Proposal Daisakusen Japanese Drama

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Jun 20, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

impactt
19 of 21 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 9
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 9
[Warning: long review]

This isn't just a show. It's a story close to life; a story of great moral value and lessons to be learnt. This is an amazing journey through the eyes of a man who can be similar to many of us at some point in our lives. And I believe many people, including myself, have come out of this journey a better person. The below is more an in-depth review more for people who've already watched the show, but if you are curious to what exactly is so good about the show, feel free to read on, since there are no big spoilers in this review.

The story is simple enough; Ken is a shy guy who never managed to express his love to his childhood friend, Rei, and now he is attending her wedding to another man. A fairy pops up to grant Ken the ability to correct some regrets of his past so that hopefully he will face an improved situation in the present. The idea of time-travel seems to contradict the idea of the show being close to life; if you think about it, however, everyone faces some regrets of action or non-action in the past; time-travelling back to change these is an ability we always wanted, and we simply see Ken doing what we wished we could do. These timeslips create a blueprint in the show which becomes obvious very quickly; in fact it is so faithfully replicated that the show is always in danger of becoming repetitive. However, each episode is executed masterfully such that the repetition doesn't become tiring; it instead gives the viewer a standard framework from which to view the characters, their story and the outcome of Ken's actions, making them seem all the more clearer and connected to the present. More importantly, you get to see Ken's gradual emotional development through the series. It is argued by many watchers that this format isn't the best way to present the show due to the repetitiveness; but for me it possesses a mesmerizing charm and cuteness that endears me to the show.

The characters are excellent, and I totally mean it when I say that. Many shows out there create characters to suit the story, which results in disjointed personalities and actions that seem out-of-character in some scenarios; ProDai is one of the rare few that have wholesome, complex characters whom you get to understand and relate to as the story progresses. It is as though the story is written to suit the characters, which is how real life works; this makes the show so much closer to life. Sometimes, it even angers the audience when they see how stubborn a person's personality in the show can be, because at times the show simply stagnates when Ken cannot bring himself to change the past; to me however, this is also one of the charms of the show, the rigidity of personalities is just so like life. Nevertheless, the genius scriptwriters have churned out enough twists and turns in the story to keep it interesting throughout, and effortlessly blended in moral lessons which never seem to be forced into the story (something J-doramas are bad at). Most importantly, the show was brought to a complete end, albeit an open-ended one, which was satisfying for most, but completely amazing for me.

Acting is top class as well; vintage performances are seen from Nagasawa Masami, Hamada Gaku and Mikami Hiroshi, as well as of course the star of the show, Yamashita Tomohisa. His acting isn't particularly fantastic, but he gave his character a personality unique to himself; he became Ken, Ken became him. In all, his was an absolutely memorable performance. The OST is another highlight of the show, with BGM that is always at the right places, at the right time, and invoke heavy doses of emotion and goose-bumps that really bring the show up to another level. Who could forget the inspiring themes of Rising Road and Hallelujah Flash, and their rearranged emotional renditions that play in heart-tugging scenes? The ending theme, Ashita Hareru Kana, and the insert Chiisana Koi no Uta are, well, I don't think I have to say more. Personally I have Ame Agari (translated as 'after the rain')as my favourite as well, because of the scenes that it plays in, and the meaning of the song towards the show: after the rain, sadness will vanish and everything will start anew.

With all that being said, the show has its flaws as well. Particular aspects that stuck out include the lack of development in one of the main characters, Mikio, and the convenient shafting of Tada, portrayed as the guy everyone hates but really, is just a good man fighting for his own love. Even so, I give the show a 10. I have to admit that I'm biased in the score and in this review; but it is really because I love the show so much. My advice is really to follow the show in its entirety, indulge in the characters and feel the fun, the anguish, the anxiety, and the exhilaration in the show. And most importantly, learn from it, and I promise any watcher that it will be a enjoyable and memorable journey for you as well. read more
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Feb 19, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

Jeaniessi
14 of 18 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 7
- Story 7
- Acting/Cast 9
- Music 7
- Rewatch Value 6
Proposal Daisakusen is a time travel drama that takes a man back in time to right past wrongs. Going into this fresh off Buzzer Beat and Kurosagi I had some high expectations due to Yamapi and my growing appreciation for him. For the most part I really liked this drama.

There were however, some elements that frustrated me. This is the kind of drama where there is an automatic redundancy that comes with the plot. Every episode he goes back, fixes a small mistake from his past. I think because of this you have to have a hook to keep the viewer watching. I found myself being frustrated by the many chances given and lost as well as many words left unspoken for too long.

I am thankful this drama was only 11 episodes because anymore and I don't think I'd have been able to finish. I must admit I almost gave up after 8 but due to the acting and the sweetness of the main couple I came back and finished. The characters were charming and I wanted to see if Kenzo would finally get his Rei. In the many sweet moments and scenes of their friendship and underlying love story is where the tentative hook to stick with this over rode the urge to drop it.

The movie/special redeemed this show for me but I will expound more in that review. The editing and directing were also good. I would imagine it is difficult to pull off time travel, past and future worlds and keep up consistency but this drama does it well.

The music didn't really stand out for me. I am giving this a 7 because there are dramas out there that want and need a good OST and some that simply aren't really about the music in the background. I think this drama was fine without a standout OST.

The rewatch value is just medium. Mostly because I know I won't watch again but I am sure others will.

This is a sweet little story. Try and have patience with it and I do think you will be glad you did. read more
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Apr 21, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

Sonkido
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 8
- Story 7
- Acting/Cast 7
- Music 8
- Rewatch Value 8
Well, I must say, as much as I think that Yamapi is cute and all (cute as in kawaii, still), his acting skills need much work. For some reason I don't like Nagasawa Masami, but she was more likeable than way-too-cool-to-actually-act Yamapi (sorry to fans, but most of the times his idol-ness was too transparent in the story). Fujiki Naohito here seems quite a boring character - I mean it's probably the role, but for the first time watching him, I felt like that about his characters.
All in all, I actually watched it two times, but I can't say I was left with much from the story.
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May 5, 2011 11 of 11 episodes seen

blackstar_aria
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 7
- Story 6
- Acting/Cast 8
- Music 6
- Rewatch Value 8
I chose this drama because i saw Yamapi in it (what other reasons would i need?) lol. I really came to like this drama. Yamapi is given "supernatural" chances at a friends wedding to go back in time and make her fall in love with him and not marry the other guy.

I got frustrated with the character's inability to say what he felt even after all the chances. It seemed like the same situation kept happening over and over and over again. He was sent back to a point in time, he is meant to change a situation, he gets scared, makes no progress and then has to return to the current time.

i liked the ending, it was a real clifhanger. (so watch the special)

Although it doesnt engross you into the story- The acting was really good actually, the side stories were intresting and it was funny as well so it was good all around. From the first 3 episodes youll know if you like it or not. read more
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Nov 18, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

Rourou
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 6
- Story 5
- Acting/Cast 7
- Music 8
- Rewatch Value 1
1) The reason I watched this:

The first reason was Yamapi then I read about it in a well written blog by a friend of mine therefore I decided to give it a try.

2) Storyline/Plot:

*Generally speaking, it's a romantic story wrapped up with some comedy and let's not forget the fantasy element represented by the "fairy".

Positive Points:

*I can't think of many positive points in this drama but let's speak about the main genres present here:

--->Humor: I think it's the only element that I appreciated it while watching the drama, it's not like I laughed so hard but the funny scenes thrown every once in a while were good to watch even though they weren't freakily present but the random choice of humor was good.

Negative Points:

--->Romance: Considering the fact that this is a romantic story, I haven't felt the romantic atmosphere till the last episodes, I kept waiting and waiting for something lightening to happen yet it was practically the same each episode: No major changing, that's why after watching the first 3 episodes I knew that I have to wait for the end to see the major changing when it comes to romance.

*The story development was really slow as annoyingly slow; you know how the episode will begin and how it will end. The last 3 episodes of the dramas were the most important ones when it comes to story development, other than that it was moving like a turtle.

Story rating 5.5/10

2) Acting/Cast:

*Yamashita Tomohisa:

So Yamapi is one of my favorite actors, he's the sort of actor that I feel happy when I see him on screen not to forget that he's one of the main reasons why I started watching this drama.
Now let's be objective; no matter how much I like Yamapi I have to admit that his acting was really poor in this drama, I haven't felt anything, it's like he haven't delivered a thing that can touch me: Sad but true.
Ken character wasn't good, I liked it at some points but I quickly lost interest in it, the main reason is the slow movement of the drama that made it so dull.

*Nagasawa Masami:

I am not familiar with her as an actress, I hate to admit this but when it comes to acting she was better than Yamapi but that doesn't mean that she was dazzling; she was acceptable.
When it comes to Rei, she was really annoying as a character, I didn't like the character development; it was really bothersome to watch.

*Other Cast: Some the supporting roles lacked development (such as Mikio's character), some of them were fun to watch (Hisashi) and the rest weren't bad; acceptable overall.

*Relationships:

--->Friendship: The only relationship that I appreciated while watching this drama, I enjoyed watching the friendship between Ken, Rei, Mikio, Hisashi and Eri; it seemed pure and pretty strong in a way that makes you want to see more scenes were those 5 are gathered.

--->Romance: I haven't felt any chemistry so it wasn't that great but again it's all due to the slow development of the storyline.

--->The triangle: When I speak about the triangle I would say that it existed while it haven't actually exist; Cryptic right? Well, that's because there wasn't the usual feelings of a triangle when you see Ken, Rei and Tetsuya.

Cast: 8/10
Acting: 6/10.

3) The ending:

"I made it!!" That's what I was thinking when I finished the drama. I knew from the beginning that the major development and the "jump" of the drama will happen at the end, it was all expected.
Since there was a Special after this drama, I don't think it would be considered as an ending yet both of the drama and the Special endings weren't any different.

The ending: 7.5/10.

4) My Impression (How did it affect me):

*This drama had one of the slowest storyline's developments out of all dramas that I’ve seen so far. As a person that have the lowest level of patience, it really played with my nerves, I won't deny that I skipped many parts because like I said you know how every episode will begin and how it will end.
*It's one of those dramas that I wanted to reach the last episode to find out what will happen (even though I already anticipated it), I just wanted to finish and get over with it. It was simply one of the boring dramas that I’ve seen.

*Is this drama memorable: Partly yes. Even though I didn't like this drama, I will remember those boring feelings that I had while watching this and I will remember not to recommend it to anyone that has a slow patience level.

My impression: 4/10.

5) Overall:

*If you're die-hard Yamapi fan then you will like this.
*If you don't mind slow development then you may like this.

*Proposal Daikusen is a drama that you have to wait for the last episode to see the major change; if you don't mind that then I think you won't hate this.

Overall: 6/10. read more
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Jan 25, 2013 11 of 11 episodes seen

genger
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 8
I've already reviewed each ep so that's gonna be short...
the story is unique I loved that each ep was special on it's own & it's about a simple basic Idea..."getting the chance to repair your old mistakes" and If it didn't work then face your reality & change now for the future...
it's beautiful, touching & I personally learned many lessons from it ^^
*do your best as long as you have time to.
*chance wasted is a chance wasted.
*good friends are gonna be your shelter when you need them.
*fight for your love because it's worth it.
*the past has gone but your future is within your hands.
*it's not always about the "wrong" you did, maybe it's about the "good" you didn't do.
the things Ken done for Rei & the friendship those five had made me really enviable...
the acting was really good & all the side characters did great job...
the music was wonderful...I really loved the song...
and I'll definitely re-watch this...
don't forget about the special or you won't get the full story ^^ read more
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Oct 13, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

purplebichonhorse
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 7
- Story 7
- Acting/Cast 6
- Music 9
- Rewatch Value 4
The plot of this drama is definitely unique for a RC and I enjoyed the general premise of going back in time to try and fix your mistakes to get a different outcome. What I really didn't like was how long it took Ken to actually speak his feelings to Rei, which made the drama drag. The first few episodes were good, the middle ones were hit or miss, and the very last episode or two were good again.

The acting by all parties was ok. Ken's character was a bit flat and uninteresting. Rei's character I enjoyed and I thought her acting was spot on. All their friends had fun characters that added a lot to the story and without them it wouldn't have been as good. Tada-san's character was also a bit flat as well and at first I didn't really care for it at all.

Music- I loved the soundtrack of this drama and the ending ost was great. I'm going to have to see if I can dig up some sheet music for the songs as I liked them so much.

Rewatch value- is so, so as although I may rewatch sometime I think I would skip a few of the middle episodes since now that I know the plot it wouldn't be all that detrimental. read more
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Oct 20, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

_Muffty_
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 9
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 10
I already mentioned it in many places many times:
this drama is astonishing!
When I read the description I only thought: 'oh no, another story about a guy who didn't get his girl' and 'What an idiot to want to change it at the WEDDING!'. I absolutely didn't expect anything! So I gave it the first-episode-chance like I always do and......
it threw me off my chair.

Story:
You'd never expect it, but you get to see a really sweet and clumsy lovestory that begins in gradeschool and just doesn't work out as it could. Watching this drama you find yourself cheering on Kenzou who gives his very best to get his girl, you feel sorry for him when he is frustrated with himself and feel the depth of the whole plot and the complicated feelings the different characters carry. Each one is shown as very important, each and every one of the characters make the story complete. With ProDai your feelings go on a ride with a rollercoaster. Watch it youself: you will laugh and cry, tense up and feel frustrated. And then again you`ll feel nostalgic. That's something pretty special about ProDai. An important moodmaker is the

music: Molgol800's 'Chiisana koi no uta' became my favourite song after this drama. Everytime I hear it I can still see Kenzou running. As you watch this drama you feel like this song encompasses YOUTH. And it makes you feel nostalgic. Its not merely backgroung music. no. It symbolizes the highschool time of the friends, their jokes and funny times.(the fun didn't end with HS) The music makes the mood. That's the same for all dramas but I never felt it as clear as in ProDai. These songs can really touch your heart(no exaggeration)

rewatch value: This is a drama you can watch as many times as you want. There may be good ones out there you can only watch once caus' they are too tragic or have too many surprising contents, but Prodai isn't one of them. I can't really count how many times I watched it...

Overall:
This is absolutely not meant to be a hymn to this drama. I have to confess that one reason I first set sight on it was yamapi. But you'll be surprised. The story has depth, the characters have humour( a whole lot) and the actors play their parts more than acceptable. If you're still reluctant then give it a first-episode-chance like I did. For all who persisted until this point: thx for reading.
HALLELUJAH CHANCE! read more
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Apr 19, 2013 7 of 11 episodes seen

BSOfficer69
3 of 6 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 2
- Story 4
- Acting/Cast 5
- Music 6
- Rewatch Value 1
Honestly, this is one of the worst dramas I've ever seen. Someone mentioning the title to me sends me in an automatic rant mode. I feel like I wasted my life with the 7 or so episodes that I watched.

I came into this drama with high expectations. I knew it was popular and every jdrama sight practically faints over Yamapi. At first I liked it. It's a time travel drama, but I liked the idea of being able to travel back in time through photographs. It's original and interesting.

As many others have said this type of drama begs for repetition. He can't confess to her in the first episode because then the drama would be over. The drama delivers zany misunderstandings, close calls, and you actually do want to root for the main male lead Iwase Ken.

What makes me give it such an awful review is how it ends. I ended up becoming tired of the repetitive plot lines and search to see how the drama ended to see it if was worth my time. It is not at all. I wont spoil how it ends, but I will say that the ending is so stupidly contrived and unrealistic that it offends my life. I will say that the future takes place at a WEDDING. Not even a wedding, the reception to said wedding. The main female lead and love interest, Yoshida Rei, is MARRIED the the present time. The only way I could see the ending actually being decent is if they villainize the love rival, Tada Tetsuya, but he is actually a pretty decent guy so it doesn't even a little bit work.

The horrible ending on top of sub-par acting and repetition make me loathe this drama. read more
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Feb 2, 2013 11 of 11 episodes seen

dramahearts
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 8
I'd read about Proposal Daisakusen on MDL before and the storyline intrigued me but I'd never found the time to watch it. However when a Japanese exchange student came to stay at my house and I found him on the couch absolutely cracking up while watching this I decided I had to give it a go asap and I am SO GLAD I did :)

Proposal Daisakusen was definitely one of my all-time favorite dramas. I loved how the storyline was very unique and something we can all relate to. Who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be able to go back and time and fix your mistakes and regrets? Needless to say, I very much enjoyed the storyline and it was great to watch a drama which didn't have the same predictable-ness as many others out there.

One of the things that stood out for me in this drama was the fact the characters were all very realistic. In this drama Ken (Yamashita Tomohisa) is at the wedding of his childhood friend, Rei (Nagasawa Masami), but not as her groom like he wishes he could be. Instead she is getting married to one of their old teachers, Tetsuya (Fujiki Naohito). Now, I have watched enough dramas to expect that Tetsuya would be a horrible man so we are rooting for Ken to go back in time and win over Rei. However, Tetsuya was actually a lovely man and I found this a refreshing change from the typical love triangle as we are conflicted inside just like Rei. Does Ken really deserve to take Rei away from Tetsuya? This felt a lot more realistic to me instead of the typical love triangle and was one of the stand out reasons I enjoyed this drama.

The acting in this drama was a definite 10 for me as all the characters were convincing and I really felt connected to them. I also gave the music a 10 as I really enjoyed the soundtrack. :) As for re-watch value I give this drama an 8. It's the type of drama you could easily just watch your favorite episodes again and skip the ones you didn't like so much as it's a tad repetitive after a while.

After watching this drama you will feel like you've been through a huge big journey with Ken and his friends and you will have learnt many lessons. I know that after I'd finished this journey I definitely felt a sense of life live without regrets :) We're all not as lucky as Ken to be able to relive our past! read more
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