sarafilleSD
San Diego, CA
Quirky, Fun, Well-written...there's a reason why there are so many remakes
As my first real review (made a recommendation once) I thought it fitting I review this drama. Even if I've watched another drama 10x or more & haven't written reviews for it so I feel like cheating a little (oops...that's next, haha) I hadn't felt compelled by it to write a review. But now I do. Feel compelled. I mean, seriously. Com.pelled.
I am impressed with this drama & have felt for the FIRST time like lamenting the fact that I don't speak Japanese or know enough about the culture to appreciate the play(s) on words as much they use them throughout the show. I know the translation I watched captured the wittiness of each situation & its dialogue but couldn't do it all justice. The acting sold it as well. The story (total fantasyland but FUN) fit the quirkiness of the characters and the over-the-topness of many situations. Domyouji's continual mis-conjugation or mis-pronunciation or just refusal to care kept getting funnier & funnier the more he started getting cuter & sweeter. Especially when the F4 started joining in with him on it. Gosh, her crazy family! And their (again) witty little ripostes lobbed her way in an insidiously sneaky style (but hilarious once you catch on) whenever she walked through the front door. The unexpected ring tone! omg, I burst out laughing. HIS screwed up family, yikes! Sister was fun & not as exaggerated in other series. Mother was a great biatch but equally on par with other actresses who've played the role in many other country's iterations of this story. The music was an odd but sweet touch; very fitting to the overall feel of the show. I wonder...with such a successful trope, will the United States make some version in the future as well? Hmmm....
At first I was a little annoyed with the female character not because I think she's weak in any way (she's not) but because she's pretty naive and dreadfully gullible. She ends up in some dangerous situations, yeesh... Another reviewer thought she wasn't supposed to be pretty? I think the point is that she's supposed to be low-key, warm-up-to-her pretty. That's not what makes her interesting to our hero--even though, of course, he is attracted to her. Poor girl ends up encountering several tricky, nasty situations but perseveres through basically all the challenges thrown at her. Great strong female character & very empowering to watch. Also: when she's all dolled up, it's obvious that she is DEFINITELY pretty.
I think the chemistry between the leads fits their characters & the story like jigsaw puzzle pieces. ;) I held off on watching this because I could only find sub par video footage from bootlegged sites to watch it on, but I finally just broke down & have been suffering serious withdrawal pangs from 1080p on this one. The chemistry & emotion was something I felt between them more than saw on the actors' faces. They connected really well together & had a likable genuineness to their chemistry. in the beginning, I felt some of the scenes with dramatic lighting didn't translate as well--too cartoony fake-- but the accompanying music & camera zooms or angles helped out & it began to grow on me. And again: the actors are selling it pretty hardcore. They really stop feeling like characters after a while--which, for this kind of fantasyland drama, is pretty tough to do. Serious props are in order. It was a sweet little love story & was very pretty lightweight that you just end up enjoying the ride. A myriad of things seemed intentional & well-connected that I think there's a lot to appreciate in this show (there were some definite inside jokes here.) I just felt that the writing was pretty phenomenal & matched the vibe of the show perfectly as well. Basically: if you've been idling about this one like me, it's time to go for it!
Another nice thing? Only 9 episodes so it just whizzes right on by! I mean, the pacing is PERFECT. Making it longer (most other versions) has seemed to mess with its charm somehow.
I am impressed with this drama & have felt for the FIRST time like lamenting the fact that I don't speak Japanese or know enough about the culture to appreciate the play(s) on words as much they use them throughout the show. I know the translation I watched captured the wittiness of each situation & its dialogue but couldn't do it all justice. The acting sold it as well. The story (total fantasyland but FUN) fit the quirkiness of the characters and the over-the-topness of many situations. Domyouji's continual mis-conjugation or mis-pronunciation or just refusal to care kept getting funnier & funnier the more he started getting cuter & sweeter. Especially when the F4 started joining in with him on it. Gosh, her crazy family! And their (again) witty little ripostes lobbed her way in an insidiously sneaky style (but hilarious once you catch on) whenever she walked through the front door. The unexpected ring tone! omg, I burst out laughing. HIS screwed up family, yikes! Sister was fun & not as exaggerated in other series. Mother was a great biatch but equally on par with other actresses who've played the role in many other country's iterations of this story. The music was an odd but sweet touch; very fitting to the overall feel of the show. I wonder...with such a successful trope, will the United States make some version in the future as well? Hmmm....
At first I was a little annoyed with the female character not because I think she's weak in any way (she's not) but because she's pretty naive and dreadfully gullible. She ends up in some dangerous situations, yeesh... Another reviewer thought she wasn't supposed to be pretty? I think the point is that she's supposed to be low-key, warm-up-to-her pretty. That's not what makes her interesting to our hero--even though, of course, he is attracted to her. Poor girl ends up encountering several tricky, nasty situations but perseveres through basically all the challenges thrown at her. Great strong female character & very empowering to watch. Also: when she's all dolled up, it's obvious that she is DEFINITELY pretty.
I think the chemistry between the leads fits their characters & the story like jigsaw puzzle pieces. ;) I held off on watching this because I could only find sub par video footage from bootlegged sites to watch it on, but I finally just broke down & have been suffering serious withdrawal pangs from 1080p on this one. The chemistry & emotion was something I felt between them more than saw on the actors' faces. They connected really well together & had a likable genuineness to their chemistry. in the beginning, I felt some of the scenes with dramatic lighting didn't translate as well--too cartoony fake-- but the accompanying music & camera zooms or angles helped out & it began to grow on me. And again: the actors are selling it pretty hardcore. They really stop feeling like characters after a while--which, for this kind of fantasyland drama, is pretty tough to do. Serious props are in order. It was a sweet little love story & was very pretty lightweight that you just end up enjoying the ride. A myriad of things seemed intentional & well-connected that I think there's a lot to appreciate in this show (there were some definite inside jokes here.) I just felt that the writing was pretty phenomenal & matched the vibe of the show perfectly as well. Basically: if you've been idling about this one like me, it's time to go for it!
Another nice thing? Only 9 episodes so it just whizzes right on by! I mean, the pacing is PERFECT. Making it longer (most other versions) has seemed to mess with its charm somehow.
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