Most of it is due to the excellent cast. I knew Ueto Aya from Attention Please and loved her there: she was the reason why I watched that drama and the only reason why I completed it. There she was feisty and entertaining, here she plays the role of a disillusioned young woman, wary of men - who can blame her? - and in desperate need of warmth and a sense of belonging. Her acting is outstanding, one can't help falling in love with her fragility, her courage and beauty.
Takenouchi Yutaka is just as awesome. His character is that of an honest man who leads a simple life but is ready to go to any length in order to save his sister. He's so sedate throughout the whole drama, I expected him to burst out at some point. But he didn't, and I realize now this is what makes him into such an endearing character. He expresses a world of meaning via glances and silences: I loved it.
The encounter between Risa and Kengo is poignant and their interaction from that point on is always defined by a sedate fire. Nobody shouts, or desperately cries or have fits of anger, and yet the chemistry is powerful.
I don't think it's accidental that Matsuda Shota speaks in a very sedate and calm way too through the whole show. This is the imprint of Nagareboshi. Just like the beautiful jellyfishes that float around in the aquarium. I never thought I could come to consider jellyfishes such beautiful creatures.
The side cast is just as brilliant, mostly the women.
The photography deserves a mention too. There are some truly outstanding sceneries of Japan shown in this drama. I was captivated by the colours and the general atmosphere. I love it that Japanese can produce wonderful dramas without the pomp and the shine we have been accustomed to with the usual super stars sporting gorgeous outfits or your average hero under the shower. This is a simple yet complicated love story between two very average people. It could be us.
The music is beautiful, although not my genre. I usually prefer instrumental pieces in dramas, so I don't really care much for songs. But it suits the pace and the feel of the drama perfectly.
If you like well acted, slow developing stories without love triangles or squares, played on style more than actual happenings, this drama is for you. I suppose it's for mature viewers - and I'm not referring to age.
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Acting/Cast- The leads had great chemistry. Everyone acted in their roles well. I didn\''\''t like Aya in Attention Please but she proved me wrong in this drama. I liked that the male lead was so sweet and nice. The brother was a jerk throughout as the villian but he redeems himself in the end.
Music- Very nice score that went along with the mood of the drama.
Rewatch- Its one to rewatch but not right away.
Overall- This is a touching drama that the actors carry with thier wonderful acting.
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Here are some things that I didn't like:
1) Somewhere around episode 7, I felt that this drama was too long (and this is coming from someone who often enjoys slow-paced dramas!), and I kept feeling that way until the end - there's no "I wish it wasn't over yet!" feeling here...
2) I strongly dislike characters like Risa's brother... I can take crazy obsesson in lighter dramas, but this guy was such a creep... he was just too much. The way Risa reacted to his actions and had very mixed feelings about him was realistic in a way (after all, they grew up together, and of course there is a bond) but also sort of confusing. Sometimes I felt that the way she acted didn't make a lot of sense. I wish this part of the story would have ended a bit differently...
3) I liked the ending of the last episode, but everything that happened between the start of ep 9 and that moment was stupid. This drama should have been shorter and a bit more simple.
This being said, 7 is still a good rating and I enjoyed this drama; I'm glad I watched it.
The story was interesting (even if it got too long, but I was never truly bored while watching it) and I liked most of the characters most of the time. Some things were a bit predicable, though.
I liked the acting/cast. Takenouchi Yutaka as Okada Kengo was excellent, convincing as the older brother filled with worries; most of the time I felt like I could understand what he was thinking and feeling. (I wouldn't mind watching him in more dramas.) He also has good chemistry with Ueto Aya (Risa), but just like one person says in the comments, I wish their relationship had been explored more (and some of the supporting characters less). The other actors were also good.
I found that Matsuda Shota's character was an unexpected gem. It's a supporting role, he's the doctor, and at first I didn't expect to see a lot of him, but he was more involved in the plot than I expected. I liked that, because, well, it was just such a likeable person. Calm, cool, supporting, wanting to do the right thing. At the same time, I doubt that this part of the drama was very realistic - do doctors really have the time to be this involved with patients on a personal level? So while I sometimes raised a sceptical eyebrow, I also enjoyed the scenes with Matsuda Shota simply because I liked the character... (If you'e a fan, you'll probably find it worth your time to give this drama a chance.)
Also, this drama was beautiful; many lovely scenes, and water and jellyfish... and I loved the music.
So, to sum it up: I liked it, it was good, but it didn't give me enough "wow" feelings, and there were some things I didn't like. I wouldn't rewatch it.
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The plot and characters are fresh and their acting excellent acting skills made this drama happen. I personally liked the settings that were used, aquarium, hospital, and a hostess bar. There wasn't a clear line to determine whether a character was good or bad when you finished the drama as most of the characters were very dynamic :)
I didn't really pay attention to the music which means I didn't hate it or particularly like it.
I've watched Nagareboshi twice in 2011 and I plan to watch it again during the end of my summer break. So its re-watch value is outstanding!
The romance, the twist and turns in the plot make this an excellent drama to watch. Takenouchi Yutaka's character here is a great contrast with his character in Boss. While Ueto Aya's long hair makes here extremely beautiful! Love her green coat!
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the story is not typical, there are no triangles, the characters are all equally developed and you get a fair idea of their personalities. the small details and habits those people have and their likes. everything is there like an open book for you to read. they are presented openly, slowly. the picture was a bit gloomy but at times it was vivid. although there is some kind of slow change of scenes and such i find it refreshing because we are all so used to fast paced poop that we need to sit back and enjoy the proper pace. things dun always move fast and it's better this way. i won't say much about the plot since i don't want to spoil anything but the script is written as such that you end up sympathizing with the main characters. you'll definitely cry, i know i did.
acting wise i give it a 10 because aya was brilliant like always and yutaka as well. everyone really did an excellent job. did you not hate that brother? i did too, inagaki goro is just so good at making you like or hate a character it's amazing. the small details the way they spoke and the voice manipulation the way they were holding th chopsticks even how they walked . you no longer saw the actors but the roles. and the feelings that were portrayed by both aya and yutaka were just so there, the actions the voice the eyes the face how they behaved around each other, it was there and it was slowly killing me how two people can have such strong feelings without saying anything.
the music was lovely , it assisted the show and it gave the sad note to it too.
i have rewatched this three times so far and i generally don't rewatch stuff.
overall this drama is a must watch for mature viewers.
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And I was really surprised by the plot, because not always you can find a drama in which something happens all the time, that is why it is faaaaaar from those boring ones. Acting was also pretty good, i would even say, very good! I would definitely watch it at least one more time, because there are always things you can omit while watching for the first time, but you can pay more attention to them when you return.
I recommend everyone to watch it and enjoy it as much as i did. :*
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Oh! One more thing...Can anybody tell me how come a negative character could be sooooo disgustingly annoying?!! I felt like using him as a punching bag...Seriously, that could be a BETTER anger management..."Using-him-as-a-Punching-Bag"...hehe!!!
Hope...You'll enjoy it, too!! ^-^*
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This review may contain spoilers
touching
I feel like this series was edited in a B-movie manner. While watching I thought I like the idea and the storyline more than the execution. There were many times I felt like a scene could have had more impact, it was poorly executed. The actor who played the doctor was bad or did not fit the role. Also, the one playing the sick boy was bad. But the other actors did a fine to decent job. I wished to have seen the male lead showing more affection towards the female one. I felt like she fought harder than him. But that definitely is only my perception.Was this review helpful to you?
