A Tale of Two Dramas...and a preview...
Aug. 2nd, 2008 08:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dvampyrlestatPimpin' yet again.
MAOU Ep4 Hardsubs. You know you want to...
Toma's Scoop: TOKIO. This guy is so loved by his senpais. You can tell.
Again, image-heavy. Click images for hi-res view.
You either have to be really twisted or totally consumed with anger to attend the funeral of two people whose deaths you so cunningly orchestrated.
But then again, the stirrings of that anger already appeared in that one encounter between the younger Naruse (Tomoo) and Eisaku, Naoto's father.
This scene was so nicely done, and I am thankful there was none of that 'standing in the rain' treatment. That would've been so cheesy.
You can feel the young Tomoo's anger, and I wondered if this was his last verbal expression of his hatred, because what he turns into - Naruse - was now contained, very much in control.
Some people are actually surprised at the Naruse-Shiori chemistry. I'm not.
For one, the characters called for a bond between the two. In an earlier ep, Shiori made a note of them being something like kindred spirits.
Two, the two actors have natural chemistry. You can't deny that. But what surprises me above all else is that they can actually sustain such chemistry. And for sure it'll escalate. Which I look forward to.
And this look has seemed to become Naoto's "when-I-see-that-angelic-lawyer" look.
Did he ever ask for forgiveness? Did he ever say sorry?
In this scene, he was not apologizing for almost running over someone, or for scaring Shiori. His thoughts still lingered on his juvenile crime, and I think this is the first time he openly expresses any sort of repentance.
A new reporter. I gotta hand it over to this actor. He embodies "sleazy" so well he only had to grin to look it.
You can practically see the wheels in his mind turning.
Let me talk about the dialogue.
Syd Field would be so proud. And it doesn't matter that he might not understand one whit of Nihonggo.
The dialogue of this drama is rich with double entendres. At face value, they can be everyday talk, but as the audience -- armed with the knowledge of the motivations of these men, Naruse in particular -- the true meaning of his words are not lost on us.
This drama does not mince on words. Notice that there are no unnecessary dialogue, each line helps move the story along. Using dialogue to move a story is probably one of the nightmares of every scriptwriter.
Flashbacks are a main tool used in this drama, which, IMO, is the best - and only - way to go about it. Using expositions would have been awkward, as in most cases that they are used in films or dramas.
I only have a problem with how often they had to use the same flashback over and over. To drive in the gravity of Naoto's past misdeed? We get that already. I won't be surprised if I see the same flashback of the stabbing in the next ep.
Ok. This scene creeped me out, and for a brief moment I thought I was transported to a viewing of some horror flick. FYI, I don't like the horror genre very much. I'd pick twisted human psychology ANYTIME.
Here's my take: As in the last sequence in Ep3, I saw Naruse as some sort of an all-seeing, all-knowing puppeteer. This shot simply drives that in. Without alluding to any Masonic concept of All-Seeing Eyes, I'd say Naruse here represents that eye. More than seeing everything, he oversees, he controls, he manipulates. And Yamano's back being turned against its glare is letting us see how he is totally unaware, unwitting that he is being used.
Somehow I still cannot forgive this Yamano guy for 'using' Sora.
The references are glaring. Faust. Dante's The Divine Comedy. The Gates of Hell is now fully used.
I'm kinda relieved they did not use 666 as the number of that locker-like thingy Shiori saw in her visions. :D
I want Naoto totally guilty. I want to see him completely helpless. More than he is right now. It'll make Toma shine even more.
From what I hear, Episode 5 will give Toma shining moments. I look forward to that.
A sign of things to come.
OK. Who else is starting to ship Ohno and Yuuka?
I am patient. So I waited for the hardsubs of this one. By SBK. :) Hardsubs are up to ep2 still...
This is funny. But what I liked about it is that beneath the humor and the crack, it has a heart. :)
Maybe it's just hitting me that way coz I am an only child and whenever I was asked what I wanted for a sibling, I always say "an older brother", which is an impossibility.
Tabe Mikako-chan is at it again. Pining over a JE boy. LOLZ!
No complaints with her performance. I mean, I think she perfected that character stereotype in YamaTaro already, and in that one she was with Nino and Sho, so I'd guess she had a lot of practice.
I haven't seen Mabo in any other drama before...well, 'cept for his role in Marathon. After this, I just might check his earlier works. I wonder what's good.
Plus, I think this kind of drama calls for nothing but over-the-top performance. They HAVE to exaggerate, they have to OVERACT to make this drama work. I find it rather cute.
And I see her again! That little girl! (I ought to research her real name. Seriously.) She made me cry countless times as Shingo's daughter in Bara No Nai Hanaya....I was pleased to see her again here, albeit in brief flashbacks only.
Tacchon...ACT, damnit! :)
But there are still 8 eps to go, and really, in the first two eps, I think he really has to do nothing but be attractive in Yasuko's eyes. I have high hopes still.
I want my TRUTH DVD NOW!!!!!!!
It's just the preview. Sheesh.
Ohno sings in Naruse Ryou mode. *sigh*
You already know how I adore these three, right?
...but you wouldn't catch Domyouji sporting this look. No wonder Arashi said Domyouji has better sense of style of MatsuJun. Aherm. Still, adorkable.
I repeat. I want the single and DVD now.
Damn. In this interview Ohno says he likes Bon Jovi. Holy....!!! I love the guy!!!!!!!
In RL, gotta run, drop my Prisonbreak box sets over at my pal's (I'm looking to make her a Scofield-convert), then go to the supermarket to stock up on stuff. For the first time in six weeks, I won't go to work on a Saturday. Will come back later to watch Maou ep5, catch up on Iljimae and finish Moonlight. Ah yes. Today, ladies and gents, will be my SATURateDAY. (Unless, I get THE CALL and go off to watch The Mummy 3 instead. Which is highly likely. Oh well. Jet Li? Michelle Yeoh? Brendan Fraser? John Hannah? No complaints!)
MAOU Ep4 Hardsubs. You know you want to...
Toma's Scoop: TOKIO. This guy is so loved by his senpais. You can tell.
Again, image-heavy. Click images for hi-res view.
You either have to be really twisted or totally consumed with anger to attend the funeral of two people whose deaths you so cunningly orchestrated.
But then again, the stirrings of that anger already appeared in that one encounter between the younger Naruse (Tomoo) and Eisaku, Naoto's father.
This scene was so nicely done, and I am thankful there was none of that 'standing in the rain' treatment. That would've been so cheesy.
You can feel the young Tomoo's anger, and I wondered if this was his last verbal expression of his hatred, because what he turns into - Naruse - was now contained, very much in control.
Some people are actually surprised at the Naruse-Shiori chemistry. I'm not.
For one, the characters called for a bond between the two. In an earlier ep, Shiori made a note of them being something like kindred spirits.
Two, the two actors have natural chemistry. You can't deny that. But what surprises me above all else is that they can actually sustain such chemistry. And for sure it'll escalate. Which I look forward to.
And this look has seemed to become Naoto's "when-I-see-that-angelic-lawyer" look.
Did he ever ask for forgiveness? Did he ever say sorry?
In this scene, he was not apologizing for almost running over someone, or for scaring Shiori. His thoughts still lingered on his juvenile crime, and I think this is the first time he openly expresses any sort of repentance.
A new reporter. I gotta hand it over to this actor. He embodies "sleazy" so well he only had to grin to look it.
You can practically see the wheels in his mind turning.
Let me talk about the dialogue.
Syd Field would be so proud. And it doesn't matter that he might not understand one whit of Nihonggo.
The dialogue of this drama is rich with double entendres. At face value, they can be everyday talk, but as the audience -- armed with the knowledge of the motivations of these men, Naruse in particular -- the true meaning of his words are not lost on us.
This drama does not mince on words. Notice that there are no unnecessary dialogue, each line helps move the story along. Using dialogue to move a story is probably one of the nightmares of every scriptwriter.
Flashbacks are a main tool used in this drama, which, IMO, is the best - and only - way to go about it. Using expositions would have been awkward, as in most cases that they are used in films or dramas.
I only have a problem with how often they had to use the same flashback over and over. To drive in the gravity of Naoto's past misdeed? We get that already. I won't be surprised if I see the same flashback of the stabbing in the next ep.
Ok. This scene creeped me out, and for a brief moment I thought I was transported to a viewing of some horror flick. FYI, I don't like the horror genre very much. I'd pick twisted human psychology ANYTIME.
Here's my take: As in the last sequence in Ep3, I saw Naruse as some sort of an all-seeing, all-knowing puppeteer. This shot simply drives that in. Without alluding to any Masonic concept of All-Seeing Eyes, I'd say Naruse here represents that eye. More than seeing everything, he oversees, he controls, he manipulates. And Yamano's back being turned against its glare is letting us see how he is totally unaware, unwitting that he is being used.
Somehow I still cannot forgive this Yamano guy for 'using' Sora.
The references are glaring. Faust. Dante's The Divine Comedy. The Gates of Hell is now fully used.
I'm kinda relieved they did not use 666 as the number of that locker-like thingy Shiori saw in her visions. :D
I want Naoto totally guilty. I want to see him completely helpless. More than he is right now. It'll make Toma shine even more.
From what I hear, Episode 5 will give Toma shining moments. I look forward to that.
A sign of things to come.
OK. Who else is starting to ship Ohno and Yuuka?
I am patient. So I waited for the hardsubs of this one. By SBK. :) Hardsubs are up to ep2 still...
This is funny. But what I liked about it is that beneath the humor and the crack, it has a heart. :)
Maybe it's just hitting me that way coz I am an only child and whenever I was asked what I wanted for a sibling, I always say "an older brother", which is an impossibility.
Tabe Mikako-chan is at it again. Pining over a JE boy. LOLZ!
No complaints with her performance. I mean, I think she perfected that character stereotype in YamaTaro already, and in that one she was with Nino and Sho, so I'd guess she had a lot of practice.
I haven't seen Mabo in any other drama before...well, 'cept for his role in Marathon. After this, I just might check his earlier works. I wonder what's good.
Plus, I think this kind of drama calls for nothing but over-the-top performance. They HAVE to exaggerate, they have to OVERACT to make this drama work. I find it rather cute.
And I see her again! That little girl! (I ought to research her real name. Seriously.) She made me cry countless times as Shingo's daughter in Bara No Nai Hanaya....I was pleased to see her again here, albeit in brief flashbacks only.
Tacchon...ACT, damnit! :)
But there are still 8 eps to go, and really, in the first two eps, I think he really has to do nothing but be attractive in Yasuko's eyes. I have high hopes still.
I want my TRUTH DVD NOW!!!!!!!
It's just the preview. Sheesh.
Ohno sings in Naruse Ryou mode. *sigh*
You already know how I adore these three, right?
...but you wouldn't catch Domyouji sporting this look. No wonder Arashi said Domyouji has better sense of style of MatsuJun. Aherm. Still, adorkable.
I repeat. I want the single and DVD now.
Damn. In this interview Ohno says he likes Bon Jovi. Holy....!!! I love the guy!!!!!!!
In RL, gotta run, drop my Prisonbreak box sets over at my pal's (I'm looking to make her a Scofield-convert), then go to the supermarket to stock up on stuff. For the first time in six weeks, I won't go to work on a Saturday. Will come back later to watch Maou ep5, catch up on Iljimae and finish Moonlight. Ah yes. Today, ladies and gents, will be my SATURateDAY. (Unless, I get THE CALL and go off to watch The Mummy 3 instead. Which is highly likely. Oh well. Jet Li? Michelle Yeoh? Brendan Fraser? John Hannah? No complaints!)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-09 08:47 pm (UTC)Adding Yasuko to Kenji to the list of doramas to watch.. and Matsuoka Masahiro is a hottie.. i have a thing for drummers.. they are so sexy! And yes... the girl from Bara No Nai Hanaya.. made me cry too. Japanese child actors are good.
Hahaha Ohno likes Bon Jovi? Hahaha... I went trought that phase myself..
no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 05:58 am (UTC)Yasuko to Kenji is like a welcome reprieve from Maou overdose, know what I mean? After an ep of Maou, I'd feel drained (wonderfully so) and YtK is quite a good diversion...before rewatching Maou. harhar!
HE SAID SO!!!! I guess that's another answer to the question we had about them liking Western music. :) yay. I'm still a Bon Jovi fan, though I gotta say I like their earlier songs better. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 05:49 pm (UTC)I'm just watching Maou now, I should watch something else, but I have a TO DO list soooo long regarding University, Japanese classes and other stuff that I'll just stick with this one for the moment.
I like Bon Jovi's early work too! I think I was in middle school when he came to Costa Rica, but my parents didn't let me go to the concert... so sad. And some of my cousins went and they had a blast. I think the first CD I bought was 'These days'
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 02:50 am (UTC)RL should always come first, imo. Fangirling is in my backburner, but really, when RL is so good, i might as well mix them. The perks of no longer studying, i say.
Keep the Faith has got to be my fave BJ album......I love it. Also Blaze of Glory from Young Guns.....
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 03:13 am (UTC)I know what I should do.. but it's too hard to leave the fangirling... *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 04:03 am (UTC)I'm actually having the time of my fangirling life right now, coz I'm not too sure how long this will last. Haha! I mean, we never really know what'll come for us tomorrow, right? Like, I might enter law school in a few months. Or not. Or leave the country. Or not. So...seize the day. Carpe diem.:)
Meanwhile, 4 or 5 months is not a very long time. Once you're done, you can fangirl to your heart's content. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 05:08 pm (UTC)Do you remember the tarot card entry? I got the love card and it said I had to make a choice. Probably this is the choice I have to make... hehehe.. (I'm kind of a superstitious person from time to time). And you are right, 5 months is not a lot of time. I'll guess I'll go on semi-hiatus, that way I don't miss on everything, I'll check for some Arashi news twice a week and LJ!
Thanks for your help! *BIG HUG*
By the way I really want to start with your "WANTED: Japanese Fishing Instructor" t-shirt. We decided to do it in Japanese right? Maybe you can ask one of your Stormy team buddies to translate it to Kanji? ^_^
no subject
Date: 2008-08-13 12:22 am (UTC)No problem! *hugs back*
Oh, the shirt, good thing you reminded me. I'll ask Aki-san about it. XDD Will PM you once I got it. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-13 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 05:11 am (UTC)*******
Japanese Fishing Instructor: WANTED
in Japanese would be,
釣りの指導員募集中 (Tsuri no Shidouin, Boshuuchuu)
Hope that helps!
*******
It doesn't have as much oomph as WANTED: Japanese Fishing Instructor, doesn't it? But then again, it's a diff language, so....:)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 10:42 am (UTC)Insert "Nihonjin no" before the phrase....I think you know how to write that in Kanji and Hiragana. :)
Nihonjin no Tsuri no Shidouin, Boshuuchuu
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 05:36 am (UTC)You are right... it's not as WOW as it is in Engrish. Even in Spanish has more impact "SE REQUIERE instructor japonés de pesca".
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 07:00 am (UTC)Hey I'm not worried. :))))
Funny, coz even in Filipino, we adapt the English use of WANTED: (position). Rarely if ever do we use the Filipino translation.
requiere...require? haha.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 11:49 pm (UTC)Hehehe.. yes. "Requiere"... or we can use the translation for searching, SE BUSCA... Now that I think about it, it sounds better like this: "SE BUSCA instructor japonés de pesca"
How is it in Filipino?
no subject
Date: 2008-08-16 12:04 am (UTC)Well...Hmmm....If I am to translate it literally in Filipino:
Nangangailangan: Hapon na Guro sa Pangingisda
But really, 95% of the time, we use the English words instead. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-16 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-17 11:22 pm (UTC)my, my, you;re picking my brain....psychoanalyzing me! XDDD
no subject
Date: 2008-08-18 12:28 am (UTC)But this is good cos It's going to help me prepared when I'll be studying in Japan!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-18 12:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-18 03:26 pm (UTC)Just be yourself
Anyway that you want to, baby
Just be yourself
Anyway that you can
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzNYfMTWpVs