Sapuri and Hana Yori Dango. I love Japan
Dec. 3rd, 2007 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI have finished Sapuri and I am giddy and warm and just...it's better than hot chocolate on a rainy day.
And I am, at the same time,totally bereft at the thought of no more Sapuri.
What a lovely, delightful, amazing thing it was. And oh, that ending, with her finding him, actually being the one to come and find him, all that way, and telling him she loves him, and the look of delight on his face (btw, Kame in a suit? EEEE!) and I love how it ended for everyone (and Watanabe-san found someone, yay) but especially for Minami and Yuya, his waiting for her after work (I assume he just got off his) and them walking off together, hand in hand. And oh, the kiss!!!!! Spinny!
It's interesting, because I was thinking how uniquely Japanese Sapuri was. What I mean by that is that a lot of drama love stories could, with some tweaking(a little or a lot), be retold as a Western miniseries. But Sapuri couldn't, not really. Because the main concept of it, the concept I adored, is alien to American TV: it is about how the meaning of life is to find yoursel in your work, to work hard and to be proud of it, and not because work is interesting (even though it often is) but because there is virtue in hard work and in people depending on you and relying on you, and you are a member of an effective team. Sapuri is all about the meaning of adulthood, emotionally, personally, professionally, and this is not a theme American TV, stuck in the perpetual glorification of adolescence, ever likes to address. Interesting, jdrama is full of it. Even something like Hana Yori Dango, which might appear to be a comedy-melodrama about two strong-willed eccentrics in love, is in a lot of ways about Domyouji growing up and changing under the influence of love to become fit for society and someone who can lead the company in the future and become a functional grown-up.
Because, think about it. In American TV, if we had a workaholic woman and a layabout guy, he would at the end, teach her to let her hair down, because of course she would be uptight. But here, while Minami needs to learn to balance personal and professional a bit better, it's mainly Yuya who needs to realize his potential for perseverance and hard work and pursuit of goals.
You know, I adore Kame. I might even brave Gokusen 2, I think.
Later in the evening![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
filmi_girl came over and we had a blast watching the first five episodes of Hana Yori Dango and squeeing/snarking/metaing. So much fun. I adore them all so, and it's been a while since I've seen the earliest ep so it was a delight. You know, a little thing I noticed this time: in ep 2, when Domyouji tells Makino to lick his shoes (because sauce is on them) it's awesome because you can tell the second the words are out of his mouth, he is horrified and wants to take it back but has no idea how. I love how Rui breaks in, and gives him an excuse to break it off. Rui=LOVE. And oh, Makino is a total darling. And I have no words for the awesomeness that is Domyouji. MatsuJun is so expressive. We finished on the ep when he gets beaten almost to death. Oh, I love how Sakurako is ranting and raving at him, but all he can see is Makino (and heis reaching for her scarf, like some sort of a talisman). When he realizes what is about to happen, earlier, and gently tells her to close her eyes (so she won't have to see him beaten), I sort of die a little. The whole set-up, with Sakurako telling him that here are goons that will beat him up, and if he moves a finger to defend himself, she will cut Makino's face, so he basically stands there and lets them beat him so badly he needs hospitalization? Awesome. Because he has such impulse control problems, and violence issues and what not, but he never loses sight of what is important. As he tells Makino: not fighting back was the only way he could protect her. OMG. And she, such a dense darling, asks him why and he replies, 'isn't it obvious? I love you.' OMG OMG OMG. And he is all beaten up and barely moving but is still hugging her. OMG. And then (once he is out of the hospital) he is being such a baby and pretending he still needs his arm in a sling so she'd feed him :P And trying to show off to her. And when she still, after all that happens, stands up for Sakurako against the bitchy girls, I love that he is proud of her for it, and just hugs her in this totally impulsive hug and...eeeeee!
Or their first date, earlier? He showed up early! And waited for her for three hours in the pouring rain.
Seriously, Hanadan is love.
After these, I'll finish A beautiful life and then probably something light, Himitsu No Hanazono or Good Luck or Dragon Zakura before diving into the intensity of Karei-Naru Ichizoku. And I will try Kimi Wa Petto again, seeing how much I am loving the manga and how it clarified certain things for me.
And I am, at the same time,totally bereft at the thought of no more Sapuri.
What a lovely, delightful, amazing thing it was. And oh, that ending, with her finding him, actually being the one to come and find him, all that way, and telling him she loves him, and the look of delight on his face (btw, Kame in a suit? EEEE!) and I love how it ended for everyone (and Watanabe-san found someone, yay) but especially for Minami and Yuya, his waiting for her after work (I assume he just got off his) and them walking off together, hand in hand. And oh, the kiss!!!!! Spinny!
It's interesting, because I was thinking how uniquely Japanese Sapuri was. What I mean by that is that a lot of drama love stories could, with some tweaking(a little or a lot), be retold as a Western miniseries. But Sapuri couldn't, not really. Because the main concept of it, the concept I adored, is alien to American TV: it is about how the meaning of life is to find yoursel in your work, to work hard and to be proud of it, and not because work is interesting (even though it often is) but because there is virtue in hard work and in people depending on you and relying on you, and you are a member of an effective team. Sapuri is all about the meaning of adulthood, emotionally, personally, professionally, and this is not a theme American TV, stuck in the perpetual glorification of adolescence, ever likes to address. Interesting, jdrama is full of it. Even something like Hana Yori Dango, which might appear to be a comedy-melodrama about two strong-willed eccentrics in love, is in a lot of ways about Domyouji growing up and changing under the influence of love to become fit for society and someone who can lead the company in the future and become a functional grown-up.
Because, think about it. In American TV, if we had a workaholic woman and a layabout guy, he would at the end, teach her to let her hair down, because of course she would be uptight. But here, while Minami needs to learn to balance personal and professional a bit better, it's mainly Yuya who needs to realize his potential for perseverance and hard work and pursuit of goals.
You know, I adore Kame. I might even brave Gokusen 2, I think.
Later in the evening
filmi_girl came over and we had a blast watching the first five episodes of Hana Yori Dango and squeeing/snarking/metaing. So much fun. I adore them all so, and it's been a while since I've seen the earliest ep so it was a delight. You know, a little thing I noticed this time: in ep 2, when Domyouji tells Makino to lick his shoes (because sauce is on them) it's awesome because you can tell the second the words are out of his mouth, he is horrified and wants to take it back but has no idea how. I love how Rui breaks in, and gives him an excuse to break it off. Rui=LOVE. And oh, Makino is a total darling. And I have no words for the awesomeness that is Domyouji. MatsuJun is so expressive. We finished on the ep when he gets beaten almost to death. Oh, I love how Sakurako is ranting and raving at him, but all he can see is Makino (and heis reaching for her scarf, like some sort of a talisman). When he realizes what is about to happen, earlier, and gently tells her to close her eyes (so she won't have to see him beaten), I sort of die a little. The whole set-up, with Sakurako telling him that here are goons that will beat him up, and if he moves a finger to defend himself, she will cut Makino's face, so he basically stands there and lets them beat him so badly he needs hospitalization? Awesome. Because he has such impulse control problems, and violence issues and what not, but he never loses sight of what is important. As he tells Makino: not fighting back was the only way he could protect her. OMG. And she, such a dense darling, asks him why and he replies, 'isn't it obvious? I love you.' OMG OMG OMG. And he is all beaten up and barely moving but is still hugging her. OMG. And then (once he is out of the hospital) he is being such a baby and pretending he still needs his arm in a sling so she'd feed him :P And trying to show off to her. And when she still, after all that happens, stands up for Sakurako against the bitchy girls, I love that he is proud of her for it, and just hugs her in this totally impulsive hug and...eeeeee!Or their first date, earlier? He showed up early! And waited for her for three hours in the pouring rain.
Seriously, Hanadan is love.
After these, I'll finish A beautiful life and then probably something light, Himitsu No Hanazono or Good Luck or Dragon Zakura before diving into the intensity of Karei-Naru Ichizoku. And I will try Kimi Wa Petto again, seeing how much I am loving the manga and how it clarified certain things for me.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 05:08 am (UTC)And I highly endorse watching Dragonzakura.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:36 pm (UTC)I need to complain to LJ.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:50 pm (UTC)I'm just glad I cleaned out about 300 tags Thanksgiving weekend on a whim.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:52 pm (UTC)Seriously, it's going to take forever though.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 04:25 pm (UTC)I guess it comes down to the difference between love of existing but sometimes unnecessary tags vs the need for new ones.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 05:59 am (UTC)Also, I loved what you had to say about Sapuri. In particular, all that is because in Japan there is much emphasis on being a shakaijin (literally translated, "society person"). You become a shakaijin when you join the workforce and it is important to be that "upright, contributing citizen". And of course, the best way to do that is through work. :) In a society where young people are bucking against these expected norms of society (to become a proper shakaijin) and struggling to find their place. Sapuri is quite appropriate. :)
And I totally just picked up the first two volumes of the manga tonight and I'm totally going to sink my teeth into them! *glee*
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:38 pm (UTC)And thank you so much for your insight about shakaijin: it's not really a concept here. But I think I like it (within limits, of course :))
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 11:42 am (UTC)And maybe finish Bambino! just to further my MatsuJun appreciation.
That's another drama about how to work hard. If Bambino! had been made in the US, it would be about a young guy who is a whiz in the kitchen automatically and the fight would come from him proving himself despite his age (or whatever) instead of him finding out that he is NOT the whiz he thought he was and learning to work as part of a team and to not show off.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:38 pm (UTC)And eeee, I sort of want to watch Bambino, even if I am afraid I'll become fantastically hungery after it.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 12:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:39 pm (UTC)But yeah, it was a long time ago since I watched s1 and I really marathonned S2 in a crazy way so a rewatch is also in order for me.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 01:16 pm (UTC)Um Gokusen 2 is...interesting. On the whole the plots awful and Jin's acting is not exactly great but Kame does really well in it. I'd say watch either the first episode where you meet Kame's character and he basically angsts and looks incredibly intimidating or episode 9 where his acting really, really blew me away. I'm guessing you've seen Nobuta Wo Produce as well because he's amazing in that?
I miss Hana Yori Dango. I may do a re-watch when I've finished the mammoth amount of essays and work I have due at the end of this term.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 03:35 pm (UTC)I'll take your advise and watch ep 9 of G2. Because the thought of watching a whole series without Shin makes me feel unhappy :)
no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-03 04:09 pm (UTC)