Yamada Taro Monogatari

If I am not mistaken “monogatari” means story or in more specific “tale”. Thus this is a dorama that is telling the story of Yamada Taro. Something that disturbs me a lot is why this dorama is produced just now after more less four years ago the manga had been published and the Taiwanese drama adapted from the manga has been broadcasted under the title: Poor Prince. I do have this similar feeling just like when I’m watching Hana Yori Dango after have seen Meteor Garden. Will I get the same feeling again when someday I decide to watch the Hanakimi?( ^^;)

As I remember, after Meteor Garden series had ended, each of F4 members was cast in various dramas adapted from Japanese manga. Obviously one of them is Vic Zhou who played as Taiwanese version of Yamada Tarou. Honestly I have not got a chance to watch it yet. Only I can still sing “Make a Wish” which if I’m not mistaken it was the soundtrack of Poor Prince.

I just finished watching the first episode of Yamada Tarou and my first impression was I wish that someone with more image like Vic Zhou were cast. Really it doesn’t mean I do not like Kasunari Ninomiya who is one of my favourite J-actors when he acted as Shou-chan (Stand-up) and his role as a soldier in Letter from Iwojima.

Nino is still sweet, funny, and kind as usual in his role as Yamataro, only I have not got that “prince charming” image which I think he should potray it as Yamada Tarou, a poor high school student who has a look like a rich prince.

Well I cannot comment a lot since it is still first episode. I will write again after catching up some episodes 🙂

Renai Shashin-Otsuka Ai

Renai Shashin literally means “Picture of Love.” It is a beautiful mellow song performed by Otsuka Ai. She is no other than Japanese singer who sings Planetarium the ED soundtrack of Hana Yori Dango Live Action. It is one of my favourite J-songs that I can play for many times in one day.

I have known the song long before I watched the movie who has similar title as the song’s refrain, “tada kimi wo aishiteru.” Why? simple reason, no one subbed the movie yet at that time (LOL). Surprisingly comparing to the movie itself, I prefer watching the video clip and Movie promo (which previewed with this song as the background sound), which I think they are more attractive.

The story of Tada Kimi wo Aishiteru (English title: Heavenly Forest) is actually pretty amusing and yet romantic. However, when it is brought into a movie, the result is rather dissapointing. How should I put this, good but not as hilarious as the previous movie which the story is also written by same writter, Takuji Ichikawa. If you guess it is Ima ai ni Yukimasu (English title: Be With You) then you have guessed it right. Should I say you better watch Kimi wo first before Ima? Well it is up to you.

Anyway, here is the romanji lyric and translation that I copy paste from another website

Source:www.channel-ai.com

Romaji:
aoao to shita yozora no shita de
anata ga miteta ushiro koi sugata

tokiori miseru mujaki na negao
atashi ga miteta koishii sugata

donna hitotoki mo subete
wasure nai you ni
muchuu de shattaa kiru atashi no kokoro wa
setsunai shiawase daata

tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada sore dake de yokatta noni

ame furu toki no kawashi ta kisu wa
tsunaga re te yuku futari no sugata

isshou ni mou nai kono kimochi
umaku ie nai kedo
anata ni deatte atashi no mainichi wa
kirakira to kagayai ta yo

tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
anata ga kure ta shiawase yo

tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada kimi wo aishiteru
tada sore dake de yokatta no ni

chiisana heya ni kazara re te iru
futari no egao renai shashin

Translation:
Under the green night sky
You saw the back of love

Sometimes you show your innocent sleeping face
And I saw your dear appearance

No matter what
I can’t forget everything
In dreams, the shutter of my heart turns off
In painful bliss

However, I still love you
However, I still love you
However, I still love you
However I’m glad even if that’s all it is

The kiss we exchanged when it was raining
Ties the both of us together

This feeling will not last my entire life
I can’t explain it well, but
After meeting with you, every day of my life
Has shone brightly

However, I still love you
However, I still love you
However, I still love you
You gave me happiness

However, I still love you
However, I still love you
However, I still love you
However I’m glad even if that’s all it is

Decorating this tiny room
Are 2 smiling faces—a photo of love

 

First Kiss

taken from dramawiki

I was in Indonesia when I found out that this dorama has been posted on d-addicts. Unfortunately I had to be patient enough to wait until I got back in Holland. Why? yes as you may have realized, that is quite impossible to download via internet when you are in a country where you need at least three minutes to open a web-page 🙂 . Thus when you try to download something especially via torrent file, it would take forever.

General storyline
Fukunaga Mio (Inoue Mao, who plays Tsukusi role at Hana Yori Dango live action) is a cheerful yet selfish and egoist girl who lives with her mother in United States since her parent divorced. Since her birth, Mio has been carrying a serious incurable heart problem that requires her to do regular medical treatment in order to keep her alive.

 Until one day the hospital where Mio is being treated offers her to do an operation to cure the sickness. However, the chance of being success is only 50% and the worst case it could endanger Mio’s life. Putting her life on the line, unexpectably Mio agrees upon the operation with one condition or request. She asked the doctor to let her go on a vacation for the whole summer at her big brother’s (Onii-chan) place in Japan.  

Kano Kazuki  or Kazu (Ito Hideaki, he plays Yasha and his twin, I know the”manga” but not seen the dorama yet) is Mio’s onii-chan and two of them have been seperated for ten years since their parents divorced. Mio went to US with her mother while Kazu stayed in Japan following his father.

After ten years finally they will meet again. Mio has been imagining meeting her not-chubby-anymore onii-chan (Kazu used to be a fatty) who is now working as a professional photografer who takes lots of wonderful pictures just like his dream when they were little.

Without Mio’s knowing, Kazu has been demoted from his workplace and currently almost jobless except his job of attracting girls in the bar (maybe like a gigolo?). He is now living in a rent house with two housemates (one of the mates is the owner of the house), whose professions are as a stylist and a make-up artist at the photo studio where Kazu used to work before (I personally judge both Kazu’s housemates are gay). When Kazu hears that his sister is about to visit him, he can do nothing to hide the fact anymore from Mio about his recent situation. The only thing that Kazu can do for Mio’s sake is begging his housemates to let her “imoutou” stay in the house, which makes both housemates strongly reject since they don’t like girl.

Soon Mio’s sudden visit is going to change the life of two siblings. Mio is avoiding to be in a relationship due to her short expectation of life while her Onii-chan is struggling of giving up his dream as a photografer. Having Mio by his side has given Kazu new life’s objective–to find a good guy for her while on the other hand, Mio keeps encouraging her onii-chan to go on pursuing his dream as a professional photografer.

Personal Impression (especially on each character)

I just finished watching the second episode of this dorama and overall it is a good entertained dorama and I’m still waiting for the next episodes to be subbed.

The role that is being played by Inoue Mao is actually not a big different from Tsukusi since she has to potray a “genki” energic and stubborn girl who always goes for what she wants the most. The only different here, Tsukusi is healthy and comes from middle-lower family while in contrast, Mio comes from a wealthy family who lives in US. Obviously Inoue Mao is demanded to show more her English speaking skill and those rich spoiled princess’s attitudes. So far she has done a good job.

Hideaki Ito as Kano Kazuki is also my favourite. He is very funny and also an adorable onii-chan. Honestly at the first sight, Hideaki looks very mature (in bad way: old) and somehow to old to be Inoue’s aniki–another way to call big bro. But when watching it, I start liking this character and this changes the way I think before (now I can understand why people say Hideaki is such a cool and handsome guy ^^). This Kazu onii-chan can be very mature and yet childish and idiot-cute in other occasions.

The gay housemates, Masaru (left) and Ichiryu (right) (as previewed in the picture the ones in the left and right side of the guy with blue background) are pretty amusing. Mio addresses them as two chuwawa/chihuahua dogs. I have my symphatic for Ichiryu, who owns the house, he is always the one who suffer the most when the house is being messed up by his housemates including Mio, Kazu, and the other guy.

Looks who is back in the scene? Milky Holstein da!!?? (the one who plays maestro Franz Strezemann at Nodame Cantabile and the half-French pilot in Good Luck)…Now he is here as Banba Dai, an essentric professional photografer, Kazu and his housemates’ boss who seems having a certain grudge towards Kazu. He is one of the reasons for Kazu feels discouraged and plans to stop with his career. According to Ichiryu and Masaru, Kazu was also at fault for not asking apologize for his past mistakes.

To be continued later, got to work