In praise of dances of defiance...

[dangermousie]

I've been watching Yoshitsune for a while. I've posted about it way back when I started it, but yes, I've been watching it on and off since. Mainly because while yes, the story is very cool (rebels! brothers fighting to the death! beautiful dancer devoted to the hero! Takizawa Hideaki shirtless and with long hair!), it's also a taiga drama, which means it's 49 episodes long, and has a lot (and I mean A LOT) men with odd hats and varying amounts of facial hair discussing the inns-and-outs of Japanese politics. That gets a bit tiring in too many doses.

But anyway, ostensibly Yoshitsune is a detailed retelling of the story of the famous warrior and hero who helped win the Genpei war and establish his older brother as the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. Unluckily for Yoshitsune, his older brother was not keen on having a famous, powerful, and idolized younger sibling, and ended up hunting Yoshitsune down. Pretty nifty story, right?

But I am afraid I am watching this drama for several very specific things only:

* Takizawa Hideaki with long hair, sword, armor, and angst (and he has plenty to angst about: his father figure killed his real father, his brother turns against him, the woman he loves gets kidnapped, all his friends and followers get killed, and oh yeah, he gets betrayed and defeated). Life sucks if you are Yoshitsune, but luckily for us, Takki angsts beautifully. I have always found him one of the most gorgeous jdrama guys, but here he is pretty smoking, especially when he angstily washes himself with greats gobs of water.

* Swordfights. They are pretty great.

* Yoshitsune and Shizuka's (his OTP) parting in the snow. There snow hats, burning stares, flute-sharing, and voiceover which informs those of us who are not already versed with the legend that this was their last meeting ever.

And this brings me to my favorite thing about Yoshitsune: Shizuka's dance. I knew of it (I read up on the history/legends beforehand) and I spent most of the drama waiting for it. Because this is basically the most badass heroine thing I have seen in a very very long time and it makes me glee and want to give her a medal. She is captured by Yoshitsune's evil (and unattractive) older brother, and after trying in vain to get her to reveal her lover's position with her all defiant, he finds out she is pregnant and orders the child to be killed if it's a boy, which it is. (For the rest of the drama, whenever he or his wife appeared on screen I was yelling 'Babykiller' at them, so it's a good thing nobody else was home). Then he decides to have a bit of entertainment. Since Shizuka was a famous temple dancer, why not have her perform for the entertainment of himself and his court. I mean, she can help him relax from the strenuous duties of killing her baby and hunting the man she loves.

Well, Shizuka does dance in front of the court, singing all about Yoshitsune's awesomeness. In your face, evil shogun! You go, awesome girl!



Yoshitsune angsts for lost Shizuka. As a sign of his angst he wears a weird rectangle on his head:



It's Shizuka's first time face-to-face with the Shogun:









She is totally fearless, yay!







Her baby gets stolen and killed and she wakes up to find it gone.











The narrator (who is way overpresent in this drama) has never met a dramatic moment he didn't want to make more dramatic as we cut from Shizuka to Yoshitsune who doesn't know about the baby...





After it all, she agrees to perform at a shrine dedication and her song is intercut with Yoshitsune fighting for his life. Yoshitsune is still wearing the hat of emo.





BABY KILLER!!!!!!!!!!



Mrs. BABY KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!



Their true love is expressed in their matching awful taste in hats.





Yes. More defiance and some pretty heavy-handed symbolism with falling autumn leaves and those same leaves the only spots of color in Yoshitsune's fight scene.









In case we didn't get it:





Oh yeah, and in the end? She dies. This is a cheerful drama where every last character I like dies and the characters I loathe the most get a happy ending...

So yes, my main reason for watching (in addition to the above defiance stuff) is basically this:



I found a board where people were complaining about pretty pretty cast. Clearly, taiga lovers and I are very different demographics. Pretty pretty people were the only reason I picked something 49 episodes long and with funny hats. Otherwise, I'd just reread the translation of the Chronicle of Yoshitsune I bought some time ago. I am in this purely for the visuals, and I don't mean the court robes.

Unfortunately Yoshitsune never got quite to the below state of ogleable undress.



How very sad.

Comments

[timescout.livejournal.com]

This is a cheerful drama where every last character I like dies and the characters I loathe the most get a happy ending...

LOL! Isn't that rather a given as it's a historical Asian drama? ;)

I recently picked up Daemang, one of Jang Hyuk's pre military dramas which is a historical one and I seriously doubt it'll end in joy and happiness for our hero. But it's been kinda interesting so far.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't know Daemang was subbed!

LOL! Isn't that rather a given as it's a historical Asian drama? ;)


Not necessarily. Koreans like to do dramas about mighty kings so you might luck out with the ending, at least as far as everyone dying goes :)

[timescout.livejournal.com]

The full episodes aren't but Arirang just aired the whole series in abt 25 min eipsodes with English subs (so there's 60 epis in total). Quality isn't that great but it's watchable. You can get the MU links from the Daemang-thread at Soompi if you are interested.

As for the ending... well, the hero/main character of Daemang is not royalty, his father is a wealthy merchant so.... Maybe he manages to live but at the point I'm now in the story, it seriously sucks to be him, ha.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG, I want to watch this now. Thanks for the heads up!

[timescout.livejournal.com]

I just finished it yesterday and loved it. The cast is wonderful and I liked the story very much. There are several strong female characters too. It has a bit different take on the hero from your usual sageuk dramas. He's more of a 'lover' than a fighter, ha. May not appeal to everyone but Jang Hyuk totally sold his Jae Young to me. The OTP does not have that much screentime together but you never doubt their love or devotion to each other. The Other Guy is pretty awesome too, even if he's a cold hearted sociopath. *g*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Spoil me? Happy ending?

[timescout.livejournal.com]

For the OTP - yessss! But not without couple of heartbreaking losses. One needs one's quota of angst... ;)

[dragonmaster-x.livejournal.com]

I love Yoshitsune too, but I quit watching because I couldn't stand the low quality. I think the high quality rips are only for the first few episodes.:P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

My dvds are better quality then the dls, a little, but yes, they are not crisp. I don't mind though as I've watched some pretty horrid vid quality 90s jdramas. It's a pity about Yoshitsune though because it's clearly a drama with spectacle and outfits and things...

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

As a sign of his angst he wears a weird rectangle on his head:

technically speaking, it's a hexagon.

oooh, lookit takki's sixpack! nice XD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

oooh, lookit takki's sixpack! nice XD

Luckily, Takki is fond of shedding his clothes...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

He looks like Michael JAckson on the second-last picture. Veyr worrying!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Really? I have never seen MJ sans shirt and hope not to :)

Is this better?



ETA: silly me. You said second-to-last. I don't know, I don't see the resemblance (MJ=yuck, to me though).

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This is indeed better. But like many others, I think he can benefit from eating a nice dinner.

I have never seen MJ sans shirt and hope not to :)

I meant the one in black kimono.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know food is expensive in Japan, but I am sure he can afford a meal if he tries :)

Actually, I find Takki more slender than skinny (and he is really buff which helps). I wouldn't mind if he ate a bit more, but he doesn't freak me out with skinniness, the way Kame did pre his boxer drama, or Matsujun in some of his stuff or Matsuda Shota in Jotei etc.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

...

Musashi has a pretty cast. And even though I haven't seen them yet, so do Toshiie to Matsu and Komyo ga Tsuji. The currently airing one does, too.

Maybe they meant "young."

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Maybe. What is TnM and KgT about? I am not big on taigas...too long, but I might check them out if sufficient motivation.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I'd have to look up the descriptions, but they're about 2 relatively famous couples known for their faithfulness (as defined by their times, of course) and for the husbands creditting the support of their wives for their success. I confess, i have both waiting mostly out of fondness for the actresses. KgT stars Nakama Yukie, and TnM has the actres is GTO and Forbidden Love.

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Lol - beautiful costumes, but I'm not sure if I could watch that many episodes only to be annoyed at the ending

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I knew the ending beforehand (I read the medieval chronicle about this guy). Sometimes I like a good tragedy.

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

it's true I do love tragedy as well, but so many episodes and I think I'd be a total wreck!

[akatsuru01.livejournal.com]

Hello! I'm Reiko and I don't mean to barge in on your convo here. XDD I just did a 'random' Google search on Yoshitsune and voila...out popped your LJ blog. (love it btw @.@) Such lovely, sharp/clear pics of my idol! ♥

Actually, if you don't mind me chiming in and saying that this drama is one of my most favorites of all, esp. since it's a taiga drama...and Takki's acting in it. lol ♥ 1) I'm a HUGE Takki fan from Johnny's (JE) since 2005, and 2) I'm a fan of his dramas as well. His most coveted, modern-type he's acted in is his latest, 'Orthros no Inu'. It's his BEST drama yet to date. (in my opinion...lol I know, I'm 100% biased.)

I've actually been a big fan of Takki for many years and what got me into him in the 1st place, was watching Yoshitsune. (honest) And the scene that captured my heart to him was when Uchiwaka jumped into the lake and turned into Shanao...half-hadaka. (omg) *dies* @.@ I was like, 'holyshhh~~~'! ♥ @@@@ Sorry...*bow* lol

But, omg. Takki is super attractive w/his sexy handsomeness and charming smile of his, and no matter what magazine photoshoot he does, whether w/blk hair or light-colored, he looks good in ANYTHING no matter what. And he can make any clothing work good on him too, whether TakiRanger-style (lol), Rocker-Takki, or baka-funny-Takki. He makes whatever he wears work on him, even in the color pink! And even when he's dressed like a woman too, onnagatta-style in Takizawa Kabuki (one of my favorite butai's of his), he puts us women/girls down to shame BIG TIME. He looks even prettier than ME! *no fair!* LOL How the heck he can look good-looking like a beautiful woman, I've NO clue 'til this day. He's simply not from this planet. hahahaha

I'm of American Japanese ancestry and have been watching taigas since I was a little girl growing up w/my family and fondly remember watching them w/my father. I've always understood these, maybe perhaps because of the fact I understand Japanese culture and those types of historical Japanese taigas. I don't speak/understand Japanese to save my life, but I do understand enough to 'get by'. And I've always been fascinated and intrigued in watching taiga dramas. (don't know why...lol) But after watching "Hojo Tokimune", "Toshiie & Matsu", and now "Yoshitsune", taigas have fascinated me even more than ever. ♥ (esp. since that's how I've come to love a certain JE-idol in the 1st place ♥ @.@)

I loved reading your synopsis explained here and your reactions/feelings toward the drama. Made me feel 'doki-doki' inside and at the same time, I felt exactly the same way as you regarding the romantic relationship between Shizuka and Yoshitsune. I'm totally for them both! *hi-5* In fact, they're one of my favorite pairings in taigas.

In fact, do you know years later, around 2009 or 2010, Takki got a phone call-interview from Ishihara-san on his Takizawa Denpajou radio evening talk-show once? Yeah, he interviewed her a bit on his radio show and asked some questions, bantering back n'forth their memories on Yoshitsune, what she thought on marriage and finding the right guy or settling down w/someone, acting together as co-stars, and so forth. It was most interesting to hear her talk to Takki again after all those years, and to even find a slight 'hint' in Takki's voice that mayyyybe, there was the possibility he might've been interested in her, I don't know? *shrugs shoulders* I think he must think of her as his younger sister to him, I don't know. But, I think they're both good friends.

He should reconsider and go w/someone like her as his gf. ♥ They both certainly would match. XDD

(cont. my reply)...

[akatsuru01.livejournal.com]

(cont. my comment previously fr. above)...

I felt the same way on Shizuka & Yoshi when you said:
["...burning stares & flute-sharing..."]
Omg, their flute-sharing and w/Shizuka playing the flute to Yoshi like that was so romantic...w/a significant amount of sensuality about it and romanticism mixed together. I really fell in love w/that scene w/them. ♥

[I have always found him one of the most gorgeous jdrama guys, but here he is pretty smoking, especially when he angstily washes himself with greats gobs of water.]
Heck yeah! @.@ ♥ He's smokin' *HOT* all half-hadaka like that. *dies* He can wash himself w/great gobs of water throughout the entire drama and I wouldn't care. (if that's all he does in it) *pffft* :P

[..."And this brings me to my favorite thing about Yoshitsune: Shizuka's dance. I knew of it (I read up on the history/legends beforehand) and I spent most of the drama waiting for it. Because this is basically the most badass heroine thing I have seen in a very very long time and it makes me glee and want to give her a medal..."]
YES...her fan dansu, I TOTALLY love to death!!! @.@ When I first saw this part, omg, I was so mesmerized by her fan-dancing like that and wondered how I could learn such a dansu like that too. lol *blush* I imagined in my mind, dancing like that dressed in a rich, beautiful kimono dancing a fan-dansu to Takki-sama and how he'd like it. XDD ♥ Sorry to sound sort-of obesssed w/him...I don't mean to. lol *bow* But that scene right there dancing to Takki-sama, was picture-perfect in all it's beauty & glory. XDD She never could've done it any better.

["...Well, Shizuka does dance in front of the court, singing all about Yoshitsune's awesomeness. In your face, evil shogun! You go, awesome girl!..."]
Yup, that's what I say too!!! *hi-5* IN YO FACE, EVIL-BROTHER YORITOMO! >< LOL

Then the part when we found out they killed Shizuka's baby the moment it came into the world, I was like, "FREAK! How'd you like it if we killed YOUR baby the moment it came into this world, huh?! Can I like, shoot this couple o what? This is just all JACKED UP, man." hahahaha j/k

Well, don't mean to go on & on but...I just totally love Takki-sama to death. ♥ I'm also into other Kpop grps like DBSK-TVXQ-JYJ a whole lot, BigBang, as well as other JE-idols and grps too, and T&T as a unit, but no one else pulls my heartstrings more than anything in the world other than Takki. Need I profess my love more about him? *blush* :D j/k

dou sou yoroshiku, onegaishimasu~♥ *bow*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love your comments, thank you!

And yup, I adored OnI. Takki should make more dramas, please :)

[akatsuru01.livejournal.com]

aawww...*blush* Hope I didn't write too much or too long for you. =__= Sometimes, I get carried away like that whenever it's a subject matter I love (Takki). ♥ lol

Ohhhh, gr8...you liked OnI then? What did you think of it? I'd like to hear 'your version' or take on what you thought of it too. XDD (hope you write long) Sorry...I love long comments. :D (that's just me)

Takki SHOULD make more dramas. (IMO) I'll *hi-5* you for that reply. XDD

Unfortunately, he won't be for quite some time anymore. :*((( *sniff* I know...but, that's what we've all heard (rumors) through the grapevine within the Takki and T&T fandoms, on FB, etc. and whatnot. I don't know if it's true or not but, I think even Takki mentioned something like that in one of his recent magazine interviews about him acting anymore. He said he prefers to produce/direct more with his Kakumei & Kabuki butai's and do T&T concerts rather than act more from now on.

Oh well. *sighhh* =__=;; So much for him acting anymore. *cry*

Well, just wanted to share w/you some new pics of Takki I recently found on sina on someone's blog. (just becuz) ;) Hope you like it! ♥ (I guess just as a 'thank you' for your posting here on Yoshitsune because I loved it (and I love 'him'). Brings back memories for me.)

Takizawa Kakumei 2012 pamphlet - inside pages
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151140860460538&l=04056bf4ea

magazine 2012.02 issue (don't remember 'what' ><)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151140876045538&l=7e1070e4e9

TakiCHANnel TV program episode screencap:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151140863365538&l=a6c07eae70