Beautiful Life: really beautiful

[dangermousie]

Wow.

WOW.

I get intrigued by dramas fairly often. And I get into them relatively often too. But the whole 'I am not going to bed' thing doesn't happen much. Neither does falling in love from the first frame.

Yet here it is. It's almost 2 am, I had a 14 hour work day, I have to work tomorrow, yet I cannot drag myself away, and am only typing this up because Mr. Mousie is entitled to TV time too.

The culprit? Kimura Takuya, who else? More specifically, his drama A Beautiful Life. winterspel, I think you were the one who recced it, and thank you thank you THANK YOU!

WOW.

Hey, smartylibrarian, I found another drama for you! The heroine of this one is Kyoko, a smart, independent, not-mincing-words librarian. And the hero, Shuji (played by Kimura Takuya) is a hairdresser at a very famous salon.

Why do I love it so? I am in love with the leads. Both are intelligent, strong-willed, quirky people who don't fit so well. Kyoko might be awesome but she is also in a wheelchair (OMG, this is going to end badly, isn't it? That is a jdrama sign of doom. Pleasepleaseplease no) and while she doesn't want to be treated any differently, she hates being singled out (in pity or dislike) because of her disability, and yet of course, her disability is, in many ways, a defining measure of her life for others (there is a wonderful scene early on where a 'volunteer' asks her to go to a handicapped people dance and she points out it's no fun spinning in a wheelchair). But while she might be a bit on the abrasive side (and I love that she doesn't mince words, is not all sweetness. She is a strong woman), she doesn't come across as shallow or unlikeable. There is something irresistably fun about her, something strong and intelligent. A lot of jdrama heroines drive me nuts, but I loved Kyoko from the first moment.

Shuji? I love him as well. (And no, not just because he is played by Kimura, who is arguably my favorite Asian actor. He reminds me of Shahrukh Khan in the fact that he is not classically good-looking but about two seconds in you cease to care because of the sheer level of his intensity and charisma). I knew I was going to love him from the moment he realized the reason Kyoko was telling him to move his motorcycle further was because she needed room for her wheelchair. That one quick, blink-and-you-miss-it look made me Shuji's fan for life. I love that he doesn't treat her any differently because of her handicap. He flirts, or talks, or snarks, exactly the same as if she wasn't disabled. And it's not a conscious 'must be nice' effort on his part. He honestly doesn't see the difference. She doesn't want to be defined by her disability, to be treated in a particular way because or despite it, and he doesn't. Maybe because he seems very uninterested in appearances in general (his boss at the salon points out that he might be really good at his job, but he has no pr skills at all).

This is wonderful. I am finishing it this weekend, hell or high water.

Credits:

And as a bonus, I bring you this cool Pride MV. Yes, it still is my favorite jdrama, and is second only to Mars in dorama list, period.

Comments

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

[i]This is wonderful. I am finishing it this weekend, hell or high water.
[/i]

That's one of the pros jdramas have over others. I whine that they are not as long running - but I can watch one over the weekend. Or if I really push it - in one day! Have fun watching - I'll have to check it out (once I start/finish Pride tomorrow - your rave in a previous post is what convinced me I have to watch it.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Pride is my favorite favorite jdrama. Hope you like.

Btw, I know you were asking about Hanadan elsewhere. It really is worth watching and very romantic.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Ahh BL is wonderful ... but yeah, prepare for lots of handkerchiefs for the end. Ah wait till you see some more eps. There are always these little blink-and-you-miss-it moments where Shuuji's face is just adorable and yet convey so much more than words.
Cute bit of trivia: Kimura took driving lessons for his motorbike driver's license for this drama and he is riding his wife's bike in the series. That is why it looks smaller than a usual bike (or for a bloke of his size)

So far there are only two dramas w/Kimura I don't really like and 2 out of 14 dramas plus 3 movies is not bad.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The bike thing totally makes sense. Because I wasn't expecting a Ling kind racing bike but this one is small. Now I have this cracktastic image of Kimura and Missus and their kids (they got two, right?) riding like a mini-gang on four-appropriately-sized bikes on a road. Heh.

little blink-and-you-miss-it moment

I love those.

I just realized I have NO Kimura icons (except for my Pride icon. Must remedy).

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

You really should remedy this :)
Here are some I made: http://www.different-worlds.net/LJIcons/icons2.htm#kt

As for the Kimura road gang ... I think it could be possible :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes! Icons!

[gold-fish333.livejournal.com]

Yes, I remember watching BL years ago, and then watching it again about 2 years later.... I cried buckets both times... It is still one of the most memorable Jdramas I have seen. And yes, Kimura is still HOT after all these years.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, very hot. And even early in, this is so good.

[calixa.livejournal.com]

That one quick, blink-and-you-miss-it look made me Shuji's fan for life.

Kimura has a way of doing that... you'll be cruising along and suddenly something will happen (a look in his eyes, or a minor gesture) for about a second, and it'll be uber quick but AMAZINGLY character-defining and before you know it you're head over heels in love.

*is head over heels in love*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he is amazing at those little, subtle, almost unnoticeable moments.

*is also in love*

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I have Beautiful Life on my list (I put it to the side to devote my energies to TattaKoi last fall) -- I'd seen the last episode and part of the first episode, deemed it excellent and amazingly weepy, and promised to return. Incidentally, it's by the same writer as TattaKoi, and this drama got monster ratings. Like, I think it was the drama of the year (after all, it's a Kimutaku drama), garnering a good 40% of the ratings. Insane, isn't it? Everyone was watching this. And while I am concerned at the state of Kimutaku's hair in this (I think I vastly preferred his look in Pride), I find his character so appealing. I might mainline it for real sometime in the future, but I await your review with bated breath!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

40%? OMG, that is crazy. Yeah, I like his short hairdo in Pride better but this is still better than his monster locks in LV (I know he was an artist, but come on).

So far this is awesome and KimuTaku is just...guuuuuh. Of course, it can take a nosedive (I mainlined Loveholic at first but am still on ep 9 because of teh angst) but this is much shorter than a kdrama, so hope not.

Weepy? I knew that, I should have known that. *curses*

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I had to quit Loveholic after episode six (that, and Goong S). I gave them both the old college try but just couldn't do it. Not with Hanadan and my mainlining of Orange Days (which I have yet to comment on, BUT IT WAS VERY VERY EXCELLENT). I am just amused by the idea of Kimutaku as a celebrity hairdresser. I know, I know, at least it's not Magicians of Love-esque, right?

It's a Kitagawa drama (TattaKoi!), which could've tipped you off to the impending emo. That said, I've heard that this is probably Kitagawa's best work, hands down (she's done more than a few dramas with Kimutaku and she writes to the form, writing dialogue and such only after casting is finished, and Kimutaku, she argues quite rightly, is a great inspiration).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

she's done more than a few dramas with Kimutaku and she writes to the form

Ooooh, oooh, what other ones? I do think it's interesting that she writes only after casting. Because so far it seems to work like a charm (I was so impressed with Kame in Tattakoi).

Re: hairdressers. Heeee. After seeing the fact that every other beuilding in Japan seemed to be a salon, I guess someone has to be :P

Yeah, I mainlined Loveholic and then...booom. It was 'disappearing interest.' I'll finish it because I do like it, but mad pash is gone.

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I know for sure that Kimutaku was in Kitagawa's "Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi" (he's a chef's assistant, she's a detective trying to solve a murder in which he may or may not be involved), and of course "Long Vacation", but I don't recall the names of the others off the top of my head.

I like that Kitagawa writes to form; it appeals to detail nazis like myself. Example? Remember how Hiroto was all about the baseball? Random JE Factoid - Kame is known for his own baseball skillz, so Kitagawa's inclusion of this fact was a tiny little bone that she threw to the fangirl contingent. :)

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

The Kimura dramas Kitegawa wrote are Asunaro Hakusho, Long Vacation, Beautiful Life and Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (One Million Stars).
In One Million Stars, the female lead is not a detective (he is played by Sanma of the SanTaku Specials) but the sister of the detective. It is an interesting, if not extraordinary mystery thriller.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

oh god, don't even get me with the legs touching scene , even when kyoko's in a wheelchair .... Its pwns!!!!

i really liked this too. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love this so much!!!