ciircee | Circe in Jdrama-land

For the record: Maou was my first ever Japanese drama--unless I can count Kamen Rider Kabuto as a drama, in which case it was the second. Ryuusei no Kizuna was the second (or third). So, essentially, I'm a total novice here. I'm not familiar with the tropes that Japanese television uses--they're not all different but there are some that are based on cultural aspects that don't come into play on Western television. What this means is that I am surprised about some events that I shouldn't be and I'm not sick unto death of others.

Spoilers for stuff, I suppose. Also, really, Becky does this rec-and-recap stuff so much better. I'm just going to ramble at you.

First up: Voice, which in MY mind is 'Toma's new drama'. (I don't know why I love Ikuta Toma so much. I really don't.)

Summary (taken from Tokyograph and

jdramas): A group of five medical students take on the task of conveying the "voices of the dead."

Kaji Daiki fails to get into a popular heart surgery seminar but is somehow accepted into a seminar on forensic pathology. When he approaches professor Sagawa and asks him why he ended up in the seminar, Sagawa challenges him by asking why he wants to study heart surgery. Daiki replies that medicine is meaningless after the heart stops, but Sagawa counters that medicine also applies to the dead.

And so, together with fellow students Ryosuke, Kanako, Teppei and Akira, Daiki begins to explore the mysteries of death.

Voice: Downloads here. Softsubs.

I love this show. It's not a 'medical' drama (like, say, ER) and it's not a 'mystery' drama (like CSI). Instead it's this odd little combination of both that manages to tell a very human story. They're presented with a dead person and then they go out and find out who this person was and that, in turn, tells them how they died. They already know the cause of the death, I must point out, but what they want to know is how it happened, how that person came to be in that place, that condition, and how that person's life came to an end.

As Eita's character Daiki says: That person--yesterday he was alive like anybody else, wasn't he?

Eita, Toma, and Ishihara Satomi (Daiki, Ryousuke, and Kuboaki Kanako or Aki, as they call her) are, so far, the leading characters--especially Eita's Daiki. It's Daiki's questions that lead them and, so far, he's the one who figures out the answer and explains it. That does not mean that Satou ~~Yuuki~~ Tomohito (as Hanei Akira) and Endo Yuya (as Kirihata Teppei) aren't important. Obviously they're important to the other characters and they are almost certainly going to have their own backstories explored to some extent--but they're also vital for lifting the mood of this show, which is mostly their main function. Toma's Ryousuke does it too, to some extent, but like Daiki and Aki he's got more prominent issues to deal with. So most of the lighter moments are handed off to Hanei and Teppei. The actors do it beautifully and it really keeps this thing from being overwhelmingly solemn.

Because, let's face it, this drama could very quickly become mired in sentimentality and emotive pain. It unashamedly goes for the heartstrings. It's another 'here, Circe, have a good cry' drama. I like it because the episodes (so far) focus as much on the people who have died as it does on the people who are living. It's a good, solid show with self-contained stories AND a wider-reaching plot. I like this show because it's got a more serious tone but it's not...demanding. You can roll your eyes at the earnest Daiki if you want (also, plz to be loving his friendship with Ryousuke) or you can get into his wide-eyed groove with him. Either way, it's a pretty satisfying. And not at ALL slashable. Or het-able. It certainly won't give you fic ideas. AT ALL. I PROMISE.

The cast rounds out with Tokito Saburo as Sagawa, their good-natured and guiding professor (who--so far--already has the answers that Daiki and the others are finding for themselves) and Yada Akiko as Reiko, their assistant professor. She's sort of like the Scully to Sagawa's Mulder. The more down-to-earth sidekick to his hippie-professor-that-everyone-loves thing. She's a good antidote to the wide-eyed earnestness that goes around. Together they ~~fight crime!~~ provide a good balance for the students. There are some reoccuring characters--the lab guy, Hanei's mother--who are pretty much there to be awesome.

So that's a little bit deeper than the OTHER stuff I'm watching. For example...

Mei-chan no Shitsuji. (Shitsuji being 'butler'. I thought of sheep the first time I read it, though, and the show sort of plays with that.)

Summary from Tokyograph: The story revolves around a young woman named Mei, who was rescued as a young girl by someone calling himself her "butler." With only a vague memory, though, the experience seems like just a dream. But one day, after her parents' accidental death, he appears: Rihito comes from a line of outstanding butlers, and he has been appointed to serve her! Now her ordinary life has completely flipped, as she discovers that she's actually the heiress to a fortune, and is forced to transfer to St. Lucia Girls' Academy, where all the students have butlers! As a result, her childhood friend Kento decides to enroll in a butler school so that he can stay close to her.

Mei-chan no Shitsuji: Downloads here. Softsubs.

I'll admit it: I got into this because of

beckerbell and because the butler, Rihito is played by Mizushima Hiro. A.k.a. Tendou Souji. And Rhito? Is VERY TENDOU-LIKE. As far as butler-ing goes, Rihito is a total badass. Eikura Nana, as Mei, is fairly damn awesome, too. (I liked the glasses, Mei-chan!) Mei is spunky but she's also a little lazy (so far) and very...human. I really like her. Also: I kind of love her outfit. Mei is pretty easy to identify with, which really makes this drama for me.

I mean--do I really want to watch teenaged girls be bitches to each other and make the new girl, who is having a tough life right now, miserable? Not really. Do I want to watch miserable new girl blossom and have everybody love her? Not...really. But this show balances all right. Not everything goes Mei's way. The bitch girls are also human (at least one of them is...) and there is a little bit of mystery going on to keep it interesting instead of just goofy hijinks and highschool.

I love the cast--the actors, so far, are brining a lot to it. It would be really easy for me to dislike Rihito (in part because I really like Kento and I don't think Kento is going to get what he wants, which is Mei) but Mizushima Hiro does a lot to display the more human side of the S-rank butler. It's little movements and expressions that say a lot.

That said...I'm sort of on the fence with this one. There are a LOT of girls and butlers to remember--plus the teachers, their butlers, grandpa and his butlers, and Mei's old friends. And I can't tell which butler is Kato Kazuki (Keisuke? Which spelling is he using?). I don't recognize him without the hat, you guys. ;___; And while I love some of the girls--like the really young one who gets carried around and the girl with the psychic butler--I also really just don't care about some of the others. I'm not sure how much I'm going to care about the mystery...especially since the ending of this show seems pretty obvious. Still, I really like the main characters so...you see what I mean?

If I had to chose between this and Voice, I'd pick Voice. It has less flower-filled scenes even if it DOES try to make you cry with its ending theme. So far I watch them together and it works pretty well.

RE: Uta no Oniisan. Please see

beckerbell's posts about it. I am all over them. W-with ideas that are totally not turning into fic in my head. Omg, I swear they're not. I swear they are not brainworms. ...okay, they're probably brainworms.

BUT. The thing you are all really here for (that is not fic): My thoughts on Yamada Tarou Monogatari. AKA: That one that

honooko describes as "You know, the one where the rich stoic kid is TOTALLY GAY for the super oblivious poor kid, who only has eyes for hamburger!"

That one.

Seriously, it's really gay. I am now through episode seven and it is JUST THAT GAY. If Mimura's squishy looks at Tarou were a drinking game, I would have died two episodes ago. On a more serious note...I think this is one of those shows where my relative newness to jdramas works for me. That and the fact that I can watch it in marathon sessions. Because it IS a pretty light and fluffy thing. From episode one you know that there is no way Tarou is going to end up heartbroken and crying in the last episode.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people got into this for the epically gay lovefest between Sho and Nino. I mean, Mimura and Tarou. Right. And it does not disappoint. Mimura is so gay. So very, very gay. How gay, you ask? In epsiode two Mimura is rocking out to 'Highway to Hell' while he arranges flowers.

I'll repeat that: Mimura is rocking out to 'Higway to Hell' while he arranges flowers. Lilies, to be exact.

...guys? There are not words for how hard I would tap that. I would bang him so hard. The fact that Mimura smiles slyly a lot (or, you know, softly and with great gay) is just a;ldkfjs;lfjk. Sho's mouth. I sort of feel like a pedo because he's younger than I am by several years but I can't help it. You could almost watch this series just for those lips.

Uh. Back ON topic. Episode one is the only episode (so far) that makes a serious play at making you cry for Tarou. It also makes me sort of want to whack his mother. Tarou works his ass off and she just...ARGH. Grow up, woman! But the kids and Tarou all seem okay with it so it's one of those things I just dealt with. Much like Taro's extreme poverty, it's one of the things the show hyper-exaggerates. But Tarou is so cute with the little kids and the way the whole school reacts to him and Mimura will never not be funny. All that fainting. :D :D :D

(As Ed commented: Imagine if the OTHER three guys from Arashi went to that school. Me: I love you, honey.)

Oh! Souda from Maou is in this! As Sugiura. And Ikehata (also from Maou) is in this as Ikegami's father. They are both ace. Adding in Shibata Rei? A++++, casting director! Suffice to say, Ikegami's parents are amazing to watch.

Ikegami! The oh-so-cute Tabe-chan! I think I cut the character a lot of slack because Tabe is So. Damn. Cute. Plus...well, she is a teenaged girl. Her priorites are bound to be a little screwed up. She, too, has that hyper-exaggeration going for her--both as a part of the plot (her imagination) and as a part of the show's exaggeration. I really think I like her as much as I do, in part, because I...really don't think she's going to end up with Tarou. I think Ikegami is going to end up friends with Tarou--she'll probably end up making his and Mimura's duo a trio--but I don't think they're going to end up dating. In part because the show is not gearing that way. It's about...well.

That's the thing. There is sort of not a lot of plot to this. Mostly it's about how Tarou is ridiculously poor and yet happy. Also, how his parents TOTALLY FAIL AT PARENTING. I'm sorry, that's my pet peeve with this show, and it's something the show uses for laughs. Which I get but that doesn't stop me from saying '...why is the CHILD working three jobs and paying all the bills and doing all the repairs, and most of the parenting?' just about every episode.

Quick summary of the first five episodes: Tarou is really poor. Everybody thinks he's really rich. Mimura is really rich and arranges flowers. He's very...bored. Mimura gets really curious about Tarou and literally stalks him. Tarou does his best and when he fails his siblings, he feels it deeply. For them, mostly. He can't even cry, you guys (but seriously, that's as bad as the heartbreak ever goes). Mimura saves Tarou and gets even MORE curious. Ikegami thinks Tarou is her ticket out of being ordinary. ~~Souda~~ Sugiura is there for comic purposes and to be a bit of a jerk.

Important moment: Sho plays the piano. It's sort of stupidly hot.

Episode two: Mimura and Tarou are friends. Their homeroom teacher is a weak-willed spaz who annoys me. The gym teacher is somebody I love. Mimura's gay looks at Tarou hit double digits by the end. Can mostly be summed up thusly:

Principal: *to Mimura* To me, it looks like you've found something interesting.

Me: He's discovered boys!

Also: Ikegami is aces at lying to herself. Mimiura's driver, Isogai, is sort of awesome. Tarou wears a dress to earn money for his brother's baseball dreams. We figure out that Mimura? Is a sly little bastard. This is awesome.

Important moment: Grandfather tells Mimura to marry girl!Tarou. He does not rescind this upon learning that Tarou is a boy.

(On a more serious note: It is going to be a bit of a theme but Mimura never directly bails Tarou out of anything. Mimura...always knows what to do for Tarou. When to step in and when to stay out. He offers good advice and trusts that Tarou is good enough on his own. Ikegami sort of doesn't and it's yet another reason why I don't think Tarou ends up dating her.)

Episode three: Is the Shibata Rie is awesometastic episode. Oh, god, I died laughing. Seriously. Having seen her on Shukudai just made this even better. Ikegami is embarrassed by her mother. Tarou is in total awe of her. Tarou becomes her student and this is awesome. Mimura also becomes her student and this is hilarious.

Important moment: ...c-can I count the scenes with the running and being hot?

In general: Everybody loves Tarou and his family and is impressed by how hard working he is while Ikegami continues to believe what she wants...until she can't anymore. And while this episode is funny, there are some sweet and touching moments in it. Also: Mimura's gazes at Tarou get even MORE gay. If this were part of a drinking game, you would be completely toasted by the end of this episode.

Episode Four: Tarou's dad is sort of a dick. Wait, wait, no. Tarou's father is a free spirit. You are not supposed to want to slap him or Tarou's mother. Basically--they take in a rude American kid and teach him to laugh and smile.

Important moments: Mimura is a sly little bastard. Isogai is love.

Ikegami, having given up on Tarou because he is poor, moves on to Tarou's father. And gets her hopes dashed again. You even feel a little bit bad for her as you laugh. I really like how well Mimura understands Tarou. I also like how much Isogai loves Mimura and, apparently, Tarou. It's one of those sweet moments.

Episode five: Tarou has a lot of work to do for summer, his teacher wants him to go to college. Ikegami can't forget about Tarou and Mimura kills you of alcohol poisoning if you've been drinking along to his fond looks.

I think this is where the 'plot' begins to come out. The whole 'Tarou is brilliant but is he going to waste that by not going to college' thing DOES extend past this episode. Tarou says he has no interest but Mimura will point out to their teacher that 'don't you think he wants to go--but he's got a lot of reasons to not do it'...and then we get a look at Tarou and all his siblings on their way to Tanabata. Conflict!

Important moments: Sho gets to beam at small children and call them cute. There is a watermelon and Mimura becomes the hero. Unexpectedly, Tarou does not fling himself on Mimura and Mimura does not kiss him at all. (No, really, I was almost expecting it. It's THAT GAY.)

Also important: Sugiura gets a hug. Tarou is racking up the boys, I tell you. And Mimura is really hot at Tanabata. No. REALLY.

So...it really is just a frothy and silly show with some really touching moments and a message about how doing your best and rejoicing in the love of your family can make you happy with how much--or little--you have. It's a cute show and the kids and Ed and I are sort of loving the hell out of it. If nothing else it is worth it for the vast amounts of Mimura being gay on Tarou. And Tarou being obliviously gay right back when he is not fawning on his siblings.

It really sort of makes me want to write make-outs for it. And backstage make-outs.

I have better conversations when I don't have to try to sort it out, first. Bring something up in the comments and we can have a nice discussion? Otherwise, write me make-outs!