Need to get this out.

Yesterday, Mel-chan & I had a brief discussion about Nobuta wo Produce. She said something that I've posted here before, with an opposite view. I didn't remember it yesterday so I didn't talk about it with her.

I've always love the friendship theme in "Nobuta"... I love how three different people with different characteristics (whom you'll unlikely see to be friends) become best friends. They seem to complete each other's gap; they brought out the best in each other... listen to each other's problems (indirectly) and inner feelings. Such friendship to exist in such condition was a factor that amused me greatly. Which was why I was kind of surprised that she said the story isn't deep enough. But then... I had the advantage to watch it when it was still airing. That time, Hana Yori Dango Returns haven't materialized. I remembered comparing Nobuta with Hana Yori Dango (Season 1) in a post made in 2006... It was a brief review on doramas I watched at that time.

Nobuta wo Produce [4.8/5]--- Where did the 0.2 go? They didn't make Akira & Nobuta together (or at least give some hint that Nobuta likes him) so that's where the 0.2 went. I tried making my mum watch this but she said she's tired of school doramas (she watched Gokusen with me).. But actually, this dorama is different, although it's setting is at school, in my humble opinion, it's more of a friendship dorama (platonic friendship) which makes it unique & different. Shuji reminds me of a [childhood] friend of mine in school.. like that thinking of winning the 'games' in everyday life, having so many masks put on your face.. she really similar to Shuji (..chotto.. then that means I'm [her?] Akira then? cos most of the time I can see through her like Akira... AKIRA SHOCK!)...

About the ending: LOL...it really shocked me seeing Akira at Shuji's new school, I thought it was only an illusion. But it's really him (& kakkoi as usual... :PP).. I don't quite like the idea of them being separated but it's Nobuta's wish so...I'm going to accept as what it is. Having Akira & Shuji in the same school was not a bad idea.

Hana Yori Dango[4/5]--- I was waiting for this last year (didn't pay much attention to Nobuta) & this proved to be a very compact version (yet good) of the manga itself. I never read the manga fully but I know there are some scenes in the manga not included in the live-action version. Some ardent fans of the manga are not happy with it, but seeing it from the entertainment point of view, one can't deny that the production/filming unit made a great job for this. What attracted me most was MatsuJun & Oguri Shun's performance in this dorama. MatsuJun's Tsukasa (aka Dao Ming Si) was IMO more lively than Jerry Yan's. I like Tsukasa & I like both actor's portrayal but MatsuJun's did well with the part of giving appropriate expressions which Jerry somewhat lack of. The same goes to Oguri Shun's Hanazawa Rui (aka Hua Ze Lei). I never like Vic Chou's Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden (although I find him likeable in the second Meteor Garden)..& I was always rooting for Jerry's Dao Ming Si but when it came to Hana Yori Dango.. it's quite hard to choose which one to root for..

About the ending: I actually cried watching the last episode! haha.. esp the part where Tsukasa leaving her behind.

Addendum:
*I like Nobuta wo Produce more than Hana Yori Dango because the NWP's plot seems thicker & new (to me) than HYD
* I really think there should be a Special Dorama for both of this dorama...*hoping*

See that red sentence? I was comparing Nobuta with the first HYD. Surprisingly, I like watching the second season of HYD more than the first one. But I don't think I'll change my initial opinion... (Hey, that was my very first impression of Nobuta! I couldn't dismiss it just like that.)

Maybe our difference in opinions stemmed from our interests - what we like to see in a drama or character - because for example, in Nodame Cantabile she loves Chiaki and hates Nodame while I'm the other way round. I think I've developed the love for [seems] imperfect, dark horse-like characters since I watched Trick and later, Nobuta. I don't even like Naoki (Itazura na Kiss)/Zhi Shu (It Started with a Kiss) and finding it hard why almost everyone in the dramas I mentioned is head over heels in love with this character (but then, I don't like Kotoko/Xiang Qin too... which is a whole different matter to discuss about - but I won't deny that Ariel Lin is a talented actress/singer).

Nevertheless, I'm enjoying these kind of discussions. I always watch dramas and develop many opinions about it but don't have anyone to "throw" it at... Even though Mel-chan have different sentiments with mine - which I professed, wasn't easy at first to accept - it's very refreshing hearing an opinion about something I'm familiar with from a different point of view.


The best thing is it makes me to blog more.

Blabbers #4
A follow-up to this post...

Yeah, my friend watched Kurosagi after she finished with Hana Yori Dango. She has a good review on it but she's not as excited as I am. (Well, she did got infected by the Maido Ari and Bang! thingy. I kept getting that in her sms recently.) Still, that's better than "I don't like it", right?

Also, she was kind of surprised why I like to watch Kurosagi. It's dark and Kurosaki is so cold and emotionless. Yeah. I think that's what she said. And I realised that I don't know how to answer her.

Is it because of my blinding love to watch Yamapi in a drama where he's playing the main character? (& also sang the theme song)

Is it because I so much want to see Akira X Nobuta to happen that I use Kurosagi to "fill that gap"? There's no Shuuji to interrupt them in Kurosagi. But then, I'm okay with nothing happened between Kurosaki and Tsurara in the end of Kurosagi. In fact, I think the ending was beautifully done.

My all-time favourite character portrayed by Yamapi is Kusano Akira. But Kurosagi holds a special place in my heart. I love it so dearly that whenever I re-watch it I got that feeling in my heart like Tsurara (when she's falling in love with Kurosaki). I got angry (but didn't show it) for no reason when I read or hear people criticise the drama. Yes. I know the drama wasn't perfect but some of the remarks were unfair; some were made by those who didn't even finished watching. You can't give a review on drama or movie you didn't watch till the end.

My first Yamapi drama was actually Dragon Zakura. I didn't have much opinion on his character there. Furthermore, I watched Dragon Zakura because of Abe Hiroshi. At that time, I'm not interested in aloof, cool kind of student in japanese dramas... (Had the same feeling initially when watching Sawada in Gokusen)..

Then I decided to watch "Nobuta wo Produce". That totally changed my mind about Yamapi. I was shocked to see Akira.
"Is this the same Yuusuke in Dragon Zakura?"

Akira is a character that's supposed to be annoying but I can't find fault in him. I love Akira. I love seeing him liking Nobuta. Is that why I love Kurosagi then? To see "Akira" and "Nobuta" once again?

Maybe there are several factors that build up the love I have for Kurosagi...


One thing for sure. If you said Yamapi lack of acting skills now, I believe he'll be full of it in the future because he has potential.