matter how subtle. And I am glad for that. It's like, they made it more about the two men, more than the circumstances that brought them to where they are.
My mom's not a 'watcher' at all. She'd most likely sleep through whatever she started watching. (Yes, that's why I do not take her to the movies anymore because she'll just sleep through it. Even throughout Die Hard 4. Honest. And she wakes up and goes, "what happened?" *snorts*)
But she did sit through Maou 1 and 2. Maybe because we were there with her, talking and debating.
And she really likes Ohno. Next to Keanu Reeves. LOLZ!!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-07-15 10:37 am (UTC)thanks to J thoughts, now I can sort of feel Naruse reasons for the killings (although I still think he should just move on but then we wouldn't have a story). He felt guilty for not protecting his brother.. I hope they elaborate on that. However, the original situation with being young victim of a tragedy like Seung Ha in Mawang made a better solid story and impactful emotional pain. The big people ruin his young developing soul.
NARUSE CREEPED ME OUT D:
i hope the human shone through because I can't stand hating the pufferfish :((((( [i have that problem with nino in handoku too]
no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 03:14 am (UTC)I think the one in Mawang sort of made Seung Ha more twisted, since he was indeed very young when the incident happened. I am not sure what the jdrama is veering at, but from the way i look at it, they are turning Ryou more "mad-and-angry-burning-for-revenge" more than Seung Ha's "twisted-and-tortured-needs-payback" approach.
Anyway, either works. I love how the differences are somehow beneath the surface, but you feel it. :)
I love hating him in this character. That means he's truly effective.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 10:50 pm (UTC)aah, I wish I could do a little Maou viewing and discuss it afterwards too...
it was an interesting read, especially your friend's thoughts on loosing older/younger brother.
and about symbolism, I still haven't figured out the meaning of that butterfly in the opening and I remember the same kind from "Jigoku Shoujo" anime... the Internet gave me a couple of different, unclear answers (duh); I have no idea why this is bothering me so much ;p
anyway, I love the contrasts here; how Naruse is a Devil by manipulating people and appearing as an angel, yet there are still bits of humanity inside him. and so on.
and Toma does seem to exaggerate a bit at times, but not to the point it would bother me at the end of the episode ^^
Shiori is so cute, I basically "awww-ed" at her excitment around Naruse in second episode, I'm really curious about the relationship between those two (obviously, I haven't watched Mawang).
haha, I've had the same cardinal rule about CD singles... and then there was Arashi XD
no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 02:13 am (UTC)The Butterfly is also making me think, and the only thing I can come up with is the concept of the Black Butterfly. Mostly these huge butterflies are swallowtails, and my research included the analogy in the anime BLEACH, where black swallowtail butterflies are the product of a ritual that helps the dead rest in peace.
Makes me wonder....maybe in this case it is Naruse not being able to put his dead family to rest.
Ah. Cardinal Rules. TRUTH would be my first-ever Arashi CD single. I hope to stop there.....*yeah, right.*
no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 04:42 am (UTC)My sisters asked me to download two of their songs and I found myself singing along D:
But I haven't seen Camp Rock. I've seen HSM multiple times though - young siblings. AND I went to school with the boy who played Ryan! XD
I had a major crush on that guy when he preformed in a play. XP I never thought I'd see him on TV
no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 05:01 am (UTC)I wouldn't really say the whole thing of CAMP ROCK is better than HSM. But...maybe if I take the two HSM movies (I didn't like the second one, so....) then I'd pick Camp Rock, but individually, the first HSM is better.
I just like the voices of the cast in Camp Rock than those in HSM.
Corbin something? Really. He's talented. I actually like him performance-wise than Zac Efron...but i guess they are defined more by the characters they play. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 11:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 02:39 pm (UTC)Ah yes. Aki's post actually inspired me to write this one. Or attempt to write this one.
I think my friend did make a good point about Naruse's past. :) So I was totally sold on the reversion of age from Mawang. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 01:23 pm (UTC)And I love the twist in ep. 2. I was literally covering my mouth in amazement as I realized that they were protecting the wrong person all along :O
no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 02:41 pm (UTC)And...Naruse's line close to the end: "I took care of everything last night." He's completely toying with Naoto.....:)
no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 02:51 pm (UTC)Now I'm thinking of the saying Keep your friends closer and your enemies closer
I noticed something related to symbolisms too~ (or at least for me XD)
The scene at the wake where Naruse arrives. I noticed that Naruse is using a black umbrella (bad) while Naoto uses a white umbrella (good).
no subject
Date: 2008-07-18 03:10 pm (UTC)*goes back to rewatch the scene*
Indeed. Indeed. Maybe it was just too dark for me to notice. And I was grinning evilly at how Naruse slid a glance at Naoto. XDD
no subject
Date: 2008-07-19 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-19 02:17 pm (UTC)Well...you did know what spoilers do, right? not bad for your health, but great for your eyes. Especially with this one. XDD
You know the best part about not seeing any of these yet? You have an excuse to lock yourself away from the world for a good day or two and just catch up. Yeah. That'll mean sensory overload, but the kind you actually crave!!
Hope you didn't miss your flight. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 02:26 pm (UTC)It's hard to impress me but I totally love Maou. I never actually realize the lighting effects, but you are right about that one. And it's kinda creepy how the director is that detail ~ which I find totally excellent.
And I absolutely love the theme song. It is too awesome. <3 Hearing it makes me cringe to watch the next episodes.
And of course watching Ohno is never enough for me. >_< I can’t believe that your mum is his fan. How cool can it be?
But I totally love the lead girl which is to me is very rare since not many lead girls manage to amuse me. But Shiori totally adorable and nice. She has this genuine smile. And I totally HEART all her scenes with Ohno. They are totally adorable together. ^__^
I guess your mum can see Ohno smile a lot in his new drama. But wait… he rarely smile in that one too. xDDD