Identity Checks

[dvampyrlestat]

First 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. 

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.

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*

Comments

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

I guess you can pin it to the superior masculine male ego, that inability to just let it go. :)

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.