Liar Game

I FINALLY FINISHED IT.

To be fair though, it was two whole seasons and a movie, so it's fairly understandable that it took me so long. Also, I actually finished the actual drama like a week ago, but then a load of work came in that stopped me from having enough time to be able to devote a few hours to the movie.

This series was clever. So clever. It kept me guessing right the way through, never really sure of what was what, and the plot twists were always original and interesting. Not so much original in what happened, but more how they did it. Its hard to explain.

Liar Game follows Kanzaki Nao, a young woman who is ridiculously naive and trusting. Somehow, she gets sucked into the Liar Game, a tournament where the winners become filthy rich and the losers drown in impossible debts. The first game gives two players 100 million yen each, and the aim is to obtain as much of the other players money as possible within a week. At the end of the game, the Liar Game Office take back the 100 million originally given out from each player, meaning what they have gained they win, yet what they have lost, they owe. Obviously, due to her blind trust in humanity, she loses all her money within hours. She enlists the help of Akiyama Shin'ichi, an expert swindler recently released from prison, and with his knowledge, the two make their way through the Liar Game.

I said earlier it was clever. It was about 50% clever tricks and psychology. The other 50% was manic evil laughter. This show loved it's manic evil laughter as players started to win. It also loved it's 'noooooooo!' (in Japanese, obviously, so more 'iiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!') and falling to the floor in despair as these players lost to Akiyama and Nao.

The only thing that was disappointing was the purely platonic relationship between Nao and Akiyama. They started to hint at something more in the movie, but we were left with a conclusion that could be read either way. Still though, I loved it. It was completely different than anything I had seen before in terms of the unpredictability. Sure, it was clear that things were always going to turn out well, but it was how we got there that was the interesting part.

Nao was also in Nobuta Wo Produce as Shuji's sort of girlfriend, and very briefly in Hana Yori Dango 2 for like 2 episodes. Akiyama was also in Hana Yori Dango as one of the main characters, F4's Sojiro. Their normally traitorous ally, Fukunaga, or Mushroomhead as he was also known due to his ridiculous hair style, was in Mei-chan no Shitsuji but I did not recognise him at all. The rest of the cast were normally only around for a few episodes, but many also starred in Kimi wa Petto, Nodame Cantabile, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Hana Kimi, Hana Yori Dango, Zettai Kareshi and obviously Gokusen. Every drama has to have a Gokusen link. Oh, and Battle Royale. Even though its not a J drama. I love Battle Royale.

Next up is Buzzer Beat. I gather it's some sort of sports related  rom-com thing. I wasn't so excited about this until I read Yamashita Tomohisa's name. YAY YAMAPI! He was the one in Nobuta Wo Produce and Kurosagi, and he is HOT. I love him ^^.

<3 x

Drama: Buzzer Beat 1 
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki 23*
*I seem to read a few chapters of any manga before starting a new one - I've read 2 since my last post.

Nodame Cantabile and Distractions

So I have FINALLY finished Nodame Cantabile. You'll remember how unsure I was about this drama, and I was seriously close to skipping it all together because it just didn't appeal to me in the slightest.

I'm so glad I didn't, though. I actually really enjoyed it. Sure it was over-acted and predictable, but Japanese Dramas always are, and if nothing else, you get cheap laughs from the cheesiness of it. It made me appreciate classical music and orchestras in a whole new light, as I have always viewed both as stuffy and boring. But seeing something played by an orchestra of young people who twirl their cellos and raise their violins up in the air rather than playing as stoically as you normally would see was something that I found really refreshing. If all orchestras played like that, I would so go see them.

Although it was amusing before they started doing that, and they all started winking frantically at the conductor. Your first thought is that they are simultaneously having seizures.

The only other time I have seen classical instruments played as cool as that is Henry from Super Junior M. Did you ever see him play the violin in 'Don't Don' or 'U'? When he does that dancing thing while he is playing? HOT. Obviously, I had to go watch those videos (and others) and my God, those boys like their pelvic thrusts. I don't know how I never noticed it before, but if ever you need a definition of UNF, that is it.

Sorry, I got distracted.  

Nodame Cantabile.

From Google but credit to whoever made/owns this.

Obviously the whole drama circled around the 'will-they-won't-they' situation between Nodame and Chiaki, and when they finally did kiss, in the last 10 minutes of the second feature film length special, it was a somewhat disappointing 'barbie' kiss. Why can't they always kiss like Hiro Mizushima as Namba-senpai in Hana Kimi?

Incidentally, I'm now on chapter 40 of the Hana Kimi manga. Its quite good so far, but I don't really see how they can draw out the story for another 100 chapters. I'm seeing all the characters independently from their drama counter parts, other than Namba-senpai, who's character Mizushima got down to a tee. No, that's not just me fangirling, they even look the same, and I think that this is the first time that I have ever experienced a character so alike in manga, anime and drama. Most different? Mei in Mei-chan no Shitsuji. Not even close.

It happened again. Anyway, back to Nodame.

You know how I said that I didn't know any of the cast? Well, Mine apparently was in Kimi wa Petto as Momo's friend, Junpei, which I'm not sure I believe as the two characters look sooo different. Chiaki's ex-girlfriend was also in Kimi wa Petto, but I have no idea who her character was. Franck from the special was in one episode of Gokusen. So there you go, even dramas that I don't think have connections end up having them somehow, even if it is normally with Gokusen.

Next up is Koizora. It's quite a short one, only 6 episodes, but I quite like the idea of it, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm really liking Asian guys with bleached hair at the moment (OK, well from literally today), so that helps! I'll let you know, as usual, when I've finished it.

<3 x

EDIT: (8pm)
I've only watched 5 minutes, and Koizora has already had me in tears once AND the guy with the bleached hair is one of the always-half-naked-and-in-the-sauna guys from Atashinchi no Danshi. Looking good so far!

EDIT 2: (2.40 am) I just had to watch a hell of a lot of Super Junior doing their favourite dance move to stop the tears rolling down my cheeks. This show is soooo sad! Half way through now, so you'll probably get the full low down tomorrow.