[Discussion] Yamashita Tomohisa a.k.a. Yamapi

Oct 28, 2012 08:57 am

No, it really today! It's still raining actually. If you haven't seen "Sore wa totsuzen arashi youni", it's really good. (and then you would get my reference :))

waterbird12

Oct 28, 2012 08:58 am

Oh, I was looking forward to watching Monsters, but haven't started it yet! Is it really bad?

SumiTheCat

Oct 28, 2012 12:03 pm

waterbird12 wrote: No, it really today! It's still raining actually. If you haven't seen "Sore wa totsuzen arashi youni", it's really good. (and then you would get my reference :))

indeed, haven't watched it.
about Monsters, yes, we could be disppointed by Yamashita's performance, or, to be exact, by his character, cause I don't think Yamashita plays that bad. I 'm gonna watch the second episode, cause i'm still hoping it's going to be better. and I think it's start now!!!

devitto VIP

Oct 28, 2012 12:15 pm

I was looking forward to a detective rolle, but this is more of a dorky role. It's not just his acting (actually I think he's improved a lot. There's still this Yamapi-Undertone in everything he does, but he seems more into the character) but the character and show itself. But that's hard to decide after having seen only one episode. :D

SumiTheCat

Oct 28, 2012 01:19 pm

episode 2 watched (not entirely, and need to rewatch it with subs) : his character didn't annoy me as much as in the first episode, but I'm not sure things will really change. I think I'm going to watch it though, cause I really like Yamashita-san, and the other main character is delightfull. And I have a lot of fun with some silly scenes. Maybe what is troubling me is that I really like Yamashita playing cool characters, and this new one is sooo different. I was hoping, after the very good Ending planner, to see him in more mature dramas (or roles), and this one makes me feel I'm watching a newcomer in his first main role (not sure i am understandable). i mean, I would have agreed with that kind of role in the beginning of his career, but not now... Am I too hoping too much from this man?

waterbird12

Oct 28, 2012 01:30 pm

hmm, then I will probably give it a shot. but I'll wait til it's done airing. I can't stand the suspense of waiting for the next episode to be up. My favorite part of watching Yamapi act is his voice. His voice and his quirks. So, hopefully I can still enjoy those despite a bad storyline.

sunflower63

Oct 28, 2012 02:49 pm

I am glad to hear that the second episode was better than the first one where he made me cringe on occasions. I hope he won't be doing the 'forced laughter' too much though. I was also hoping to see him in a more mature role but I haven't watched Code Blue yet.

SumiTheCat

Oct 28, 2012 03:56 pm

sunflower63 wrote: I am glad to hear that the second episode was better than the first one where he made me cringe on occasions. I hope he won't be doing the 'forced laughter' too much though. I was also hoping to see him in a more mature role but I haven't watched Code Blue yet.

Not sure it was way better than the first one though, but yes, there were less "forced laughter"...
You SHOULD watch Code blue. that's typically the kind of character he portrays well (or rather the kind of character I like him to portray).

@waterbird : I totally agree, his voice in dramas is his first very good point. i've already said that too many times, but sometimes I feel I could listen to him endlessly.

MyBowl

Oct 29, 2012 04:50 am

I'm new to yamashita fandom, just found Buzzer Beat, NwP, Kurosagi, and Stand Up recently, must say I loved his characters alot... just began to watch Monsters too, IMO it wasnt that bad, quite liked the plot and the idea of detective and comedy!! but yeah I must agree his character was too goofy!! I dont mind with the forced laughter though, since it was supposed to be 'forced' IMO, he only laughed that way whenever being put in an awkward situation with Singo right? so plot wise its like his silly awkward character trying to pretend being all relax in front of a co worker yet could only manage doing a stupid awkward laugh, over-analyze it much? maybe lol. anyway Akira was a better dork character than Kosuke IMO, way more natural! so I kind of wondering what make Yamapi's acting feels kinda different in Monster, I come up with this: maybe as Akira he was simply being in the dork side of the real him, so it wasnt really 100% acting and thats what makes it sooo believable, while as Kosuke, i feel like hes totally trying to play as somebody else whom he's not really familiar with. In fact I think Yamapi most of the time acted as himself in every characters he has played! but as Kosuke its really different story, I feel like he doesnt have that Kosuke-kind-of-goofiness side in him, so he must come up with a totally new character and the real challenge in acting just actually began! must say Im glad that he got to play this character, hoping he would learn many thing from here!

SumiTheCat

Oct 29, 2012 09:22 pm

Interesting point of view. i don't think you're over-analyzing it too much regarding his behaviour with Shingo's character. this is quite a character who can make you act stupidly, all the more due to Yamashita's character's situation into the drama. About Yamashita-san being really far from his true-self (?), this is quite an interesting observation. I haven't seen all his stuff, and haven't seen the documentary he made in the US, but it's true we can imagine the man closer to his characters in Nobuta, Kurosagi or Ending Planner. Maybe those who knows better his work and his temper can tell if you're right or wrong. This drama just left me the same feeling I had watching Buzzer Beat. I found his character quite boring in this one. In fact, I think I can't really stand him playing normal and nice guys (just my opinion). Nevertheless, like I said before, i'm still watching this drama, cause I can't help having great expectations from this actor (and it's not often we can see him in dramas (at least not enough for me)).

mirin

Oct 29, 2012 10:15 pm

I totally wasn't expecting such a ham role from him, and the first episode was disappointing both in terms of his character and the drama itself. But while I'm still not keen on the forced comedic tone of Monsters and his character being nothing more than a fluff piece (it feels like they added Emi in just to give him a bigger part and justify the double lead billing), thankfully the second episode was more enjoyable. Don't think this is going to end up one of my favorite dramas from him though, not unless they give us a lot more Emi-Kosuke :D. @waterbird: People have called him a bad actor in the past, but I've always quite liked the natural, subtle way he does it. And lately he improved quite a bit, the difference between Ending Planner and for example, Buzzer Beat (which had some cringeworthy moments) is noticeable. So to see him trying to ham it up in Monsters isn't just different, it feels like he took two steps back. But I'll cut him some slack since this is really his first time doing this type of role and drama. Like you said, hopefully he learns something from challenging himself. I think it could be good for him to step out of his acting comfort zone. @Sumi: I agree! It feels like the role would have been more suited to him 5 years ago, or maybe that's because we're so used to him playing more mature roles.

MyBowl

Oct 30, 2012 01:23 am

SumiTheCat wrote: About Yamashita-san being really far from his true-self (?), this is quite an interesting observation. I haven't seen all his stuff, and haven't seen the documentary he made in the US, but it's true we can imagine the man closer to his characters in Nobuta, Kurosagi or Ending Planner. Maybe those who knows better his work and his temper can tell if you're right or wrong.

I came with that conclusion after watching a bunch of his videos in utube, its quite interesting watching his behavior in real life. there are some videos took around NwP time, kurosagi time, and Buzzer beat time. I noticed the difference of Pi from each Video... ummmm how do I put this?? he seems to get carried away with the character he played, during NwP time he behave Akiraish (the laugh, the drunk-man move etc), but during his Buzzer Beat time he seemed so shy and cool at the same time, really remind me of Naoki himself!! so its like he inserted a bit (if not a lot) of himself into his roles and took a bit part of the characters he portrayed in exchange lol, I find that interesting. maybe its just me after all.

mirin wrote:
@waterbird: People have called him a bad actor in the past, but I've always quite liked the natural, subtle way he does it. And lately he improved quite a bit, the difference between Ending Planner and for example, Buzzer Beat (which had some cringeworthy moments) is noticeable. So to see him trying to ham it up in Monsters isn't just different, it feels like he took two steps back. But I'll cut him some slack since this is really his first time doing this type of role and drama. Like you said, hopefully he learns something from challenging himself. I think it could be good for him to step out of his acting comfort zone.

Speaking of good actor in term of versatility he definitely isn't that great yet! but that doesnt mean he's a bad actor. he has his own color in acting, and at times he could really nail the role he played. I couldn't imagine other actors could make Akira as unique and adorable as Pi. the 'kon kon' part (and i believe some other parts too) was his own idea btw. and yes he did a better job with Ending Planner, im in the middle of watching it right now with code blue too.

waterbird12

Oct 31, 2012 01:59 pm

Really? I actually preferred his acting in Buzzer Beat to that in Ending Planner. But maybe I am confusing the acting with the characters. I have heard that before somewhere, that in NwP, he did well in the role of Akira because it was basically himself, but I haven't seen enough of him in real life to judge. In interviews/shounen club that I have seen, he seems more like the character in Buzzer Beat. I still haven't seen Code Blue...I tend to dislike medical drama genre...but maybe I should just get over that and watch it.

MyBowl

Oct 31, 2012 10:19 pm

nah thats not what I mean, I dont believe Akira was a total Yamapi-self. its more like they shared some part of themselves for each other!! for me its not that Akira behaved like Yamapi but more the other way around, Pi behaved like Akira but ONLY around NwP time,thats why some people think Akira was just like him. but its not really true IMO because as soon as he got new role he would behave a bit like the new role he played, thats why I said behaviorally he tends to get influenced by the characters he played, maybe because he was too much into them. the one u saw in Shounen club, wasnt it took during Buzzer Beat time (notice the hair)??, if so no wonder if u think he's more Naokish, lol idk if i make any sense at all, thats just what I feel about Pi and what makes him such a unique actor for me. BB Vs Ending Planner> i love BB much much more but still I think his acting in Ending Planner was way better.