Love, disability and finding joy even in hardship
Netflix has been dropping a lot of classic Japanese dramas lately, several of which starring Takuya Kimura. So I figured it was as good a time as any to start diving into them.I'm admittedly late to the party with Beautiful Life. I started watching dramas in my late 20s - missing a lot of dramas that came out before then.
I didn't know what I was getting into before starting this drama. I wasn't prepared to feel all these emotions. But wow, I am so glad I watched this!
Takuya Kimura and Takako Tokiwa put on memorable performances as the leads in this emotionally charged 2000 drama. Takako Tokiwa (Kyoko Machida) captured the pain, frustration and hopes of a disabled 27 year old who has all but given up on life until she met Takuya Kimura’s character, Shuji Okishima. Shuji is a quiet and fiercely loyal person. He's also good at times and has shown a deep care and acceptance of the female lead. Together, these two shined in every scene they were in.
I'm really glad I watched this as an adult. I don't think some of the themes like living with a disability and finding joy even when times are hard would've hit me hard in my teens as they did now. There's so much to unpack and with my limited experience when I was younger, I probably would've focused only on the sadness of it all and not the little nuggets of joy and wisdom.
With all that said: no matter when you decide to watch Beautiful Life, no matter what age or what you're going through in life, this masterpiece of a drama is worth a watch.
Note: if you're sensitive to themes like terminal illnesses or the despair that comes with living with a disability (trust me, I know), you might want to take a moment and consider if Beautiful Life is worth the watch. It may be a hard watch for you but it still is worth it in my opinion.
There's a lot more I can say about Beautiful Life but it's difficult to fully process what I just watched. So instead I'll leave you with my version of the quote from Shuji:
I will never forget this beautiful drama.
“I clicked the shutter in my heart. As if burning it into my eyes. As if burning it into my mind. As if burning it into my heart. As if burning it into the rest of my life.”
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De flojera, química cero.
Siendo fan del lado actoral de Kimura Takuya (Shuuji, nuestro protagonista) la verdad es el drama más 'débil' que le he visto. Es una historia super predecible, en ocasiones me pareció muy aburrido sobretodo cuando ella se hacía la víctima por cualquier cosa que le pasaba. La química entre los protas no hay nada de nada, nunca me conmovieron juntos aunque sí por separado. La actuación de Kimura bien pero con eso no es suficiente para sostener el drama. Esas frases finales que se aventaban en cada episodio me parecieron muy cursis, tal vez porque nunca creí en la química de ellos y la historia me parecía un somnífero.La actitud que tenía el hermano de esta historia es horrible, machista y aunque al final parece que se aleja un poco de ese pensar, se me hizo un personaje detestable. Los padres de ella parecían fantasmas porque nunca tenían voz ni voto, solo el hermano de Kyoko.
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