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Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu / Crying out Love, in the Centre of the World
http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag254/jashiman/JDorama/Sekai_no_Chuushin_de_Ai_wo_Sakebu/th_Sekai%20no%20Chuushin%20de%20Ai%20wo%20Sakebu01-055L_zpsdttcs7bf.png
" /> 
" /> under the umbrella; romance of the fickle hydrangea field not
" /> 
" /> “Love and Marriage”
" /> went to war, went to jail, gone through marriage, now’s time for heaven
[BBvideo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ccCch-lwA [/BBvideo] [BBvideo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qzerr3I_JQ [/BBvideo] Type: boy meets girl drama
Genre: slice of life, romance, tragedy
Year: 2004
Intro:
This is not a live action as some seem to think! The show is based on best selling novel “Socrates in Love” (Koi Suru Sokuratesu) / “Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu” (2001) by Katayama Kyoichi. It has since also been made into movies (same name; Japanese 2003) and “My Girl and I” (Korean 2005). It has also been staged into a musical in mid 2005. There’s also a radio drama and manga. If only the manga was made by CLAMP.
Synopsis:
2004, Matsumoto Sakutaro (Saku), 34, is a doctor who works hard until he collapses. He’s a dead man inside. 17 years ago, he lost the love of his life, Aki. He’s weak. He’s still holding tightly to the bone ashes of his beloved, unable to let go. He’s unable to move on. He’s shattered and burden from the lost. He’s waiting for death to come.
Now, with his old high school about to be demolished he has returned to his hometown for the first time. He has realized it’s time to process the past and let go. It’s a heart breaking journey down memory lane.
1987, a coastal countryside town, it started to rain when Hirose Aki was holding a condolence message for a deceased teacher. Saku stepped forward to hold an umbrella for her. It’s the beginning of their relationship.
As thanks, she gives him a sea cockroach and pulls some pranks. When her birthday (July 2) nears he ghost writes a postcard to a radio station to win a walkman for her. He lied about her having leukemia to win. They start to exchange voice diaries via the walkman. They face off various troubles. Despite her increasing health issues, they went to a deserted island for fun until she collapsed. When she does develop leukemia, he writes another postcard claiming the first was a mistake and that she’s fine.
Weeks went by as her parents prevented him from visiting. When they finally meet, Aki appears to be fine. She, actually, has been left in the dark about her true illness as they hope she would belong to the survivors. She eventually finds out by herself but wasn’t sure. Using her cunning she tricked Saku to spill it. Aki tries to drown herself in the ocean but is saved by Saku. In order to stay together Saku tries to forge a marriage application without knowing it being illegal. Realizing anyone could die any moment regardless of circumstance Saku decided to live in the here and now.
They finally manage to hold a formal wedding photo session. However, Aki’s health deteriorate once again for the last time. Aki requests to see the blue sky over the ancient rock Uluru. October 23 (Saku’s birthday), she ditches Saku to go by herself to keep her pride and dignity. Saku catches up and they try to enbark on a flight but Aki loses consciousness…
[not part of the novel]
2004, six years ago, he convinced and supported Kobayashi Aki to give birth and become a single mother. They became friends. She’s virtually his caretaker/stand-in wife.
When Saku suddenly disappeared to return to his hometown she chased after him fearing the worse. Saku tried to kill himself but found out he doesn’t want to die.
He tells her of his regret of taking Aki and possibly resulted in her early death. If only she were to live another 4-5 years (extreme optimism) she could have saved by the bone marrow donor program established in 1991.
Sharing his pain Saku starts to value Kobayashi’s affection… When saving Kazuki from a traffic accident Saku accidentally dropped Aki’s bottle, shattering it and leaving it forgotten. Kobayashi’s hit instead making him realized she’s the only person in the world who’s there for him.
Critique:
The story mainly takes place in 1987 (July 2 and later). They actually were able to show an original working Sony Walkman (WM-101).
The love story is really great, yet so sad and depressing. If you are easily depressed this will be hard to watch. It’s sadder than “Air” or “I’m Sorry, I Love You”.
However, the story is just the toppings. The details displaying, dealing and processing the issues of relationship, feelings, psychology and other matters is what makes it really great. They are basically Plato’s / Socrates’ played out discussions in a more down to Earth fashion.
Obviously, some things are constructed and forced, and there are some logic errors but they all can or have to be hand waived for the sake of the story and plot. Other than that the show may have been trying too hard to emphasize the depressing state. It’s all very well arranged and directed.
Admittedly, many story elements aren’t new or haven’t been used elsewhere. Even the story introduction admits it. After all it’s just one of a myriad of Romeo and Juliet variations. Or just look at life inspired collections like “Salad Days” or the radio programs in the show (very common in Japan) or Reader’s Digest.
All the characters are well made and nothing’s coincidental. In retrospect, Kobayashi is definitely a foreign element and not created by the author. It’s a subtle difference, though, without hard facts.
Ayase Haruka as Hirose Aki is perfect for the role. She won the audition against an extremely huge number of candidates. It’s no wonder she won the Best Supporting Actress award. Officially, she’s not a main character! It’s typical for Japanese shows but it’s unclear whether this is an economic exploitation or a discrimination. Aki’s charismatic, cunning, skillful and crafty including using a woman’s weapon to motivate Saku. Don’t be fooled by Ayase Haruka’s image of the perfect female specimen Aki’s just a normal girl. She hates to lose, hence, appears strong but is weak inside.
Yamada Takayuki as young Matsumoto Sakutaro starts out as a glumly, boring guy who becomes more lively thanks to Aki. Even though he doesn’t have a multitude of expressions the script made it up quite well.
The show’s story starts when they are 16 going onto 17 and being (10th grade) high schoolers. It seems they are one year too old or perhaps this has been adjusted to conform with the legal marriageable age (boys: 18; girls 16).
There’s no adult Saku in the original novel and they happen to be in the same class in junior high school. Aki became sick in 3rd year.
As to the question whether it was wrong or not to take Aki on the final trip, remember this is fiction. There’s no sense to put in excess thoughts or interpretation into something that might not have been considered in the first place. Keep to the facts! Of course it could have been inspired by real life stories but there’s no prove of that.
However, for the sake of discussion … It was Aki’s decision. She decided on it knowing it could lead to her death. She accepted the risk, in part to fulfill her wish, in part for Saku’s future’s sake. She may have hoped again to unburden him from having to take care of her. She just underestimated his love, weakness, and feeling of guilt of letting her go.
The special is basically a summary retold from Yatabe-sensei’s perspective. It does have a minor number of unseen footage. Yatabe reviews the developments or the important points to be conveyed.
In scope the show is better than the movies unless you prefer their specific cast more. The Japanese movie was made at the same time and appears to be similar story wise except it’s 10 years not 17. It’s good in its own right. Here, the story is told from Fujimura Ritsuko’s view point who happens to find Aki’s cassette. At the same time Saku returns.
The Korean movie has french, anime and comic elements which gives off a strange feeling. Story wise it’s the same as the movie above. The comic parts are too artificial to be funny. There are a number of other things that don’t seem right. I’m particular unhappy with great dislike about Su-eun’s (Aki) final scene. Su-ho (Saku) comes back telling her they couldn’t go. He stands tall across her seat. She hunches over until her head rests on his stomach (looks like she’s giving a blowjob). He rests his hands on the back of her head as if hugging. In the end Su-ho stands on a field of purple flowers seeded by Su-eun. It’s your stereotypical sunflower field trope.
Miscellaneous stuff:
An ambulance breaking and skid turning. It’s a wonder it didn’t turn over.
The ED scenes made to look like film shot in the 80’s reminds of “The Wonder Years”.
Ep.2 Notice the change of the town in the zooming scene on the hill showing the contrast between the 80’s clean air and the less bright 00’s. Maybe it’s the sunset or CGI manipulation but it looks so genuine.
Special: Yatabe imitates Aki? It’s revealed how Tomoyo and Aki became friends. Yatabe says it was “Hatsukoi” (First Love) for Aki and Saku.
future Tomoyo is married to Obayashi and named her daughter Aki.
Even though, “Ayase Haruka” is a famed celebrity she’s still living incognito.
Quotes:
grandpa Kentaro: “I want you to steal something for me. Someone’s bone ashes.” …
grandpa Kentaro: “Wait, I will haunt you when I die. I will curse your descendants, too.”
Saku: “Why would you curse your own descendants?
- Aki: “Living with someone you love or living with someone while loving another. Who is more fortunate?”
- Aki: “I’ll get fat. I’ll get as heavy as your grandpa and riding on the back of our bike.”
Saku: “What are you talking about?”
- Aki: “Don’t you think that to lose something is to gain something?” (Usually this refers to making efforts that comes with abstaining something to gain something else as a result of the efforts. Aki refers to herself, though.)
- Saku: “I remembered … your birthday … July 2nd. I was born into a world with you in it.”
Aki: “I have been waiting in a world without you. I was waiting for you to be born.”
Saku: “You only had to be alone for 3 months. Isn’t it unfair? I’m going to be alone forever.”
see “Love Story” (1970) Oliver : “I am a Romeo who must live on after Juliet’s death.”
- Aki: “I knew it. There’s no afterlife after all. Heaven doesn’t exist. This place … This is heaven.”
- Yatabe: “So that you won’t forget the time you shared with her?”
adult Saku: “So I won’t forget she died.”
- adult Saku: “Feelings for a person who’s alive will grow stronger than for a person who’s dead.”
Verdict: 9.3
Cast: 9
Cast performance: 9
Script/Directing: 10
Gold
" /> the champ with superhuman genes
" /> Nikura Rika buffled
" /> the last rebel
Type: Family drama
Genre: Human society
Year: 2010-Jul-08 to 2010-Sep-16
Synopsis:
Saotome Yuri is a successful entrepreneur mother famed for her books on raising children. She has her children to prove her right. Except for the youngest, all of them are on track as candidates to take part in the next Olympics.
Nikura Rika, is an average “failure” of a common woman, who for some reason gets hired as Yuri’s assistant. In reality, as Yuri tells her someone else selected her. However, the real truth is even more surprising or rather unpleasant. As she works she gets more involved with Yuri’s family secret for good or worse. As she deals with all kinds of problems she has to stand up to Yuri while trying to solve things in her own way rather than just following orders. Will Rika last or fail as miserable as everyone else before her? Or maybe there’s an even a larger storm ahead?
Critique:
The main theme of the show is about the ways of upbringing children and how they turn out to be or how people are. It discusses as well as shows the problems involved and how various people deal with actual life. Of course human relationships are part of it all. However, at the end we are told not everything is straight forward and there are bound to be problems. The difference is not to give up and how a problem is dealt with rather than being ignored or delegated. Well, this all is debatable with no end so I will stop here. The story and plot of the show is a thing of its own, though. This is all the more reason to watch it.
Amami Yuki as Saotome Yuri is superb as ever. Yuri is charismatic, assertive and psychologically overwhelming in convincing people. As a business woman she gives people only one chance to redeem. However, she emotionally like any mother except using her superior psychology to shape or whip her children (and everyone else) into line. It’s also enjoyable to watch her rebuke bad people.
Nagasawa Masami as Nikura Rika is just another poor soul hired to be the girl for everything. This suffering heroine has to give her everything to please Yuri’s demands however unreasonable they are.
Including all the other veterans and good actors this show is quite enjoyable. Note Sorimachi Takashi and Takei Emi.
Quotes:
Yuri: “More than that, he was going to sell his daughter as a woman. He’s disqualified as a father, no matter how poor and no matter how stupid.”
Yuri: “If a woman is sold off even once, she’ll have that vice following her.”
- Yuri: “The most useless thing in this world is badmouthing someone out of envy. If you’re that free, drain some sweat, think and do something about it yourself. Happiness or unhappiness, don’t matter as long as you’re alive. Fortune, misfortune always alternate like a swing. However, it would be terrible if it stopped. There would be only boredom. Eternal boredom.”
- Yuri: “There are two reasons why a woman mustn’t harm her body. The first is for your own sake. The second is for the sake of your future children.”
Verdict: 9.3
Cast: 9
Cast performance: 10
Script/Directing: 9
Algernon ni Hanataba wo (2015)
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" /> Sakuto’s presentation; best friends Hiyama Kosuke and Yanagawa Ryuichi shocked over Sakuto’s experience
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" /> Algernon; Algernon’s mother
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" /> Kawaguchi Rio and Koide Mai; Sakuto’s young sister Karen, who used to despise him
Type: human drama
Genre: society, science tragedy
Year: 2015-Apr-10 to 2015-Jun-12
Introduction:
This show is based on the novel
Flowers for Algernonby Daniel Keyes and not the short story. This show is different from Algernon ni Hanataba wo (2002). Synopsis:
Shiratori Sakuto, 28, mentally disabled, has been abandoned and put into a home for kids on probations run by Dream Flower Service. One day, he delivers flowers to Mochizuki Haruka who works at a brain physiology research centre.
She’s part of Professor Hachisuka Daigo’s team studying the improvement of mental performance. They succeed in creating ALG which showed promising result in a lab mouse, henceforth named Algernon. Algernon can spell Japanese as opposed to Sakuto.
Meanwhile, Kawaguchi Rio becomes attached to Sakuto for he would not suffer when she’s gone. While looking for a human test object they decided on Sakuto, who’s willing to do anything to get smarter. Sakuto is transformed into a genius through surgery and ALG. As Sakuto realizes reality he comes to dislike human nature while becoming more elitist thanks to Daigo’s brainwashing suggestiveness. Rio becomes distress with Sakuto’s developement and realizes her mistaken approach. When Haruka turns down Sakuto’s courting he makes it out with Rio.
However, due to an unforseseen fault or side effect in ALG Algernon’s intelligence begins to fade, and he dies. Sakuto realizes his situation, too, and works to solve the problem. Due to his relationships been gone bad he is left in the dark about Rio’s fate. It’s a race against time.
Critique:
The show is true to the novel except for some alterations. As with the novel it’s all about mental and emotional development, including or rather using human relationships as an example. It’s in part from a modern point of view including technological and scientific understanding.
However, it’s inherently missing all other new discoveries and understandings of later times. Using ALG the story neatly overcomes early development requirements e.g. wild children. Using Daigo’s brainwashing, the story narrows down on the stereotypical image of the elitist superintelligent. However, the story’s point is shown with Sakuto realizing his mistake of ignoring the human heart.
Yamashita Tomohisa as Shiratori Sakuto is good at imitating disabled people. Although sometimes it seems he’s over doing it. As Sakuto becomes intelligent he’s missing all the things children learn about relationships, and etiquette. While he accused others of looking down on him before without realizing he’s doing the same now. Well, it’s typical human nature to be oblivious to ones own doing. To have this part in the novel/show is a plus. Well, for the sake of development Sakuto’s type of human he already has developed has been ignored.
Kuriyama Chiaki as Mochizuki Haruka is for some reason not surprising (see Ataru). Since, Kill Bill she’s kind of on track to be Japan’s Angelina Jolie. She’s slightly better at acting, though, especially subtle emotions. Here, she portrays a man’s dream of a woman. Like Sakuto you are meant to be drawn to those lips of hers. Seriously, she is meant to be more attractive than Rio.
The major difference to the novel are some relationships and Kawaguchi Rio’s fate. While in the novel Sakuto’s supposed to have a purely sexual relationship with Rio in the show he cuts ties with her right away. Unlike the novel Sakuto does not lead a sad life afterwards but continues his life with his friends.
As expected it’s a good show thanks to the original novel. It’s supposedly better than the previous show. For another fun version see Dirty Pair TV episode 12.
Miscellaneous stuff:
The brain logo can be drawn in a single line.
Verdict: 8.3
Cast: 8
Cast performance: 9
Script/Directing: 8
Age Harassment
" /> voodoo nailing pigs
" /> Emiri dogeza : “It’s okay. It’s about my duties.”
" /> 
" /> “When she’s done here, please, take her away.” ; sit dance
[BBvideo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWuwcERNi-M [/BBvideo] Type: workplace drama
Genre: slice of life, office
Year: 2015
Synopsis:
Yoshii Emiri manages to be hired at a top trading company. However, despite being on the career track she’s shunned to the General Affairs department (the stereotypical Japanese odd job/punishment department).
Naturally, she’s unsatisfied but puts up with it. While she tries hard to get used to her work and overcome many trials she witnesses or experiences all kinds of harassment. Whenever things start to get overbearing she would give people a piece of her mind.
Sometimes, it helps people to solve their problem. While some admire her courage she’s become a headache for the higher ups. They come up with more ideas to “improve” woman’s situation but the reverse is true.
Critique:
This is nearly like another version of Shomuni but more specific about harassment. You might be interested in “Onna wa Sore o Yurusanai” (Women Won’t Allow It) as well.
Takei Emi as Yoshii Emiri is in her feisty, hotblooded, and brazen element. If you watch the show you know you are waiting for Emiri to snap.
The show’s a collection of all kinds of harassment towards women but not necessary exclusively restricted to women. The Japanese have an abundance of examples and cases to show, each with its own Japanese nick name term. Some border on mobbing but mobbing is not explicitly punishable by law. There are enough to fill an encyclopedia. However, it’s not complete, the worse are left out. For example “Nikkin Kyoiku” is a front to handout abuses to make people quit by themselves. It’s very common in Japan’s management culture. Not like it’s all that different or even worse elsewhere, mind you. In Korea it’s physical violent. In certain region in Germany it’s common to steal someone’s lunch. Or if you are a foreigner in Germany or Switzerland life threatening attempts to your life is also quite common e.g. cutting your bike’s breaking wire or sending threatening letters. Yet, I consider workplace conditions in Germany to be the most proper of any country. Things were worse in Norway or Russia, long before the Breivik incident. In most cases, it’s a cultural thing where people don’t consider it bad or are oblivious.
The show also stereotypically emphasizes the conflict between career and clerk track employees. The distinction refers to people who are meant for leadership (working until it’s done on time) and people working regular hours. For many cases the show discusses what makes something a harassment. For others it gets down to the root cause as well as the human reasons behind them. Despite being about a serious theme the show is enjoyable thanks to the cast.
Verdict: 8.3
Cast: 8
Cast performance: 8
Script/Directing: 9
