Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge Review
Nov. 30th, 2010 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaEpisode 2
I enjoyed this episode much more.
• I like Kyohei and I like the actor playing him (...Kamenashi Kazuya). He makes really good faces and he is excellent at quiet contemplation. I think he, and the writing/directing, have done a very good job of making him understandable. I also really like how they’re building the Kyohei/Sunako relationship. I liked him overhearing Sunako explain how important Hiroshi was to her. I liked his constant “This is so weird” with regards to ‘lady’ Sunako throughout the episode and the scene of him contemplating the skull she gave him.
• The PTB made Kyohei’s decision to change Sunako back in this version almost equally about him preferring normal/usual Sunako and wanting her back, and him doing it for Takeru, because he so badly wanted her back. I’m fine with that.
• Possibly the biggest surprise for me is that I am finding myself really loving Takenaga and the way he just quietly stands back and observes everything. I liked him, and him with Noi, in the anime but I didn’t really have any strong feelings about him. Here I love him! There’s just something about his silent and calm contemplation of everything that happens, the way he doesn’t get involved in the other guys’ freak outs, and his quiet intelligence that all just really works for me. I’m not however sold on Takenaga/Noi yet.
• Noi is great but we didn’t get near enough of her.
- I love Noi’s relationship with Kyohei. I loved her grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away to interrogate him about who ‘Sunako-chan’ is. I loved him putting his arm around her shoulder (I wonder how many rumours started after that!) and then teasing her with Takenaga having a crush on Sunako. I was a bit surprised when after it was promptly revealed that he was lying she didn’t really react, not even a punch to the arm.
- I also really liked what we got of Noi/Sunako. I loved when she covered her head with her jacket so she could help Sunako feel more comfortable while they talked. That was really sweet. I loved her “He must be really important to you” about Hiroshi. I mean here’s this girl she just met talking about how an anatomy model is her best friend and instead of being completely weirded out she’s just so nice about it. Throughout the episode she keeps saying that Sunako is ‘a sweet girl’ but I think that describes Noi more than anything. Also I loved Noi defending Sunako with regards to her not having to be made into a lady because she’s already so great (she’s sweet and cooks so well).
- I wish that the Noi/Sunako friendship didn’t start because Noi’s crush asked her too. That bothered me a bit.
• “Sunako-chan’s a normal girl right now.” – Kyohei. Um, no she really isn’t. Sunako as this ubber delicate, helpless flower is kind of annoying but especially so with everyone talking about her as if her behaviour is normal for women/girls. Shinichi (the cafe guy) asks Kyohei “What do you mean by normal?” which I really liked as well as the fact that Kyohei really thought about it.
• This episode has two new additions to the series – Shinichi, the cafe owner, who appears to be a mentor to Kyohei and befriends Sunako, and Sebastian, who works for Aunt Mine – and while I don’t really mind them I do wonder why the PTB felt it necessary to add them. I also found it interesting that they both gave Kyohei (and the other boys) ‘wise old guy’ advice. Perhaps that’s the reason they’re here.
• “You need to become a person you like.” – Aunt Mine. That is now two pieces of advice in two episodes that I really love and can get behind. I am really liking this version of her.
• Aunt Mine having a son in this version while still having her world traveller lifestyle without him makes her look bad.
• I miss Sunako going to school with the boys. Does she not go to their school in this version? Actually does she go to school at all?
• The Loli Loli girls are a lot less obnoxious then they were in the anime.
• Oh, kissing in Asian Dramas is so funny and so sad.
• I loved Sunako jumping around her aunt’s room happily trying on clothes. It was just so unreservedly girlish and happy and it made me smile. I liked the various dresses she was wearing but they are definitely not everyday clothes.
• Sunako returning to herself and then immediately kicking Kyohei and then actually getting into a fight with him was great. I also loved Takeru’s gleeful ‘yays’ and the other guys relieved smiles. Oh, and Sunako punching Kyohei out made me laugh. I love that the live action version has kept the fact that Sunako is a fighter (physically) and she often gets into actual fights with Kyohei.
I enjoyed this episode much more.
• I like Kyohei and I like the actor playing him (...Kamenashi Kazuya). He makes really good faces and he is excellent at quiet contemplation. I think he, and the writing/directing, have done a very good job of making him understandable. I also really like how they’re building the Kyohei/Sunako relationship. I liked him overhearing Sunako explain how important Hiroshi was to her. I liked his constant “This is so weird” with regards to ‘lady’ Sunako throughout the episode and the scene of him contemplating the skull she gave him.
• The PTB made Kyohei’s decision to change Sunako back in this version almost equally about him preferring normal/usual Sunako and wanting her back, and him doing it for Takeru, because he so badly wanted her back. I’m fine with that.
• Possibly the biggest surprise for me is that I am finding myself really loving Takenaga and the way he just quietly stands back and observes everything. I liked him, and him with Noi, in the anime but I didn’t really have any strong feelings about him. Here I love him! There’s just something about his silent and calm contemplation of everything that happens, the way he doesn’t get involved in the other guys’ freak outs, and his quiet intelligence that all just really works for me. I’m not however sold on Takenaga/Noi yet.
• Noi is great but we didn’t get near enough of her.
- I love Noi’s relationship with Kyohei. I loved her grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away to interrogate him about who ‘Sunako-chan’ is. I loved him putting his arm around her shoulder (I wonder how many rumours started after that!) and then teasing her with Takenaga having a crush on Sunako. I was a bit surprised when after it was promptly revealed that he was lying she didn’t really react, not even a punch to the arm.
- I also really liked what we got of Noi/Sunako. I loved when she covered her head with her jacket so she could help Sunako feel more comfortable while they talked. That was really sweet. I loved her “He must be really important to you” about Hiroshi. I mean here’s this girl she just met talking about how an anatomy model is her best friend and instead of being completely weirded out she’s just so nice about it. Throughout the episode she keeps saying that Sunako is ‘a sweet girl’ but I think that describes Noi more than anything. Also I loved Noi defending Sunako with regards to her not having to be made into a lady because she’s already so great (she’s sweet and cooks so well).
- I wish that the Noi/Sunako friendship didn’t start because Noi’s crush asked her too. That bothered me a bit.
• “Sunako-chan’s a normal girl right now.” – Kyohei. Um, no she really isn’t. Sunako as this ubber delicate, helpless flower is kind of annoying but especially so with everyone talking about her as if her behaviour is normal for women/girls. Shinichi (the cafe guy) asks Kyohei “What do you mean by normal?” which I really liked as well as the fact that Kyohei really thought about it.
• This episode has two new additions to the series – Shinichi, the cafe owner, who appears to be a mentor to Kyohei and befriends Sunako, and Sebastian, who works for Aunt Mine – and while I don’t really mind them I do wonder why the PTB felt it necessary to add them. I also found it interesting that they both gave Kyohei (and the other boys) ‘wise old guy’ advice. Perhaps that’s the reason they’re here.
• “You need to become a person you like.” – Aunt Mine. That is now two pieces of advice in two episodes that I really love and can get behind. I am really liking this version of her.
• Aunt Mine having a son in this version while still having her world traveller lifestyle without him makes her look bad.
• I miss Sunako going to school with the boys. Does she not go to their school in this version? Actually does she go to school at all?
• The Loli Loli girls are a lot less obnoxious then they were in the anime.
• Oh, kissing in Asian Dramas is so funny and so sad.
• I loved Sunako jumping around her aunt’s room happily trying on clothes. It was just so unreservedly girlish and happy and it made me smile. I liked the various dresses she was wearing but they are definitely not everyday clothes.
• Sunako returning to herself and then immediately kicking Kyohei and then actually getting into a fight with him was great. I also loved Takeru’s gleeful ‘yays’ and the other guys relieved smiles. Oh, and Sunako punching Kyohei out made me laugh. I love that the live action version has kept the fact that Sunako is a fighter (physically) and she often gets into actual fights with Kyohei.
